MERCEDES-BENZ 300E · model year

1989 MERCEDES-BENZ 300E

14 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1989MERCEDES-BENZ300E carries 14 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 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 1989 300E is air bags with 3 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (2) and engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (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 1 investigation file overlapping the 1989 300E. 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.

14
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

14 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
AIR BAGS3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE1
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL1
WHEELS1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1
ENGINE1

Recent Complaints

20140317ENGINE

CAR CUTS OFF AFTER A LONG DRIVE WHEN COASTING TO A STOP OR WHEN TURNING. WHEN ENGINE CUTS OFF POWER STEERING NO LONGER FUNCTIONS (VERY UPSETTING WHILE TURNING WHICH IS USUALLY WHEN IT CUTS OFF). HAVE TAKEN IT TO PRIVATE SHOP AND MERCEDES DEALER BUT NOTHING RESOLVED THE ISSUE. CAR IS DRIVEN RARELY NOW DUE TO THIS ISSUE AND ISSUE IS STILL ACTIVE IN CAR. I HAVE FIVE RECEIPTS FROM PRIVATE AUTO REPAIR SHOP AND MERCEDES BENZ DEALER DOCUMENTING EACH TIME CAR WAS TAKEN FOR THIS ISSUE DATING BACK TO 2003. *TR

Mileage: 145,856

20090331VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

SUDDEN ACCELERATION . A 1989 MERCEDES BENZ 300E WITH AROUND 158,900 MILES. SINCE THE PAST 6 WEEKS HAS BEEN EXHIBITING THE APPARENTLY HARD TO PROOF CASE OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON HIGHWAY 101. THERE WAS A CONSTRUCTION GOING ON SO THE TRAVELING SPEED ON THAT STRETCH OF THE HIGHWAY WAS REDUCED TO AROUND 50MPH. AFTER DRIVING FOR SOME MINUTES WITH MY SPEED AROUND 50MPH, THE CAR SUDDENLY SURGED WITH THE SPEEDOMETER RISING. I WASN'T IN ANYWAY ACCELERATING. I WAS MAINTAINING MY CURRENT SPEED, THE SUDDEN SURGED MADE ME REMOVED MY LEG COMPLETELY FROM THE PEDAL. WITH THE SPEEDOMETER STILL RISING I DROVE THE NEXT FOUR/ FIVE MILES WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO STEERED THE CAR TO SIDE LANE AND PUTTING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL.I HAVE HAD 4 SUBSEQUENT OCCURRENCES SINCE THEN. IT NOW HAPPENS LIKE TWICE EVERY WEEK. I HAD A MECHANIC DISENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL THINKING THAT WAS THE FAULT.THE LAST OCCURRENCE WAS TODAY. DRIVING OUT OF MY HOUSE

Mileage: 158,900

20041117ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY STALLED WHILE DRIVING DOWN AN INCLINE OR SLOWING DOWN TO A STOP POSITION. VEHICLE HAD BEEN TO THE REPAIR SHOP ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, AND AT THE DEALER ONCE, HOWEVER, AND NEITHER OF THEM COULD RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM.*AK WHEN TURNING ON THE HEADLIGHTS THE SRS AND ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATE. THE TACHOMETER PERFORMED ERRATICALLY. THE ALTERNATOR ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE NOISE WAS CAUSED BY A BOLT IN THE WATER PUMP WHICH WAS TOO LONG AND HIT AGAINST THE PUMP. *NM

20031014WHEELS

PASSENGER FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF OF VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING. *MR (OHIO TRAFFIC REPORT) THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *SCC *JB

20020118VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

CRUISE CONTROL DISENGAGES BY ITSELF WITHOUT DRIVER ASSISTANCE ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

20010320AIR BAGS

UNTIL I READ ABOUT OTHERS WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT, I ASSUMED THIS WAS NORMAL. I HAVE TALKED TO THE DEALER ABOUT IT, AND WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OVER $2500 TO REPAIR/REPLACE THE AIRBAG. THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY -- I INTENDED FOR THE DATE SHOWN TO INDICATE WHEN THE DASHBOARD LIGHT FIRST CAME ON.*AK

19991007AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

WHILE SITTING AT A STOP AIR BAG ON THE DRIVER'S DEPLOYED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHP WHERE THE AIR BAG WAS REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

19990422SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

THE DASH INDICATOR RESTRAINT SYSTEM LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON, INDICATING A MALFUNCTION. DEALER SAYS SEAT BELTS AND AIR BAG UNIT ARE DEFECTIVE. THE CONTROL UNIT WAS REPLACED AT 1350 PLUS LABOR. PLEASE ADD VIN#. *AK

19990422AIR BAGS

THE DASH INDICATOR RESTRAINT SYSTEM LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON, INDICATING A MALFUNCTION. DEALER SAYS SEAT BELTS AND AIR BAG UNIT ARE DEFECTIVE. THE CONTROL UNIT WAS REPLACED AT 1350 PLUS LABOR. PLEASE ADD VIN#. *AK

19970325VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

SUNROOF SQUEAKS.

19970325AIR BAGS

SRS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED.

19970106POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

VEHICLE SLIPS OUT OF GEAR ON AN FLAT PLANTFORM, WHEN THIS OCCURS THE VEHICLE ROLLS BACKWARD. OWNER HAS HEARD THE VEHICLE SLIP OUT OF GEAR MANY TIMES. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND THEY DID MINOR WORK. ALSO THEY TOLD HER TO PUT ON HER EMERGENCY BRAKES. *AK

19950622FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

VEHICLE FIRE.

19950622FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

ALUMINUM COMPONENT OF FUEL TANK FAILED UNDER FIRE CONDITIONS, EXPENDING GASOLINE T0 ADDITIONALLY FUEL THE FIRE. *SKD

Compare 1989MERCEDES-BENZ300E to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1989 MERCEDES-BENZ 300E have?
The 1989 MERCEDES-BENZ 300E has 14 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1989 MERCEDES-BENZ 300E?
The most-complained component for the 1989 MERCEDES-BENZ 300E is AIR BAGS with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE.
Is the 1989 MERCEDES-BENZ 300E 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.