Total Complaints
2 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ 300 · model year
1998 MERCEDES-BENZ 300
2 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998MERCEDES-BENZ300 carries 2 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.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1998 300 is fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly with 1 filings, followed by service brakes, air:antilock (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 1998 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.
2
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK | 1 |
Recent Complaints
19991119SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK
VERY PREMATURE BRAKE PAD AND ROTER REPLACEMENT REQUIRED, I HAVE SPOKEN TO DOZENS OF OWNERS OF THIS SAME VEHICLE AND WE ALL HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT. WHERE BRAKES TRADITIONALLY LAST 30,000 MILES +/- THIS MODELS BRAKES LAST 8,000-12,000 MILES. TECHNICIAN AT
19990528FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
FRIDAY MORNING - 9:30 A.M. - 4/23/99 I DROVE FROM MY HOME (2368 BURMA HILLS DRIVE ) TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB ON MICHIGAN AVENUE. AND PARKED IN THEIR PARKING LOT. AFTER I HAD BEEN THERE APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES I WAS NOTIFIED MY GAS TANK WAS LEAKING BADLY. WITHTHE HELP OF CLUB EMPLOYEES WE SECURED THE AREA, AND PUT A LARGE CONTAINER UNDER THE VEHICLE TO CATCH THE GAS. AAA WAS CALLED TO TKE MY VEHICLE TO MCCONNELL AUTOMOTIVE . THE MANUFACTURER (MERCEDES) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED AND THEY INFORMED US THAT THE GAS TANK WAS NOT GUARANTEED AGAINST ROAD HAZARDS. I THINK THIS COMPLETELY EXPOSED PLASTIC TANK IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT IS ON A SPORTS UTILITY VEHICLE WHICH IS ADVERTISED FOR OFF THE ROAD USEAGE. I THINKTHE TANK SHOULD BE PROTECTED BY A STEEL GLIDE PLATE. THEY INFORMED ME THAT I COUD NOT INSTALL A PROTECTIVE PLATE OR IT WOULD VOID MY VEHICLE WARRANTY. FRANKLY I AM SCARED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE NOW THAT I SEE HOW VULNERABLE THE FUEL TANK IS TO DAMAGE. *A
Compare 1998MERCEDES-BENZ300 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1998 MERCEDES-BENZ 300 have?▼
The 1998 MERCEDES-BENZ 300 has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 MERCEDES-BENZ 300?▼
The most-complained component for the 1998 MERCEDES-BENZ 300 is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK.
Is the 1998 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.