2005 Mercedes Benz E500: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 168 complaints
168
Total Complaints
100,000mi
Median Mileage
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Top Issue
4
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

61,010 25th Percentile
100,000 Median Mileage
124,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
55
SERVICE BRAKES
34
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
20
SUSPENSION
9
ENGINE
8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
6
AIR BAGS
5
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
4
POWER TRAIN
4

Severity Assessment

4
Crashes
0
Fires
4
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CONTROLS ON STEERING COLUMN PERIODICALLY DO NOT WORK. WHILE MOST OF THESE ARE CONVENIENCE ITEMS, THE HORN ALSO DID NOT WORK. HAPPENED 4 TIMES--12/16 DRIVING TO WORK; 12/'20 DRIVING TO AND FROM DULLES AIRPORT; 12/26 IN THE MORNING. EACH TIME THE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW 30 DEGREES F. DEALER SERVICED..."
"CONSUMER STATED 2005 E-500 MERCEDES-BENZ DID NOT STOP AND JUMPED OFF CURB AND CRASHED. *BF THE VEHICLE JUMPED THE CURB AND CRASHED INTO A GLASS DOOR OF A DENTIST OFFICE AND SIDE SWIPED ANOTHER VEHICLE. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED IRREGULAR SPEED. THE CONSUMERS FOOT WAS ON T..."
"DT: CONSUMER BOUGHT THIS NEW VEHICLE IN JULY OF 2004, IN FEBURARY 2005 HIT A SLIGHT BUMP AND EXPERIENCED A FLAT TIRE. SINCE THEN , HAD 3 MORE FLATS TIRES FROM VERY MINOR RIDGES IN THE ROAD. SPOKE WITH THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED TO REPLACE ONE TIRE WITH ORG TYPE TIRES, SPOKEN WITH MANUFACTURER..."

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

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