Total Complaints
10 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ 190 · model year
10 NHTSA complaints, 5 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1990MERCEDES-BENZ190 carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 5 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1990 190 is service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components with 2 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (2) and air bags (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 15 investigation files overlapping the 1990 190. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
10 filings
Crashes Reported
5 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 2 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE | 1 |
AT LIGHT & STARTED FORWARD. HEARD WHINNING NOISE & VEHICLE NOT ACCELERATING. SPEED ABOUT 30MPH. HAD COASTED VEHICLE HOME. TOWED TO DEALER & INFORMED BY MECHANIC THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT OPERATING PROPERLY (NOT SHIFTING INTO GEAR). TRANSMISSION NEEDS REPLACING. *AK
VEHICLE OVERHEATS. *SD
BRAKES FAILED. *SD
ODOMETER INOPERATIVE/FRAUD. *SD
COMPUTER INOPERATIVE. *SD
NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S AIRBAG DURING ABOVE ACCIDENT, RESULTING IN INJURY. "DUP 950515: 958735".
FRONT BRAKES FAILED, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT. *SKD
THE BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO LOSE CONTROL/ACCIDENT.
TRANSMISSION FAILED. TT
NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG DURING ACCIDENT, RESULTING IN AN INJURY. "DUP: SEE 480212". *AK
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.