"How reliable is the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320?"

"Based on 287 NHTSA complaints, the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 has a median complaint mileage of 80000 miles. The most common issue is Fuel/Propulsion System."

"What are common problems with the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 is Fuel/Propulsion System, accounting for a significant portion of the 287 total complaints filed."

2005 Mercedes Benz E320: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 287 complaints

287

Total Complaints

80,000mi

Median Mileage

Fuel/Propulsion System

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

51,000 25th Percentile

80,000 Median Mileage

114,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Fuel/Propulsion System

Service Brakes

Fuel System, Gasoline

Air Bags

Electrical System

Engine

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Power Train

Suspension

Engine And Engine Cooling

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SRS (PASSIVE RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAILURE) WARNING LAMP CAME ON WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE (2005 MERCEDES BENZ C230 SPORT SEDAN) WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AS DIRECTED BY THE OWNER'S MANUAL. VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS SINCE 7/26/04. ON 8/17/04 THE VEHICLE WAS STILL NOT REPAIRED...."

"THE VEHICLE SMELLED LIKE SOMETHING WAS BURNING AND THE STEERING WHEEL SQUEAKED. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANY DEFECTS AFTER SERVICING THE VEHICLE. *JB"

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.

Fuel/Propulsion System 81 complaints

25th: 69,500 mi Median: 98,000 mi 75th: 114,000 mi

Service Brakes 43 complaints

25th: 78,250 mi Median: 112,053 mi 75th: 141,250 mi

Fuel System, Gasoline 39 complaints

25th: 58,000 mi Median: 77,000 mi 75th: 100,000 mi

Air Bags 17 complaints

25th: 26,708 mi Median: 50,742 mi 75th: 76,834 mi

Electrical System 16 complaints

25th: 53,750 mi Median: 94,350 mi 75th: 144,500 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 59 FL: 36 TX: 24 GA: 23 VA: 16 AZ: 14 NC: 9 NY: 9 SC: 9 TN: 9

Who Files Complaints?

10.1%

Original Owners

89.9%

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
1999	109	80,000	Air Bags	12
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
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