AI DamageMercedes-Benz E320: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercedes-Benz E320 across 16 model years: 1,164 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel/propulsion system 22% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 19% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 17% of all complaints
- 4 Fuel system 11% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 9% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 9% of all complaints
- 7 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
- 8 Powertrain 6% of all complaints
- Fuel/propulsion system: 255 complaints (22% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 219 complaints (19% of all), 17 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 202 complaints (17% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel system: 125 complaints (11% of all).
- Air bags: 109 complaints (9% of all), 32 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 1,164 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 | 255 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 219 | 17 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 202 | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 125 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 109 | 32 | 0 |
| Suspension | 103 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 71 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 65 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine | 40 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 39 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 33 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 29 | 3 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 27 | 5 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
A warning in Red came up on the dashboard which said something like "catastrophic break failure" ..I was going slow about to stop at the Red light and the brakes did not work and I hit a mini van
Smoke appeared inside and outside the front passenger side of the vehicle. There were no injuries. The insurance company towed the vehicle to a facility. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified.
The front end was severely damaged, but the air bag did not deploy. The driver sustained chest and torso injuries, which required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified.
This model is know to have complete brake failure especially on the mercedes forums. Someone can inspect the vehicle because I can wait to fix to make sure this can never happen to anyone again or cause a death.
A red light was coming up, so I went to press brakes & absolutely no brakes! I swerved in a church/school parking lot to my right so I wouldn't go further ahead & be in a major intersection. Because of the quick turn, I hit a tree in an island, which stopped the car, but totaled my car.
The front passenger front airbag did not deploy. Both occupants sustained major injuries as a result of the collision. The investigating chp officer observed that the front passenger front airbag did not deploy and requested an evaluation of the system due to a perceived potential srs system failure.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Other models of this make
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.