AI Damage2000 Mercedes-Benz E320: common problems
Owners of the 2000 Mercedes-Benz E320 filed 44 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 44
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 27% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 18% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 16% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 14% of all complaints
- 5 Suspension 11% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 9% of all complaints
- 7 Exterior lighting 9% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 9% of all complaints
- Air bags: 12 complaints (27% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 8 complaints (18% of all).
- Powertrain: 7 complaints (16% of all).
- Service brakes: 6 complaints (14% of all).
- Suspension: 5 complaints (11% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 44 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 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 contact stated that while driving 25 mph, he crashed against another vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The driver sustained minor injuries to the right knee and the passenger sustained severe internal injuries. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure.
About $5000 damage to my car from engulfing the huge towbar on the truck (grill, hood, radiator, power steering control, etc. - actually no major damage). Mercedes service people stated that they could find nothing wrong with the car to explain the spontaneous acceleration.
My car passenger side control arm has dry rotted and cracked in half I noticed this because my car steering wheel has never turned all the way to the right side so as I pulled up to the store, I had got out my car to check to see what the problem was and come to find out that the lower control arm by the lower ball…
They said tires has warranty and lifetime rotation as long as I own the car. I didn't receive any documentation about it or email shows my warranty. My right rear tire exploded in middle of highway. It was so hard to pull over almost got into an accident.
i got abs warning on the dash board, anti lock brake warning, sbc warnings, brake shop warnings...messages, brake pedal travels to the floor,. not stopping the car at the least.
My husband I was traveling southbound I-99 at a speed of 65 we both had our seatbelt on and at 11.20am mercedes side airbag deployed without any contact with another vehicle or accident..
While pulling out of a parking lot, the front left corner of car fell down and there was a sound like I hit a pothole. The road was clear. At this point the vehicle became difficult to steer. I had the car towed to my house and after further inspection, I noticed the lower control arm had rotted out and broke.
In addition, the contact noticed smoke coming from the side curtain air bag, but the air bag failed to deploy. The air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 163,000.
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 5,689 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 16% most complained about).
On average one model year of the E320 has 73 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 44, below average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2000 Mercedes-Benz E320?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, electrical system, powertrain. Total complaints: 44. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (11%), loss of power / limp mode (7%), smoke, burning smell, fire (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2000 Mercedes-Benz E320?
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 2000 Mercedes-Benz E320 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 2000 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.