"How reliable is the 1998 Mercedes Benz 320?"

"Based on 54 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Mercedes Benz 320 has a median complaint mileage of 100000 miles. The most common issue is VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Mercedes Benz 320?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Mercedes Benz 320 is VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS, accounting for a significant portion of the 54 total complaints filed."

1998 Mercedes Benz 320: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 54 complaints

Total Complaints

100,000mi

Median Mileage

VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

96,100 25th Percentile

100,000 Median Mileage

112,143 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE TIE ROD FAILED, DROPPING DOWNWARD AND WEDGES DOWNWARD INTO THE INNER SURFACE OF THE WHEEL."

"BUMPERS CRACK FROM MINOR IMPACTS."

"DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE, ENGINE SPEED INCREASED BUT THE DRIVE SYSTEM HAD NO POWER GOING TO THE WHEEL (AS IF IN NEUTRAL.) DEALER STATED THE PROBLEM OCCURRED DUE TO A CRIMPED O-RING IN THE TRANSMISSION WHICH BECAME TORN WITH USE, CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THIS WAS A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURER..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 22 VA: 7 TX: 5 NC: 3 GA: 3 FL: 3 NY: 2 MD: 2 MA: 1 TN: 1

Who Files Complaints?

77.8%

Original Owners

22.200000000000003%

Second+ Owners

Mercedes Benz 320 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1994	64	135,203	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD	2
1995	39	85,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	7
1997	27	-	SUSPENSION	3
1999	45	50,500	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY	0
2000	25	92,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	3
2001	41	39,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	1
2002	22	18,750	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	0

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28