1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E: common problems

Owners of the 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E filed 19 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and engine. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 19

What fails most often

1 Electrical system 74% of all complaints
2 Engine 11% of all complaints
3 Engine and cooling 11% of all complaints
4 Vehicle speed control 11% of all complaints
5 Electronic stability control 5% of all complaints
6 Fuel/propulsion system 5% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Electrical system: 14 complaints (74% of all).
Engine: 2 complaints (11% of all).
Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (11% of all).
Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (11% of all).
Electronic stability control: 1 complaints (5% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 19 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

smoke, burning smell, fire5 · 26%
stalls while driving4 · 21%
loss of power / limp mode2 · 11%
warning lights, check engine2 · 11%
A/C or heater1 · 5%
fuel system, fuel smell1 · 5%
jerking, harsh shifts1 · 5%
won't start1 · 5%
knocking, grinding or other noise1 · 5%
oil leak or consumption1 · 5%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Electrical system	14	0	0
Engine	2	0	0
Engine and cooling	2	0	0
Vehicle speed control	2	0	0
Electronic stability control	1	0	0
Fuel/propulsion system	1	0	0
Other	1	0	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Burning smell coming from vehicle then smoke started going in through vents and seemed liked it was coming from under the car. The electrical wiring harness is creating mass and the car nearly went up in flames.
Electrical system · 2016-03-24 · NHTSA complaint #10851497
Has resulted in a lot of shorting issues, which resulted in air conditioning turning off, fan control off, engine heating up, blue and black smoke, and now smog failure. This is a known problem to mercedes and they need to fix it.
Engine · 2015-03-04 · NHTSA complaint #10692130
Wiring caught fire due to faulty wiring harness insulation, which is well documented. Yet, mercedes refuses to resolve/recall this issue. Wiring harness needs to be replaced.
Electrical system · 2014-08-04 · NHTSA complaint #10618874
Faulty wiring in engine harness resulted in loss of power at speed on a major interstate, luckily at the time I was able to get off the road safely. It was determined that the car's charging system had been shorted out. Still waiting on other system tests. This is a known problem with certain mercedes.
Electrical system · 2012-11-12 · NHTSA complaint #10484072
Tl* - the contact's 1993 mercedes benz, 400e with the cruise control set increased the vehicle increased speed. The contact immediately drove the vehicle off the highway, the vehicle would not restart. The contact's car was towed to the repair shop.
Engine and cooling · 2006-12-22 · NHTSA complaint #10176827
Driving on rt 101. Suddenly could not control acceleration. Nearly had an accident forcing another car off the road. Took the car to german motors-mercedes repair and they indicated that the engine wiring harness was falling apart and that this was a common problem for this model car.
Vehicle speed control · 2006-12-21 · NHTSA complaint #10176743
Dt: the vehicle stalled while driving. There were no accidents. When the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer to be repaired they thought it was the transmission. They rebuilt the transmission, replaced the starter and the main wiring harness that goes into the transmission.
Engine and cooling · 2005-08-24 · NHTSA complaint #10134065
A sensor between the cruise control and the alternator, causing vehicle to stop immediately while driving in traffic.
Vehicle speed control · 1996-11-20 · NHTSA complaint #805343

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19961
20031
20053
20066
20071
20081
20091
20101
20121
20141
20151
20161

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 8,437 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 23% most complained about).

On average one model year of the 400E has 19 complaints (2 years in the data). This year has 19, about average.

What to check before buying

Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.

Other years of this model

400E 199219 sources

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, engine, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 19. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (26%), stalls while driving (21%), loss of power / limp mode (11%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1993 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.