2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 problems
The 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 has 287 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (44%) concerns fuel system. Next are brakes (19%) and air bags (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 287 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Fuel system 44% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 10 and 8
- Injuries and deaths
- 19 and 4
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 228 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 | 27 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 14 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 22 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 49 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 25 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 38 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 22 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 16 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 8 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Of the 228 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 80,000 miles. For fuel system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 80,000 miles (108 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 10 complaints mention a crash; 8 complaints mention a fire; 19 injuries reported; 4 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2005 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Mercedes-Benz E320 with enough data (73 complaints in that window). 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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mercedes benz e320. The contact stated that the driver of the vehicle was traveling approximately 40 MPH when another vehicle crashed into the rear passenger's side of the vehicle. The vehicle immediately became engulfed in flames. The driver was fatally injured with trauma to the head. The passenger was fatally injured with trauma to the torso and the two rear passengers died from smoke inhalation. The police were on scene and a report was filed.
The driver of the mercedes was traveling east on interstate 80 in a rural area of california. The driver claims to have fallen asleep while driving the vehicle and allowed the vehicle to leave the south side of the freeway while traversing a left curve in the roadway. The vehicle launched off a slight downhill embankment south of the roadway and the vehicle traversed an undulated vegetative area prior to striking a large diameter tree with the front of the vehicle.
The consumer was involved in a collision. When the consumer made a left turn another vehicle ran a red light and hit the drivers side of the consumers vehicle. The side airbag did not deploy.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 mercedes benz e320. The contact was driving approximately 25-30 MPH when a beeping noise sounded inside of the vehicle with the illumination of the brake warning indicator on the instrument panel. When force was applied to the brakes there was minimal response. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the vehicle be repaired by the dealer.
There is a very strong smell of gasoline in the cabin of the car after I fill the gas tank. The smell persists until about one-eighth to one-quarter of the tank has been used then dissipates. I have read where this is a common problem for this class and year of mercedes. I just purchased the car. Is there a recall to solve this problem? If so, is there a reference number? If not, is there a service bulletin issued by your agency or by mercedes to its dealers to fix the problem.