1995 Mercedes Benz C280
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Mercedes Benz › C280 › 1995
These records cover every 1995 Mercedes Benz C280. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
16 complaints1 involved a crash3 involved a fire2 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Electrical system
Mercedes with full knowledge installed disintegrating wiring insulation in many cars knowing full well the insulation would fail rendering any and all cars unreliable dangerous and ultimately useless
- Unknown or other
Car stalled on highway at about 50 miles per hour. Not a good experience. It too about ten minutes to start.
- Unknown or other
Vehicle stall while driving on highway . It took ten minutes to start. Not a pleasant experience. Very dangerous.
- Electrical system · Engine
The car was barely used in about 2 years. Before it had never had a problem, now it can't be taken to emissions because the check engine light IS on. It was discovered that this IS because the engine wiring harness was deteriorating. Through internet research, I have discovered that mercedes-benz…
The car was barely used in about 2 years. Before it had never had a problem, now it can't be taken to emissions because the check engine light IS on. It was discovered that this IS because the engine wiring harness was deteriorating. Through internet research, I have discovered that mercedes-benz knows about this common problem very well even though they blatantly disregard their customers' safety, claiming they have no such knowledge and requiring customers to pay for it themselves or continue driving an unsafe vehicle. There IS no reason other than irresponsible greed that mercedes-benz ignores this problem, and this puts unknowing consumers at serious risk. I am appalled that mercedes-benz has not owned up to their responsibilities and I would be very happy to see action taken to force mercedes-benz to actually value protecting their customers' safety above keeping their pockets lined with money. *tr
- Electrical system · Engine
I recently bought this used 1995 C280 mercedes benz,almost immediately after I bought it -electrical system started malfunctioning,gauges go on and off continuously, car refused to start -then starts as if nothing happened.windows work-and then they don't. Obdii system reads different…
I recently bought this used 1995 C280 mercedes benz,almost immediately after I bought it -electrical system started malfunctioning,gauges go on and off continuously, car refused to start -then starts as if nothing happened.windows work-and then they don't. Obdii system reads different codes-obviously unreliable. After having a mechanic look at it -he stated that wiring harness IS failing. After coming here to look for recalls-i see that over 90% complaints on this car are for a defective wiring harness-a fact that mercedes benz should be well aware of by now. This could create a fire hazard and serious driving hazard. why haven't they dealt with this possibly disastrous defect? I'm totally disappointed that a car company that stresses safety,and dependability put something like this in the market and hasn't made any attempt to help out the owners of hundreds of thousands of defective cars they produced. Another myth falls by the wayside-mercedes benz uber alles? What a bad joke-people that own cheap nissans get 200,000 miles-a high dollar lemon? Shame on you mercedes benz-btw if you go to mercedes recall page,they don't even mention this problem..has mercedes dropped their standards to screwing their customers? Apparently so-.another legend turns out to be nothing more than a lie. *tr
- Electrical system
Car started running funny. Had it looked at and the wiring harness was found to be brittle and falling apart. Car cannot be driven until a new harness IS installed. *tr
- Air bags
TL* the contact owns a 1995 mercedes benz C280. While driving 35 mph, the contact heard a loud noise followed by the deployment of both frontal air bags. The windshield was smashed and the passenger sustained a bruised arm due to the impact. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 178,000.
- Electrical system · Engine
Several intermittent issues recently began to occur with my C280. instrument panel started to intermittently not work and as a result I ran out of gas in several occasions in areas where my personal safety was at question. car also began to intermittently cease from starting leaving me stranded…
Several intermittent issues recently began to occur with my C280. instrument panel started to intermittently not work and as a result I ran out of gas in several occasions in areas where my personal safety was at question. car also began to intermittently cease from starting leaving me stranded until the car was able to start. after an investigation by a certified mercedes mechanic, they had determined that the engine wire harness was defective and that the wiring insulation was seriously degrading. during the evaluation the wiring was starting to smoke and system shut down due to safety concerns. it IS very possible that continued operation of the vehicle could have caused safety issues to driver, passengers and others as unpredictable and serious actions could have resulted from engine wire harness electrical shorts. I am very surprised and disappointed that mercedes benz had not provided any warning or recall for this condition, which they apparently already knew IS a common defect for this model and year. *tr
- Electrical system
TL* the contact owns a 1995 mercedes benz C280. The contact stated that the vehicle was emitting smoke and the wiring harness was melting. The contact stated that the tail lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ecm and the wire harness…
TL* the contact owns a 1995 mercedes benz C280. The contact stated that the vehicle was emitting smoke and the wiring harness was melting. The contact stated that the tail lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ecm and the wire harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 142,000. updated 11/12/14*lj updated 4/29/2015 *js
- Electrical system
Engine wiring harness IS defective. This caused engine to cut out unexpectedly when merging into traffic. *tr
- Electrical system
Car stalled while driving on highway. after having a mechanic check it, he said it needed a new engine wiring harness because the insulation in the original harness was crumbling and flaking causing electrical problems. He said it was not safe to drive the car as it could stall again. *tr
- Electrical system · Engine · Power train
While driving on the hwy at 75mph the car lost power and then came right back while this happened the transmission down shifted jerked very badly and car also slowed down rapidly. This IS a known issue with 90'S+ mercedes benz's why has nothing been done about this? Multiple casualties on the hwy…
While driving on the hwy at 75mph the car lost power and then came right back while this happened the transmission down shifted jerked very badly and car also slowed down rapidly. This IS a known issue with 90'S+ mercedes benz's why has nothing been done about this? Multiple casualties on the hwy should not be a reason to inspect a very well known problem with millions of cars!! As long as these cars are still on the road safety should be at the top of the list! With the cost of repairs for a problem that the manufacturer has known about for many years whats the deal? And because of this wiring issue obdii diagnostics IS defective and does not work! upon inspection of the wiring harnesses anyone can see crumbled cracked rotted away insulation leaving wires bare and able to touch causing fires costly engine repairs and possibly even death. *tr
- Electrical system
Car shut off at 25 mph. Towed to mechanic and upon investigation the wiring harness IS disintegrated. *tr
- Electrical system · Engine · Fuel/propulsion system
The wiring harness shorted and caught fire. The engine shut off and I hit a pole on the side of the road after loss of steering. I hit my head on the steering wheel. I have a check engine light now, and they want me to spend thousands of dollars on an electrical wiring harness for the engine. *tr
- Electrical system · Engine
After starting the engine started missing then quit. Could not get it re-started. Failure codes said random misfire. Checked the wiring harness going into the spark coils and found that the insulation had disintegrated. After checking a few other spots on the engine wiring harness, I found the insulation had disintegrated there also. *tr
- Electrical system · Visibility/wiper
Apparently the W202 c-class (1994-2000) body style mercedes benz has a defective wiring harness by using biodegradable insulation in their harnesses. I recently acquired a 1995 C280 with 109033 miles. As I was looking the car over, I noticed that the rear view mirror fuse was blown I replaced it…
Apparently the W202 c-class (1994-2000) body style mercedes benz has a defective wiring harness by using biodegradable insulation in their harnesses. I recently acquired a 1995 C280 with 109033 miles. As I was looking the car over, I noticed that the rear view mirror fuse was blown I replaced it with a new one. All of a sudden the driver side mirror housing started smoking real bad, so I quickly removed the new fuse. Now I cannot adjust the mirrors to be able to see what's behind, also the mirror harness IS tied with the reverse/back up lights. Without having reverse/back up lights, other motorists and or pedestrians cannot know if I'm backing up. after spending countless hours online searching about the c280's and other c-class W202 body style, I learned about this defective wire harness. The dealerships would charge an arm and a leg for the part and labor to get it fixed but the problem starts from the manufacturer with the faulty wires and should be a recall or tsb (technical service bulletin) and should be replaced for free. *tr
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10186141NTG5.5: Incorrect time shown on instrument cluster, COMAND display, and analog clock
- 10186135If the customer brakes sharply from a speed of > 30mph, without ABS intervention, there is a single cracking noise from the area of the ESP hydraulic unit
- 10167563The COMAND unit does not start or the COMAND display remains dark. The COMAND unit cannot be operated. Note: The problem disappears after a lengthy idle period (>6h) or after interrupting the power supply (circuit 30).
- 10164810Throttle lift-off clunking noises at drive shafts of front axle
- 10151959Seat belt extender toothed rack sluggish or makes noises
- 10135599Clunking noise from front axle suspension strut or rear axle shock absorber on short strokes of the damper
Every Mercedes Benz C280 model year
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