2006 Mercedes Benz C280: Reliability Data

40
Total Complaints
89,500mi
Median Mileage
Engine
Top Issue
4
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

76,000 25th Percentile
89,500 Median Mileage
113,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Engine
13
Power Train
5
Air Bags
5
Unknown Or Other
4
Electrical System
3
Vehicle Speed Control
2
Temporary/Emergency Spare Tire
1
Automatic Transmission
1
Exterior
1
Suspension
1

Severity Assessment

4
Crashes
0
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"2006 C280W4 WITH A SIDE VIEW MIRROR DESIGN FLAW. CONSUMER BELIEVES THAT THE SNAP OFF SIDE VIEW MIRROR SHOULD BE RECALLED BECAUSE THE MIRROR COST $1200.00 TO REPLACE IF IT GETS BROKEN. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE SIDE VIEW MIRRORS WERE STOLEN TWICE. UPDATED"
"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ C280. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AT 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND REAR-ENDED THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. WHILE BACKING UP FROM THE CRASH, THE VEHICLE SPED BACKWARDS AND STRUCK THE VEHICLE IN ITS REAR. THE POLICE ISSUED A TICKET FOR $130 AND FILED A ..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES C280. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH OVER A POTHOLE, THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. THE SPARE TIRE WAS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE VALVE STEMS BEGAN TO FAIL AND WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, THE SPARE TIRE ALSO BLEW OUT. THE CONTACT IS CON..."

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.

Engine 13 complaints
25th: 72,000 mi Median: 84,157 mi 75th: 104,250 mi
Power Train 5 complaints
Median: 94,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

MD: 7 NJ: 7 PA: 5 GA: 4 OH: 3 CT: 3 CA: 3 VA: 2 NC: 2 ME: 1

Who Files Complaints?

2.5%
Original Owners
97.5%
Second+ Owners

Mercedes Benz C280 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
1995253
1998212
1999453
2007681

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