2006 Mercedes Benz E500: Reliability Data

59
Total Complaints
80,000mi
Median Mileage
Fuel/Propulsion System
Top Issue
1
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

63,750 25th Percentile
80,000 Median Mileage
94,149 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Fuel/Propulsion System
16
Fuel System, Gasoline
12
Wheels
4
Air Bags
4
Suspension
3
Steering
2
Electrical System
2
Power Train
2
Service Brakes
2
Frame And Members
1

Severity Assessment

1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DT*: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ E CLASS, AND STATED WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, ALL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, BUT THERE WAS NO STOPPING POWER. THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED HARDER AND THERE WAS SLIGHT POWER AND THE VEHICLE COASTED TO A STO..."
"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ E500. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE SUBFRAME FAILED ON THE VEHICLE. THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE WHEEL WAS UNSTABLE AND WOULD SWAY WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT IN THE WELD OF T..."
"HORN DID NOT SOUND/BLOW EVEN KEY WAS IN THE IGNITION. IT SOUND/BLOW ONLY IF CAR/ ENGINE IS RUNNING. *TR"

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 16 complaints
25th: 72,750 mi Median: 79,000 mi 75th: 112,525 mi
Fuel System, Gasoline 12 complaints
25th: 62,025 mi Median: 78,160 mi 75th: 93,857 mi
Wheels 4 complaints
25th: 62,019 mi Median: 76,621 mi 75th: 83,000 mi
Air Bags 4 complaints
Median: 86,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 12 FL: 10 TX: 6 SC: 4 MI: 3 NJ: 3 MS: 3 NY: 2 OH: 2 MN: 2

Who Files Complaints?

1.7%
Original Owners
98.3%
Second+ Owners

Mercedes Benz E500 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
20031436
20041723
20051684

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