Total Complaints
32 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ 300 · model year
1991 MERCEDES-BENZ 300
32 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1991MERCEDES-BENZ300 carries 32 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 3 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 1991 300 is air bags:frontal with 4 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine (3) and electrical system (2). 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 1991 300. 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.
32
Complaints
3
Crashes
3
Fires
4
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
3 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 4 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM | 1 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 1 |
| STRUCTURE | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20091004ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
MY 1991 300SL BENZ HAS HAD TO HAVE THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS REPLACED PER MB DEALER BECAUSE IT'S GOING BAD AND DECOMPOSING CAUSING A POTENTIAL FIRE PROBLEM. THIS AFTER A NO START PROBLEM AND A MONTH IN THE SHOP. AND THEY NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND THE CAUSE. NOW , AFTER REPLACING THE HARNESS , THEY ARE STILL NOT ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE HARNESS IS A "GREEN WIRING HARNESS" AS REQUIRED BE GERMANY TO ITS AUTO MAKERS IN 1991-1996. THE DECOMPOSING OF THE WIRING CAUSES A FIRE HAZARD AND SHOULD BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR
Mileage: 119,000
20050629POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
THE DRIVE TRAIN ON THE CONSUMERS 1991 MERCEDES BENZ 300 LOCKED UP. *JB THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN TOTALLY ISOLATED TO THE CONTROL UNIT. THE TOTAL LOCK UP OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY OR THE PROBLEM MAY BE ELSEWHERE CAUSED BY A CERTAIN SET OF CONDITIONS. *SC
20010627TIRES:SIDEWALL
WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH IN 1991, MERCEDES BENZ, 300D 2.5 TURBO, RIGHT REAR GOODYEAR ROAD HANDLER VOYAGER LX TIRE SIZE P195/60R15, DOT PJUNYBLR319 EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT IN SIDEWALL OF TIRE. THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10,000 MILES ON THE TIRES, AND THEY WERE NOT ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON VEHICLE. *AK *SLC
20001219STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
REPLACED RIGHT TIE ROD ASSEMBLY. *CJ
20001219POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
FRONT HALF SHAFT BOOTS LEAKS. *CJ
20001219POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT
DEALER REPLACED C/V BOOTS ON BOTH FRONT WHEELS. *CJ
20001219SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
THE LEFT FRONT ABS SENSOR WAS REPLACED. *CJ
20001219POWER TRAIN
WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PROCEEDING FORWARD FROM A FULL STOP AND IS TURNING TO EITHER THE RIGHT OR LEFT THERE IS A SERIOUS VIBRATION AND SHUTTERING PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE HAS HAD MANY FRONT-END ALIGNMENTS AND HAS HAD THE TRANSFER CASE REPLACED TWICE, THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. *CJ
20001219ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
MOTOR MOUNTS WERE REPLACED. *CJ
20001205STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
REPLACED RIGHT TIE ROD ASSEMBLY. *CJ
20001205POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
FRONT HALF SHAFT BOOTS LEAKS. *CJ
20001205POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT
DEALER REPLACED C/V BOOTS ON BOTH FRONT WHEELS. *CJ
20001205SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
THE LEFT FRONT ABS SENSOR WAS REPLACED. *CJ
20001205POWER TRAIN
WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PROCEEDING FORWARD FROM A FULL STOP AND IS TURNING TO EITHER THE RIGHT OR LEFT THERE IS A SERIOUS VIBRATION AND SHUTTERING PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE HAS HAD MANY FRONT-END ALIGNMENTS AND HAS HAD THE TRANSFER CASE REPLACED TWICE, THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. *CJ
20001205ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
MOTOR MOUNTS WERE REPLACED. *CJ
19991117ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE DIES WHILE DRIVING AFTER ABOUT THE FIRST 5 MINUTES WHEN THE ENGINE DIES IT CANNOT BE RESTARTED WITHOUT TURNING THE KEY OFF WHICH LOCKS THE STEERING WHILE YOUR STILL MOVING. THE CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE YOU CAN BE HIT FROM BEHIND BY ANOTHER CAR. THE REPAIR SHOP HAS FOUND THE PROBLEM TO BE IN THE COMPUTER FOR THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM. *AK
19990514ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 65-70 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING ERRODED THROUGH, CAUSING COOLANT TO LEAK, RESULTING IN LOSS OF POWER. THE DEALER HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE. *AK
19990202FireSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 50 MPH ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK, CAUSING VEHICLE TO GO UP TO 80 TO 100 MPH. CONSUMER HAD TO PUT VEHICLE INTO ANOTHER GEAR TO GET VEHICLE TO STOP ALSO, BRAKE SYSTEM CAUGHT ON FIRE. *AK
19990202FireVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 50 MPH ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK, CAUSING VEHICLE TO GO UP TO 80 TO 100 MPH. CONSUMER HAD TO PUT VEHICLE INTO ANOTHER GEAR TO GET VEHICLE TO STOP ALSO, BRAKE SYSTEM CAUGHT ON FIRE. *AK
19980622AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE THE PASSENGER'S AIRBAG DEPLOYED UNEXPECTEDLY WITHOUT A FRONTAL IMPACT, CAUSING INJURIES TO THE OCCUPANT. NO PRIOR PROBLEMS WITH AIRBAGS. *AK
Compare 1991MERCEDES-BENZ300 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1991 MERCEDES-BENZ 300 have?▼
The 1991 MERCEDES-BENZ 300 has 32 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 3 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1991 MERCEDES-BENZ 300?▼
The most-complained component for the 1991 MERCEDES-BENZ 300 is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 1991 MERCEDES-BENZ 300 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 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.