AI DamageMercedes-Benz W163: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercedes-Benz W163 across 2 model years: 2 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Electronic stability control 50% of all complaints
- 2 Fuel/propulsion system 50% of all complaints
- Electronic stability control: 1 complaints (50% of all).
- Fuel/propulsion system: 1 complaints (50% of all).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 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 fuel pump is leaking fuel on to the ground when car is running I was reading some forums and multiple people are having the same problem and mercedes isn't having the problem fixed as it is potentially dangerous to have any future fuel leaks due to age I have a 1990 mercedes r129 that has more miles and older and…
I have had the same problems as the others with the stability control and yes it is very true that this car locks up the brakes on the highway without any notice or reason while driving in a straight line on a clear dry day! Mercedes will not agree with anything until someone dies and they are brought to court.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Electronic stability control. ABS/ESC sensors, steering angle, codes after suspension repair.
- Fuel/propulsion 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 2026-11-06.