1998 Mercedes Benz E300

Owner complaints

What owners report most

1. Engine and engine cooling4
2. Suspension2
3. Exterior lighting2
4. Steering1
5. Tires1
6. Wheels1
7. Fuel system, diesel1
8. Seat belts1

Latest complaints

• Nov 19, 2023OR
  Steering · Suspension · Wheels
  The front driver side coil spring ejected out while driving, causing the front of the car to dive down on the driver side. I do have the parts that came out. Luckily I had just got off of the freeway and was only going around 10 mph when it happened and no one was hurt. I'm sure at hwy speeds you…

  The front driver side coil spring ejected out while driving, causing the front of the car to dive down on the driver side. I do have the parts that came out. Luckily I had just got off of the freeway and was only going around 10 mph when it happened and no one was hurt. I'm sure at hwy speeds you could potentially lose control. This issue just happened today 11/19/23 and no repair shops, insurance or agencies have been notified. This is the first report of my problem. There were no warning signs noticed prior to the failure.

• May 28, 2013OR200,000 mi
  Suspension

  TL* the contact owns a 1998 mercedes benz 300E. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, he heard a loud noise. After inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that the top front spring mount fractured and detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 200,000. *tr

• Jul 18, 2004FL65,000 miCrash
  Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Other fuel types › Turbo/supercharger
  I was driving in the middle lane of a 3 lane eastbound interstate 10 in gulfport, ms in a light rain ( it had been heavy 2 hours before ) with cruise control on at 65 mph. I had just come over the lorraine cowen (spelling?) exit and a little after the car was on the flat road, the car without…

  I was driving in the middle lane of a 3 lane eastbound interstate 10 in gulfport, ms in a light rain ( it had been heavy 2 hours before ) with cruise control on at 65 mph. I had just come over the lorraine cowen (spelling?) exit and a little after the car was on the flat road, the car without warning spun 180 degrees and we were backward on the interstate. seeing the tracks on the shoulder the next day, the car came off the interstate backwards at about a 15 to 20 degree angle, spun another 270 degrees at the lower extent of the cleared embankment, and went into the woods. It miraculously missed all large trees and the 3 passengers sustained no injuries at all. no air bags deployed as there was no severe impact, the most severe area of impact damage being somewhile in the ride hitting the left rear door area more severely, as the largest dent was there. The spin-out was not proceeded by any hydroplaning from the front end. There was no evidence of pooled water on the road at that point. I was completely baffled at why when going absolutely straight, with no brake or wheel movements and not encountering notable water, the car should suddenly spin. after thinking about this, I theorize that the car picked up speed going downhill from the elevated overpass of the road crossing the interstate. the area of spin out would be consistent with when the slowing car would have again gotten power from the cruise control. the car was an E300 turbodiesel and it on acceleration from starting has always had a turbo lag with a very noticeable burst of power when the turbo comes in. It IS not like the other diesels I have had in that it delivers considerable torque--243 ft.lb.@ 2600 rpm. I hypothesize that the sudden application of torque on the wet road threw the rear end around. If this problem has been encountered in other cases, at the least, a warning to never use the cruise control in the rain should be put out. I have given up cruise control for good.

• Apr 29, 2004MA
  Engine and engine cooling

  While traveling at any speed vehicle stalled, consumer lost control of the vehicle. manufacturer failed to provide a suggestive remedy, and the dealer was not able to duplicate problem. This has been going on for several years. *Ak

• Mar 5, 2004OH106,223 miCrash2 injuries
  Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Diesel · Fuel system, diesel · Seat belts › Front
  Unintended sudden acceleration resulting in crash, resulting from oil into intake from seal on turbo charger. Car had been routinely serviced 5 days prior, with error message on air mass sensor. Part was replaced. This error message also occurred 15 months before, and was also replaced then. car…

  Unintended sudden acceleration resulting in crash, resulting from oil into intake from seal on turbo charger. Car had been routinely serviced 5 days prior, with error message on air mass sensor. Part was replaced. This error message also occurred 15 months before, and was also replaced then. car had been running normal prior to both servicing. no engine indicator warnings ever came on prior to crash. seat belt apparatus also broke upon impact on drivers side when my head struck it. *jb

• Nov 21, 2002GA
  Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Diesel
  Consumer attempted to start vehicle with no success. checked oil and dipstick was dry. consumer added additional oil and vehicle started. rechecked oil and realized that it was overfilled. took vehicle to dealer who diagnosed car has a defective "shut-off valve". dealer informed consumer that…

  Consumer attempted to start vehicle with no success. checked oil and dipstick was dry. consumer added additional oil and vehicle started. rechecked oil and realized that it was overfilled. took vehicle to dealer who diagnosed car has a defective "shut-off valve". dealer informed consumer that if car IS parked on an incline the oil and fuel will drain to an area outside of "shut off valve" making the car "think" it has no oil or fuel. consumer stated contacted manufacturer who acknowledged that problem does exist. Ts

• Feb 11, 2002PA
  Tires

  Tire on left rear of vehicle blew out. Tire was less then one year old and had only 25,000 miles on it. Michelin insisted it was a road hazard even though tire was left rear. *ak (tiresize: 215/55r-16)

• Jan 15, 1998MI
  Exterior lighting › Headlights

  Certain new mercedes have headlights with a blue tint which causes a safety hazard to other drivers because of the brightness and glare.

• Jan 15, 1998MI
  Exterior lighting › Headlights

  Certain new mercedes have headlights with a blue tint which causes a safety hazard to other drivers because of the brightness and glare.

Defect investigations

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.

• Front suspension coil spring ejection

  PE07021Opened Apr 19, 2007Closed Aug 9, 2007
  Odi has focused this investigation on assessing the risks posed by a separated spring as (1) a road hazard and (2) the potential for vehicle control to be compromised after the front coil spring has been ejected from its intended position in the vehicle.both risks are associated with corrosion, flexing, and fracture…

  Odi has focused this investigation on assessing the risks posed by a separated spring as (1) a road hazard and (2) the potential for vehicle control to be compromised after the front coil spring has been ejected from its intended position in the vehicle.both risks are associated with corrosion, flexing, and fracture of the upper front suspension mounting bracket.time-in-service failure rates are notably higher in salt belt states since corrosion IS a primary contributor to the failure mode.since a number of incidents have occurred while the vehicle was being operated, odi IS skeptical that owners can always detect the subtle side to side difference in ride height and/or inspect or notice that the upper suspension bracket has been compromised by corrosion.(1) road hazard - although the (approx. 7 lb.) front suspension spring that may be ejected at highway speeds could pose a serious road hazard to pedestrians and other vehicles, the occurrence rate has been low (.03% based on 51 reported incidents occurring and an initial population of 172,781 vehicles after 9 - 12 years of use / exposure) and there are no known injuries, fatalities, or property damage reports due to an ejected spring.also, many of the 51 incidents occurred at low speed or while the vehicle was stopped or parked.(2) vehicle control - vehicle handling and control could be affected by the fracture of the upper suspension mount and/or the associated spring ejection.odi first identified its concern about corrosion in the upper suspension bracket of subject vehicles in 2002, at which time mercedes provided a video that showed that a vehicle could be steered, stopped, and controlled through various maneuvers at high speeds with a front coil spring completely missing from the vehicle. During pe07-021, in addition to reviewing the 2002 video-tape, odi engineers drove an exemplar vehicle with the spring removed and simulated various combinations of steering angles to assess whether there were any possible conditions / displacements in which the separated spring might interfere with the wheels. In a vehicle with the front spring removed, the top of the wheel can lightly contact the bottom area of the wheel fender during high angle turns typically associated with slower speed maneuvers such as city driving. The light tire contact generated an obvious grinding noise and would likely abrade or bend the edge of the fender with continued use.however, the extent of the interference was not sufficient to affect vehicle steering and does not occur at smaller turning angles associated with highway driving.odi has not identified a safety related defect trend at this time.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 that a safety related defect does not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if future circumstances warrant.

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.

• 10186142Unmotivated Reaction from Park Assist - model series 213 facelift / 238 facelift with option code 235 (active par- king assist) and option code 501 (surround view system)
• 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
• 10181123Harsh engagement when changing gear range from P to D
• 10179951AIRMATIC Fault Message "Max 80 km/ h (50 mph) " In Instrument Cluster
• 10167525Apple products (iPhone or iPod) are not charged via the serial USB interface of the COMAND Online control unit (A40/3) in the stowage compartment of the center console.
• 10167000Surface damage on steering wheel trim
• 10166976Message in instrument cluster "DISTRONIC PLUSCurrently Unavailable - See Owner's Manual"
• 10166090Possible complaints: 1. Memory function of electric seat fore/aft adjustment not functioning. 2. Seat fore/aft adjustment with easy entry/exit feature not functioning. 3. Head restraint presetting not functioning. 4. Seat fore/aft adjustment can only be adjusted for 2 sec with the seat adjustment switch (seat can only be adjusted in longitudinal direction in fits and starts). 5. Function "Collision avoidance when folding down the rear seat backrest" not functioning (seat fails to move forward when the rear seat backrest is folded down).
• 10165849AIRCAP functions excessively
• 10164811Throttle lift-off clunking noises at drive shafts of rear axle
• 10164810Throttle lift-off clunking noises at drive shafts of front axle
• 10164807Assessment of actuating and operating noise from steering
• 10151959Seat belt extender toothed rack sluggish or makes noises
• 10151948Display of suspension setting in head unit implausible
• 10151924Liftgate intermittently does not open fully
• 10136035Complaints about poor wiping effect of winshield wiper
• 10135639Vehicle cannot be unlocked (CL), engine does not start - 12V starter battery discharged
• 10135628iPhone mobile phone: Various complaints after software update to iOS8
• 10135598Engine diagnosis warning lamp lights up in instrument cluster, fault code U145400: "Implausible data were received from the ethanol sensor"
• 10134789Various fault codes logged in power electronics control unit

Every Mercedes Benz E300 model year

Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.