2003 Mercedes Benz C320: Reliability Data

38
Total Complaints
52,189mi
Median Mileage
Electrical System
Top Issue
4
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

36,000 25th Percentile
52,189 Median Mileage
98,750 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System
5
Power Train
4
Air Bags
4
Sun/Moon Roof Assembly
2
Vehicle Speed Control
2
Exterior Lighting
2
Interior/Under Dash
1
Engine
1
Hydraulic Power Assist System
1
Suspension
1

Severity Assessment

4
Crashes
1
Fires
4
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE THROTTLE LINKAGE AND CONTROL PEDAL MALFUNCTION NEARLY RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE BRAKES HAD TO BE VIOLENTLY APPLIED WITH BOTH FEET TO PREVENT THE SURGING VEHICLE FROM REAR-ENDING A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF MINE AT A TRAFFIC INTERSECTION.*AK"
"THE POWER STEERING WAS TIGHT AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE STEERING WHEEL. *JB *TT"
"THE FUEL GAUGE FAILED TO FUNCTION. IT DIDN'T REGISTER THE CORRECT GAS LEVEL IN THE TANK. THE DIGITAL CONSOLE LIGHT MALFUNCTIONED. IT WOULD EITHER NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED OR WHEN ILLUMINATED IT WILL SUDDENLY GO OUT. THE VEHICLE HESITATED UPON ACCELERATION WHEN DRIVEN FOR LONG D..."

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 5 complaints
Median: 124,000 mi
Air Bags 4 complaints
25th: 69,500 mi Median: 100,000 mi 75th: 136,563 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 13 MD: 6 NC: 3 MI: 3 KY: 3 TX: 2 DE: 2 NY: 2 PA: 1 VA: 1

Who Files Complaints?

7.9%
Original Owners
92.1%
Second+ Owners

Mercedes Benz C320 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
20011178
20021024
2004231

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