AI Damage2004 Mercedes-Benz C320: common problems
Owners of the 2004 Mercedes-Benz C320 filed 15 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel/propulsion system and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 15
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel/propulsion system 27% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 13% of all complaints
- 3 Visibility 13% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 5 Electronic stability control 7% of all complaints
- 6 Engine 7% of all complaints
- 7 Engine and cooling 7% of all complaints
- 8 Equipment 7% of all complaints
- Fuel/propulsion system: 4 complaints (27% of all).
- Air bags: 2 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 2 complaints (13% of all).
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (7% of all).
- Electronic stability control: 1 complaints (7% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 15 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel/propulsion system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 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.
The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained knee, back, head, and shoulder injuries. While waiting on police and medical service to arrive, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle and the air bags still failed to deploy. The contact's vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed.
Iâve had two blowouts because I canât see that part of my tire without getting down on the ground to look at it. The part I see looks good. My tire seems to be kicked out a bit at the bottom. This is the only tire I have problems with.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes-benz c320. While driving approximately 50 mph, the driver side air bag deployed independently as the contact struck a pothole in the road. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic where it was diagnosed that the impact activated the air bag deployment. The vehicle was not repaired.
I smelt fuel inside my car whenever my car would be filled to a full tank of gas and for a period of time until the fuel level dropped. My car started to drive funny and not accelerate normally then stopped all together. Mercedes diagnosed it as a fuel system issue.
My vehicle has the same problem as many other mercedes benz owners the fuel smell inside the cabin because a failure in the fuel sending units.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes e320. The contact stated fuel fumes were emitted in and around the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 56,000 and the current mileage was 60,000. Updated 8/27/14 updated 09/5/2014
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes benz e320. The contact smelled a strong gasoline odor coming from vehicle. The contact removed the rear seat and discovered that the driver's side rear wheel was filled with gasoline.
The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver as the brakes failed to respond. The contact merged to the shoulder and powered off the vehicle, but was unable to restart the vehicle.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 9,286 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 25% most complained about).
On average one model year of the C320 has 27 complaints (7 years in the data). This year has 15, below average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Mercedes-Benz C320?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel/propulsion system, air bags, visibility. Total complaints: 15. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: fuel system, fuel smell (13%), warning lights, check engine (13%), airbags did not deploy (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 Mercedes-Benz C320?
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 2004 Mercedes-Benz C320 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 2004 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.