1999 Mercedes Benz C280
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Mercedes Benz › C280 › 1999
These records cover every 1999 Mercedes Benz C280. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
34 complaints2 involved a crash2 involved a fire
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Structure › Body · Suspension
On july 30, 2015 around 1900 hrs. I was leaving home going to pick up my kids from around the corner. I came to a stop light (red). Begin to move forward when a loud bang happened then scraping. I got out the car to address the situation and observed that my vehicle was sagging. I retraced my…
On july 30, 2015 around 1900 hrs. I was leaving home going to pick up my kids from around the corner. I came to a stop light (red). Begin to move forward when a loud bang happened then scraping. I got out the car to address the situation and observed that my vehicle was sagging. I retraced my tracks on foot and located my coil spring. Once I got back home, I jacked up the car and noticed my upper spring housing on my passenger side was broken.
- Suspension
TL* the contact owns a 1999 mercedes benz C280. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 5 mph, the upper spring perches became fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
- Structure › Body
TL* the contact owns a 1999 mercedes benz C280. The contact was driving approximately 35 mph over a bump and a loud popping noise emitted outside of the vehicle. The front end of the vehicle began to fall towards the ground and tilt to the right. The contact continued to drive with caution. The…
TL* the contact owns a 1999 mercedes benz C280. The contact was driving approximately 35 mph over a bump and a loud popping noise emitted outside of the vehicle. The front end of the vehicle began to fall towards the ground and tilt to the right. The contact continued to drive with caution. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they detected excessive rust corrosion within the frame. A new spring perch and bushing will need to be welded to the frame; the technician advised the vehicle not be driven due to a safety hazard. the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 151,000.
- Exterior lighting
TL* the contact owns a 1999 mercedes C280. The contact stated that the rear lights constantly burn out and had been replaced at least twenty times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the lights were burning out and creating a fire hazard. The cause of failure was not…
TL* the contact owns a 1999 mercedes C280. The contact stated that the rear lights constantly burn out and had been replaced at least twenty times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the lights were burning out and creating a fire hazard. The cause of failure was not determined. The contact planned to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer to have the failure diagnosed. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 155,000. The vin was not available.
- Suspension · Suspension › Front
After arriving home and driving over a speed bump in our apartment complex at a slow speed, we heard a popping noise. Then, as we were turning into a parking space, we heard a grinding or dragging noise. while looking under the front right tire to see if something had come loose, the left side of…
After arriving home and driving over a speed bump in our apartment complex at a slow speed, we heard a popping noise. Then, as we were turning into a parking space, we heard a grinding or dragging noise. while looking under the front right tire to see if something had come loose, the left side of the car dropped suddenly after another loud popping noise. after looking under the car some more I saw the spring was laying on it's side behind the wheel. I jacked the car up and removed the spring which was just lying there loose and saw the upper mount/perch had a lot of rust on it and looked like it had bent upward and gave way, releasing the spring. luckily happened just outside our apartment door, but had just driven home from a town 30 minutes away on I-75 at 70 mph! glad it didn't give way then!!! I have found tons of other complaints like this online searching "mercedes spring perch rusted". very common problem, should be recalled in my opinion, or at the very least a minimal charge to the customer to have new mount/perch rewelded on both sides at the same time. only a matter of time before the right side gives way I guess! *tr
- Engine and engine cooling
On november 24, 2010 our 1999 mercedes benz C280 sedan engine stalled/stopped running with no warning. fortunately for us we were not on a fast moving surface street, a highway or a freeway. this situation, when the engine stalls/stops makes it IS extremely difficult to steer the car and stop…
On november 24, 2010 our 1999 mercedes benz C280 sedan engine stalled/stopped running with no warning. fortunately for us we were not on a fast moving surface street, a highway or a freeway. this situation, when the engine stalls/stops makes it IS extremely difficult to steer the car and stop it since the brakes and power steering are difficult to use effectively with the engine IS not running. after refueling the car we traveled approximately 100ft when, without any dash board warning lights or any other indications, the engine stopped running. we attempted to start the engine several times and it would not start. we called aaa of southern california at approximately 3:15pm, the tow truck arrived at 3:55pm and the tow truck driver asked us to attempt to start the car and to our surprise the engine started. we drove to south bay mercedes benz, torrance, california, with the tow truck following us. while the work order was being prepared, service bay personnel attempted to start the car several times and were unable to do so. after about 35 minutes, another attempt to start the engine was successful. our concern IS that the engine stalling/stopping IS major safety hazard and it would have been a total disaster for us and other drivers had this happened in a high traffic situation. This problem should be in-depth investigated by the nhtsa traffic safety organization. this investigation should be made to determine frequency of occurrence, review mercedes benz service reports and other C280 owners. this car has always been serviced at south bay mercedes, torrance, ca, and has been driven less than 20,000 miles. the engine stalling/stopping was corrected by replacing the front crankshaft temperature sensor. there are no redundancies when this part fails. *tr
- Suspension › Front
1999 mercedes benz C280 drivers side spring perch rusted and broke . Causing spring to fly off lower control arm and suspension to drop . The front steering would no longer operate because wheel was trapped in wheel well. The incident immediately disabled . car was towed to repair and new spring…
1999 mercedes benz C280 drivers side spring perch rusted and broke . Causing spring to fly off lower control arm and suspension to drop . The front steering would no longer operate because wheel was trapped in wheel well. The incident immediately disabled . car was towed to repair and new spring , perch,and plastic bushing were purchased. The perch was welded to the frame ,new spring installed all at owners expense. *Tr
- Exterior lighting
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 mercedes benz C280. the rear tail light bulbs and plastic holder melted seven times. the dealer has not diagnosed the vehicle; however, they replaced the plastic holder and bulb under warranty. the contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 45,000 and current mileage was 151,000.
- Exterior lighting
Shortage in tail lamps and melting of bulbs. *tr
- Engine and engine cooling
Mercedes-benz 1999 C280. Crankshaft pulley fell apart while at a stop sign not far from home, was able to drive back home before complete breakdown. smelled burning rubber, no fire. The car has only 25,284 miles. *ak
- Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
Driver side upper spring carrier failed allowing the spring to become jambed in the steering. Due to failure occurring at low speed (under 20 mph) loss if steering control caused only minor damage by coming in contact with a curb. A failure of this type at highway speed would be catastrophic. *tr
- Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel · Fuel system, gasoline
The electronic odometer no longer displays the mileage properly. this seems very common for the mercedes c-class built between 1994-2000. *nm
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
Dt*: the contact stated without warning, the windshield wipers stopped working. the dealership determined the windshield wiper motor needs to be replaced.
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
My wiper motor on my vehicle went out because it has one wiper and the gear powering it IS plastic and stripped out. I know two other people personally that this has happened to, and while searching for this part used I've found that this part IS sold out all around the country due to these motors going out all the time. *nm
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and associated pulleys · Exterior lighting › Tail lights · Steering
Harmonica balancer on 1999 mercedes benz C280 V6 2.8L engine. I've had some problems with the power steering and starting the car. I understand there IS a recall for this problem but I never received any papers from the manufacturer. *Jb
- Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Floor shift
A leak in the transmission that was accumulating below the driver floor. this leak filled the transmission control module with fluid and it IS recommended that I replace this. the transmission fluid had leaked into the shifter and the reverse backup solenoid in shifter had to be replaced. the…
A leak in the transmission that was accumulating below the driver floor. this leak filled the transmission control module with fluid and it IS recommended that I replace this. the transmission fluid had leaked into the shifter and the reverse backup solenoid in shifter had to be replaced. the mercedes service manager made it clear that this was a safety issue and I should get the part replaced. the safety concern was that if the shifter was moved to reversed while the car was moving that the transmission would be placed in reverse. I never received an explaination of how the transmission fluid leaked.
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
A loud noise was heard coming from the front of the vehicle. the vehicle then stalled. The consumer tried to restart the vehicle but was unable to so. the consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic informed the consumer that the engine needed replacement. please fill in additional information. *jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and associated pulleys
A squeaking noise was coming from my wife's mercedes benz C-280. On her way to our mechanic, her car died, conveniently in front of another mechanic. The mechanic identified a problem with the harmonic balancer which flew off its appropriate place on the engine. The car IS being looked at on 8/31/04 to assess the amount of damged caused.*ak
- Electrical system › 12v/24v/48v battery
Explosion of mercedes-benz battery in vehicle.*mr when the consumer turned the key in the ignition she heard a loud explosion followed by smoke from the trunk of the car. the vehicle was taken tot he dealer who indicated that there was a recall on the battery the year before. the consumer never received any recall notice. the consumer request reimbursement for repairs. *nm
- Steering › Column locking › Anti-theft device
While driving 70 mph vehicle shut off without warning. As a result, the steering column locked. *Ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and associated pulleys
Engine crankshaft pully harmonic balancer failure
- Electrical system › Alternator/generator/regulator · Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system · Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and associated pulleys · Steering › Hydraulic power assist system
Consumer states that the drivebelt cracked and came off while driving, causing failure of power steering/ alternator, and the engine cooling system.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and associated pulleys
The drive belt pulley of my 1999 mercedes C280 broke. The battery charge light came up and I almost lost control of the car because my steering became stiff. My car just has 49K miles and I just use it as a commute vehicle. this IS very similar to nhtsa recall number: 96v058000
- Engine and engine cooling · Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Filler pipe and cap
The vehicles fuel tank filler failed and made it difficult to fill the tank with gas. The gas came back out the filler cap although the tank didn't have a half a tank of gas. *nlm sometimes the engine didn't turn over, and the vehicle was poor on gas. *scc
- Exterior lighting › Headlights › Concealment devices
Consumer states while driving and switch to dim the head lights cuts off. ts
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Engine crankshaft pulley failure
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure that could result in loss of power-steering assist.odi has received a total of 546 non-duplicative reports that allege engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer…
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure that could result in loss of power-steering assist.odi has received a total of 546 non-duplicative reports that allege engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure on all mercedes-benz vehicles using the subject component.the subject component failures are progressive in nature and only a small percentage of the complaints and warrant claims involved a failure that had progressed far enough to effect power steering performance (6 of 55 odi complaints reference increased steering effort).there have been no crashes or injuries related to the alleged defect.a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation IS closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see summary report attached for further detail.
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
- 10181124Harsh engagement when changing gear range from P to D or R
- 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
- 10028624Mercedes vehicle: the anti-lock brake system (ABS) return flow pump running without control with corresponding fault code c1401, clean and insulated the connector for the return flow pump relay. Models 202 and 208. Model years unknown.
- 10022893Check engine light on / fault codes fc1200 / fc1208 stored in me-sfi control unit. Mercedes-benz model C230, C280, C350, slk280, slk350, clk350, clk550, E350, E550, cls550, S600, and sl550. Equipped with M272 engine or M273 engine. Updated 8/28/08.
- 10020460Play in the rack and pinion steering system. Models 203, 209, 210, 211, 215, 220, 230. Mercedes benz. Updated 5/13/09.
Every Mercedes Benz C280 model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.