2008 Mercedes-Benz E350 problems
Owners have filed 220 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Mercedes-Benz E350. Fuel system is the most reported problem area, at 40% of complaints. After that come seats (10%) and electrical system (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 220 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Fuel system 40% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 13 and 16
- Injuries and deaths
- 11 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 87,000 miles 169 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 | 9 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 22 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 17 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 28 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 29 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 23 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 18 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 14 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 6 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 169 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 86,000 miles. For fuel system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 88,000 miles (70 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 13 complaints mention a crash; 16 complaints mention a fire; 11 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 11 model years of the Mercedes-Benz E350 with enough data (53 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 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 2008 mercedes benz e350. The contact stated that the driver side heated seat failed and overheated. The seat burned the contact through his shirt and belt. The contact stated that he smelled smoke and had to open the windows because the smoke had become overpowering. He then powered the heated seats off before it could cause a fire. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 51,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercedes benz e350. The contact stated that the driver side seat warmer burned through the seat and the contact's clothes without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed and replaced the seat warmers. A couple of years later, the failure recurred and the seat caught fire. The contact sustained toxic lung injuries due to smoke inhalation, which required medical attention. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercedes-benz e350. While driving 65 MPH, the contact's vehicle was struck on the driver's side and caused it to flip over several times. The vehicle landed on its side. The air bags did not deploy. The police were called to the scene and a police report was filed. The driver and passenger were injured and were transported to the hospital via ambulance for medical attention. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard where it was awaiting inspection by the insurance company.
The car accelerated on it's own in a parking lot leading to a crash. The car went inside a building. My foot was on the brakes all the time, but car did not stop. Air bags did not open.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercedes benz e350. While parked, a strong fuel odor emitted inside and outside of the vehicle. There was no fuel leakage visible on the ground. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel sender cracked. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 59,000.