2009 Mercedes-Benz E 350: common problems

Owners of the 2009 Mercedes-Benz E 350 filed 64 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel/propulsion system and fuel system. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 64
involving a crash: 2

What fails most often

1 Fuel/propulsion system 42% of all complaints
2 Fuel system 11% of all complaints
3 Air bags 9% of all complaints
4 Seats 9% of all complaints
5 Engine 8% of all complaints
6 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
7 Seat belts 5% of all complaints
8 Structure 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.

Fuel/propulsion system: 27 complaints (42% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Fuel system: 7 complaints (11% of all).
Air bags: 6 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Seats: 6 complaints (9% of all).
Engine: 5 complaints (8% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 64 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

fuel system, fuel smell13 · 20%
smoke, burning smell, fire7 · 11%
seat belts4 · 6%
warning lights, check engine4 · 6%
windows, sunroof3 · 5%
won't start2 · 3%
airbag warning light1 · 2%
airbags did not deploy1 · 2%
A/C or heater1 · 2%
stalls while driving1 · 2%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Fuel/propulsion system	27	1
Fuel system	7	0
Air bags	6	1
Seats	6	0
Engine	5	0
Electrical system	3	0
Seat belts	3	1
Structure	3	0
Suspension	3	0
Powertrain	2	0
Service brakes	2	1
Visibility	2	0
Wheels	2	0
Exterior lighting	1	0

What owners report

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

Nw, going south and the car immediately started accelerating on its own, careening down spruce dr. Nw. I was desperately trying to miss parked cars on the street but my car was moving faster and faster, out of control through the intersection at the end of my block.
Fuel/propulsion system · crash · 2020-03-26 · NHTSA complaint #11319393
During the crash the front end was severely damaged but the air bags did not deploy. In addition the front driver side seat belt malfunctioned causing the driver to make contact with the steering wheel. The driver sustained injuries to the upper torso and chest pains which required medical treatment.
Air bags · crash · 2020-02-25 · NHTSA complaint #11311354
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2009 Mercedes-Benz E350. The sale was a private sale. The contact's friend, a dealer, requested a Carfax report, which indicated that mileage was last reported at 200,000.
Electrical system · 2026-01-12 · NHTSA complaint #11710469
The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the contact felt heat coming from the rear of the front driver seat and noticed smoke coming from the rear of the seat, causing the back of the driverâs seat to catch on fire.
Seats · 2022-11-10 · NHTSA complaint #11493045
The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and coming to a complete stop, the vehicle started sputtering and stalled. The contact pushed the vehicle to the side of the roadway. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact towed the vehicle to her residence five days later.
Fuel system · 2022-07-14 · NHTSA complaint #11473869
This vehicle has a very profound strong gas smell inside and out of the car. Upon further research, it has been notably stated that this particular vehicle model from years 2003-2009 had the same common issue that when refueling and topping off at full tank capacity, there is a fuel leakage seeping from the top of the…
Fuel/propulsion system · 2022-04-04 · NHTSA complaint #11459516
Crank shaft balancer which is so common and an almost $9000 repair. Car runs but can't smog or sell because it throws codes p0016 p0017. There is no word on many class action lawsuits about this online. How do we fix. This is a one owner car with problem for last 50k miles and no solution.
Engine · 2022-03-21 · NHTSA complaint #11457699
(1) when driving, the vehicle tends to drift back and forth in the lane. There is no evidence of losing steering fluid. What causes this to happen? (2) the transmission causes the vehicle to tremble when taking off from a stop position and also when driving at slow speedsuch as in slow street trafic.
Powertrain · 2021-03-15 · NHTSA complaint #11403170

When owners complained

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

20103
20122
20134
20143
20159
20166
20174
20185
20194
202010
20218
20225
20261

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 4,654 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).

On average one model year of the E 350 has 96 complaints (23 years in the data). This year has 64, below average.

What to check before buying

Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2009 Mercedes-Benz E 350?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel/propulsion system, fuel system, air bags. Total complaints: 64. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: fuel system, fuel smell (20%), smoke, burning smell, fire (11%), seat belts (6%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Mercedes-Benz E 350?

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 2009 Mercedes-Benz E 350 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 2009 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.