"How reliable is the 2001 Mercedes Benz E320?"

"Based on 54 NHTSA complaints, the 2001 Mercedes Benz E320 has a median complaint mileage of 95000 miles. The most common issue is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM."

"What are common problems with the 2001 Mercedes Benz E320?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2001 Mercedes Benz E320 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, accounting for a significant portion of the 54 total complaints filed."

2001 Mercedes Benz E320: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 54 complaints

Total Complaints

95,000mi

Median Mileage

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

52,000 25th Percentile

95,000 Median Mileage

150,942 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

AIR BAGS

POWER TRAIN

ENGINE

STEERING

SUSPENSION:FRONT

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHEN WATER ENTERS THE CONTROL MODULE FOR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IT FAILS TO CHANGE GEARS WHILE VEHICLE IS IN OPERATION. DEALERSHIP HAS NOT GIVEN CONSUMER A CAUSE FOR THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK"

"WHEN PRESSING ACCELERATOR PEDAL AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, VEHICLE WILL NOT REACT UNTIL PEDAL IS 1/4 TO 1/2 DEPRESSED. THEN, VEHICLE WILL LURCH FORWARD. VEHICLE IS NOW AT THE DEALER. *AK CONSUMER STATED DEALER REPLACED A PART CALLED THE ME CONTROL UNIT AND PROBLEM HAS CEASED. *SLC"

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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10 complaints

25th: 106,250 mi Median: 143,000 mi 75th: 157,076 mi

AIR BAGS 5 complaints

Median: 135,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 12 FL: 7 GA: 6 NY: 4 TX: 4 NC: 3 OH: 3 IL: 2 NJ: 2 IN: 2

Who Files Complaints?

14.8%

Original Owners

85.2%

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	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD	0
1996	62	107,700	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	7
1997	80	113,200	SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS	5
1998	51	89,000	SUSPENSION	3
1999	109	80,000	AIR BAGS	12
2000	81	130,000	AIR BAGS	2
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