2001 Mercedes-Benz C320 problems
NHTSA has received 117 complaints about the 2001 Mercedes-Benz C320, and 22% of them involve electrical system. After that come seats (16%) and engine (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 117 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 22% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 70,000 miles 87 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 3 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 11 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 25 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 12 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 14 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 8 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 9 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 87 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 70,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 64,000 miles (21 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire.
It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Really dad experience problems with drivers and passenger side seat control modules draining battery when key off my car started on fire under the hood .!! Two times.
Gas fumes so over powering that you had to drive with the windows down after you filled up the car with gasoline. Gas tank had a leak and all the dash was replaced at dealer. However there are shortages in the electrical system that cause the visor lamps to not work and the automatic lights and relays in the wipers do not operate properly. When the heat is on the gas fumes and monoxide is strong again . I thought the problem was rectified when they fixed it but it still tends to act up. *nlm
At 55 MPH the front left brake engages without applying the brake pedal and after a few seconds releases, the bas and ESC faults are then visible on the dash. The brake light switch was replaced by mercedes two times, but this condition shows up after a few days of driving , codes show that the yaw rate sensor or connection is at fault. Even when the car is in park with the engine running on a flat level surface the fault warning dash lights ESC and bas will come on with no movement in the car.