AI Damage2009 Mercedes-Benz E550: common problems
Owners of the 2009 Mercedes-Benz E550 filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel system and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 4
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel system 25% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 25% of all complaints
- 3 Wheels 25% of all complaints
- Fuel system: 1 complaints (25% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 1 complaints (25% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Wheels: 1 complaints (25% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 4 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 system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 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.
Unintended acceleration of mercedes benz e 350 4 matic 2009 model barely 3 months old-jumped the curb while parking and hit the wall 4 ft over the curb causing damage to the medical office wall and the right front end of the car. Luckily no one was hurt.
The smell of gasoline goes away after using about a 1/4 of the tank. I am aware that this is a widespread issue with e class (w211) vehicles and mercedes benz has been denying any responsibility. I have not taken the car to the dealer yet and would be more than happy to allow the nhtsa to inspect my vehicle.
I was traveling at about 40 miles per hour on a major street and went over a small pothole. This resulted in major fractures on both of the passenger's side wheels. All the equipment on this car is original from mercedes benz. This is the first incident in late 2010.
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 15,521 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 42% most complained about).
On average one model year of the E550 has 20 complaints (12 years in the data). This year has 4, below average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Wheels. Wheel runout, cracks, signs of a wheel strike.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Mercedes-Benz E550?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel system, vehicle speed control, wheels. Total complaints: 4. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: fuel system, fuel smell (25%), unintended acceleration (25%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Mercedes-Benz E550?
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 E550 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.