"How reliable is the 1999 Mercedes Benz E320?"

"Based on 109 NHTSA complaints, the 1999 Mercedes Benz E320 has a median complaint mileage of 80000 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 1999 Mercedes Benz E320?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1999 Mercedes Benz E320 is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 109 total complaints filed."

1999 Mercedes Benz E320: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 109 complaints

109

Total Complaints

80,000mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

58,632 25th Percentile

80,000 Median Mileage

117,750 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

Engine And Engine Cooling

Electrical System

Frontal

Belts And Associated Pulleys

Automatic Transmission

Front

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Suspension

Power Window Devices And Controls

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"INTERMITTENTLY WHEN GOING OVER ANY TYPE OF BUMP VEHICLE STALLS . VEHICLE HAS BEEN SEEN 6 TIMES BY THE DEALERSHIP. DEALER IS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK"

"FUEL TANK HAS A DESIGN PROBLEM. WHEN CONSUMER IS FILLING UP VEHICLE, AFTER THE FILL UP, AND EXTRA 4.7 GALLONS OF GASOLINE CAN BE ADDED ADDITIONALLY, THIS GASOLINE IS PUMPED INTO TANK AND CHARCOAL CANISTER AND LINES, DUE TO DESIGN CONSUMER EXPERIENCED A LARGE AMOUNT OF GAS EXPELLING OUT OF THE ..."

"WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND CROSSED THE MEDIUM INTO INCOMING TRAFFIC, NO ACCIDENT AND NO INJURIES OCCURED. NLM"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Air Bags 9 complaints

25th: 112,000 mi Median: 140,000 mi 75th: 182,000 mi

Engine And Engine Cooling 7 complaints

25th: 55,725 mi Median: 60,950 mi 75th: 76,000 mi

Electrical System 6 complaints

25th: 100,250 mi Median: 109,500 mi 75th: 127,750 mi

Belts And Associated Pulleys 5 complaints

25th: 59,644 mi Median: 61,265 mi 75th: 64,375 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 23 IL: 12 PA: 10 NJ: 8 MD: 6 NY: 5 GA: 5 LA: 5 TX: 5 OH: 4

Who Files Complaints?

33%

Original Owners

67%

Second+ Owners

Mercedes Benz E320 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1995	129	102,000	Front Underhood	0
1996	62	107,700	Electrical System	7
1997	80	113,200	Coil Springs	5
1998	51	89,000	Suspension	3
2000	81	130,000	Air Bags	2
2001	54	95,000	Electrical System	8
2002	27	85,992	Air Bags	1
2003	281	97,000	Fuel/Propulsion System	12
2004	243	99,793	Fuel/Propulsion System	8
2005	287	80,000	Fuel/Propulsion System	10
2006	49	89,234	Service Brakes	3
2007	20	79,102	Engine	1

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