2012 Mercedes-Benz E350 problems
Owners have filed 264 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Mercedes-Benz E350. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 32% of complaints. After that come fuel system (14%) and engine (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 264 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 32% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 65,000 miles 83 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 | 16 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 9 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 14 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 13 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 12 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 83 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 65,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 6 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 82% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 11 model years of the Mercedes-Benz E350 with enough data (94 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 7 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 2012 mercedes benz e350. The contact stated that the vehicle was secured with the engine turned off when the vehicle rolled away in reverse independently and as the contact was exiting the front driver's side door. The contact was knocked to the ground by the open door, which then crashed into the rear fender of an unoccupied and parked vehicle. The vehicle continued to roll away and came to a stop when encountering a nearby curb.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 mercedes benz e350. While the vehicle was parked and the key was removed from the ignition, the vehicle jerked and rolled backwards before stopping independently. In addition, the contact heard an abnormal noise and the vehicle veered to the left when reversing. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure but made the following repairs: the cover on the front passenger side cylinder head, removed/installed a seal, non-return valve, chain tensioner, sealant mb, flange gasket…
Total steering failure. The steering locked up solid, and trying to turn the steering wheel was met with a hammering noise from under the front of the car. Fortunately, this occurred in our driveway - had it happened on the highway there would definitely been an accident. We took the car to our local repair shop (the mercedes dealer is a 1-1/2 hour drive from where we live) and they determined that the aluminum bolts holding the electric drive motor to the steering rack had corroded through and motor had fallen…
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH, the contact smelled fuel on the interior of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel filter sending unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V557000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE).