Total Complaints
6 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ 220 · model year
6 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 1994MERCEDES-BENZ220 carries 6 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 1994 220 is suspension:front with 1 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (1) and power train:automatic transmission (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 1994 220. 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.
Total Complaints
6 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
MY 1994 C220 HAS HAD ITS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON FOR AWHILE AND THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH THE CAR EITHER NOT STARTING PROPERLY, STRANGE NOISES WHEN I TURN THE RADIO ON WHEN THE ANTENNA GOES UP, THE HEAT AUTOMATICALLY TURNS ON, THE FRONT HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT, THE CAR HESITATES WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO IN GEAR OR FROM NEUTRAL TO IN GEAR OR PARK OR REVERSE. I WAS TOLD BY A LICENSED MERCEDES SERVICE CENTER THAT THEY CAN NOT REPAIR ANY OTHER ITEMS UNDER MY HOOD UNTIL THE ENGINE WIRE HARNESS IS TOTALLY REPLACED SINCE IT HAS WORN INSULATION AND FRAYED AND BARE WIRES. THEIR POLICY IS TO DO NOTHING TO THE CAR UNTIL HARNESS IS REPLACED. TOO DANGEROUS, FIRE HAZARD, ETC. *TR
Mileage: 174,000
ENGINE WIRING HARNESS UNDER THE HOOD HAS DETERIORATING INSULATION, CAUSING THE WIRES TO RUB TOGETHER SHORTING OUT WITH ONE ANOTHER. WIRING INSULATION BEGUN CRACKING WHEN CAR WAS ONE YEAR OLD. *TR
Mileage: 12,000
MY 1994 C220 MERCEDES QUIT RUNNING IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS TOLD MY THE REPAIR SHOP THAT THE WIRING HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THIS WAS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS YEAR CAR. THIS CAR WAS ALWAYS SERVICED AT A MERCEDES DEALER SHIP. WHY COULD THIS HAVE NOT BEEN POINTED OUT BEFORE I GOT STRANDED? I AM ALSO TOLD THIS IS A VERY EXTREME FIRE HAZARD. *JB
Mileage: 113,000
WHEN GETTING CLOSE TO A STOP VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY ACCELERATE. CONSUMER HAS TO PLACE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL TO CONTROL VEHICLE.*AK
WHEN GETTING CLOSE TO A STOP VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY ACCELERATE. CONSUMER HAS TO PLACE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL TO CONTROL VEHICLE.*AK
THE VEHICLE PULLS TO LEFT WHILE DRIVING .PLEASE DESCRIBE. )AK
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 1994 MERCEDES-BENZ 220; 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.