MERCEDES-BENZ 208 · model year

2003 MERCEDES-BENZ 208

4 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2003MERCEDES-BENZ208 carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2003 208 is exterior lighting:tail lights with 1 filings, followed by tires (1) and structure (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.

NHTSA currently has 15 investigation files overlapping the 2003 208. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS1
TIRES1
STRUCTURE1
SERVICE BRAKES1

Recent Complaints

20160426SERVICE BRAKES

SBC STOP WORKING CALL MBUSA AND THEY SAY THE FIXED THAT AND THE WARRANTY IS OUT WICH THIS JUST NOW HAPPENED I DIDN'T HAPPENED BEFORE 10 YEARS NOW WE HAVE TO PAY ON OUR OWN

Mileage: 132,000

20070618STRUCTURE

I OWN A PT CRUISER 2003 AND I NOTICED ABOUT 7 MONTHS AGO THAT THE DASHBOARD HAD A VERY BIG CRACK GOING STRAIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE. I AM THE ONLY PERSON THAT DROVE THE CAR SO I KNEW I DIDN'T DO IT. I THOUGHT THIS WAS PART OF WEAR AND TEAR. HOWEVER, THE CAR WAS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD. THEN, I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS THE SUN. I WAS READING OUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER AND REALIZED THAT I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAD THIS PROBLEM. THE DASHBOARD GOING TO PIECES AND I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT CHRYSLER WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS IMPERFECTION ON THEIR PART. I WOULD LIKE FOR THIS PROBLEM TO BE FIXED. I AM CURRENTLY FINANCING THE CAR AND COULD NOT AFFORD TO PURCHASE ANOTHER DASHBOARD, THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. I WOULD LIKE T FOR CHRYSLER TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS. *AK

Mileage: 79,000

20060922TIRES

I HAVE HAD TWO COMPLETE SETS OF CONTI -TOURING CONTACT ECO PLUS CONTI SEAL (P225/60 R 18 99H CH95) ON MY 2004 CHRYSLER 300 C AUTO IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. THE FIRST SET CAME WITH THE CAR. THE SECOND SET, WHICH I HAD TO REPLACE DUE TO DANGEROUS TIRE WEAR AND INSTABILITY, HAS NOW GONE BAD. THEY MUST BE REPLACED. MY CAR ONLY HAS 32,000 MILES ON IT AND I HAVE NOW GONE THROUGH TWO COMPLETE SETS OF CONTINENTAL TIRES. TWO CHRYSLER DEALERS (ONE IN WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA AND THE OTHER IN GREEN COVE SPRINGS, FLORIDA) REFUSES TO REPLACE THESE TIRES WITH ANOTHER BRAND. THEY PASS THE RESPONSIBILITY ON TO CONTINENTAL. CONTINENTAL WANT TO PUT THEIR NEW TIRES ON MY CAR, AT A REDUCED PRICE. I WILL NOT PUT CONTINENTAL TIRES ON MY CAR AGAIN. WHAT RECOURSE DO I HAVE OTHER THAN TAKING LEGAL ACTION? PLEASE ADVISE. *NM

20060808EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS

THE REAR TAIL LIGHTS ON MY 2003 MERCEDES BENZ SLK CONTINUALLY GO OUT. THE LIGHTS ARE NOT BURNING OUT, BUT IT APPEARS THE CONNECTIONS ON THE LIGHTS GET TO HOT AND BURN UP. *NM

Mileage: 22,000

Compare 2003MERCEDES-BENZ208 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ 208 have?
The 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ 208 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ 208?
The most-complained component for the 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ 208 is EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES and STRUCTURE.
Is the 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ 208 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data vintage: August 2026. 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.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ 208; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.