AI Damage2001 Mercedes-Benz E320: common problems
Owners of the 2001 Mercedes-Benz E320 filed 38 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 38
- involving a crash
- 6
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 34% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 18% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 16% of all complaints
- 4 Exterior lighting 13% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 8% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 8% of all complaints
- 7 Suspension 8% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel system 5% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 13 complaints (34% of all).
- Air bags: 7 complaints (18% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 6 complaints (16% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Exterior lighting: 5 complaints (13% of all).
- Engine: 3 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 38 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 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 upon impact. The contact sustained facial, chin, knee, shoulder, neck, and back injuries. The vehicle was destroyed and was not diagnosed for the air bag failure. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.
I was pulling into a parking stall at work and about to come to a stand still and all of a sudden the car accelerated jumped the curb and continued to accelerate despite application of the brakes until it crashed into a wall. The airbag deployed and there was leakage of radiator fluid on the ground.
There was a front end collision where the air bags did not deploy in the vehicle. The vehicle has been examined and it was determined that the clock spring was the reason the air bags did not deploy. The invoice number stating this is what caused the air bag to not deploy is #746530 dated april 21, 2005.
Consumer's vehicle was rear ended and seat belt became disengaged. After taking vehicle to mechanic, consumer was told that all seat belts were disengaged. Consumer was injuried during accident.
The contact stated that the sun roof seal disintegrated and caused water to leak into the vehicle. The contact stated that his 2008 model vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 19v918000 (visibility) however, the 2001 vin was not included.
Engine caught on fire while vehicle was idling in park in the driveway. Completely destroyed the vehicle in 10-15 minutes. Fire started under the hood. I believe that there was an electrical problem that induced the fire but unable to be sure. Photos are available if needed.
Is stopped at a light or just in a parking lot, it stalls or will not start right away. Eventually it starts and away we go. Never a warning whatsoever. All fluids are full and battery is good. Rec. Fuel(gas) is always used.
Consumer writes in regards to loss of power steering and brakes. The consumer stated when he drove over a speed bump, the check engine light illuminated. He put the vehicle in reverse, and discovered the brakes did not work, he tried to turn the steering wheel and it was not working either.
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 6,094 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 17% most complained about).
On average one model year of the E320 has 73 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 38, below average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Mercedes-Benz E320?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, air bags, powertrain. Total complaints: 38. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (11%), stalls while driving (11%), airbags did not deploy (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2001 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 2001 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 2001 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.