Total Complaints
11 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ 400 · model year
1993 MERCEDES-BENZ 400
11 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1993MERCEDES-BENZ400 carries 11 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 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 1993 400 is electrical system:wiring with 3 filings, followed by electrical system (2) and service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:rotor (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 1993 400. 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.
11
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 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 |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20100421ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THE WIRING HARNESS ON MY 1993 MERCEDES 400SEL IS DEFECTIVE. AFTER TALKING WITH A MERCEDES MECHANIC, HE INFORMS ME HOW IMPORTANT THIS HARNESS IS AND WHAT COULD HAPPEN WHEN IT FAILS. THE WIRES ARE CRACKING AND SPLITTING AND ARE DRIED OUT. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION. AFTER DOING THE RESEARCH, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT MERCEDES KNOWS THE HARNESSES WERE DEFECTIVE AND HAS CHOSEN TO IGNORE THE PROBLEM. NO INJURIES OR DEATH AT THIS TIME. *TR
Mileage: 142,000
20090204ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I HAVE A 1993 400 SEL MERCEDES BENZ THAT HAS HAD PROBLEMS FOR YEARS AND NOW TURNS OUT TO BE A DEFECTIVE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS. IT HAS LEFT ME STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF A BUSY HIGHWAY RECENTLY WHICH ALMOST GOT ME KILLED WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE CAR. *TR
Mileage: 75,000
20090127TIRES
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1993 MERCEDES BENZ 400 SEL. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED WITH SUMITOMO HTRZ2 TIRES AND TIRE SIZE, 245/35R20. THE CONTACT NOTICED A SPLIT ON THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE. FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS LATER, HE NOTICED NUMEROUS SPLITS ON THE TIRE. HE ALREADY REPLACED BOTH FRONT TIRES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED, BUT THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT THESE TIRES NEED TO BE RECALLED. WHEN THE FIRST TWO TIRES WERE REPAIRED, THE DEFECTIVE TIRES WERE NOT INSPECTED AT ANY SHOP. THE TIRE SIZE WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 107,000.
Mileage: 95,000
20070407ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
1993 400 SEL WIRING HARNESS # 140 540 1132 ROTTED AWAY. *AK
Mileage: 150,000
20060624ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
HELLO, RECENTLY STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY ASR SYSTEM ON MY 1993 MB 400E AND THE SERVICE WRITER TOLD ME MY WIRING HARNESS WAS FAULTY,CRACKED AND WAS TURNING TO DUST ! HE SAID IF I DIDN'T FIX IT WOULD CAUSE ME SERIOUS PROBLEMS - EVEN POSSIBLY AN ENGINE FIRE ! HE TOLD ME COST TO REPLACE THE WIRE HARNESS + LABOR WOULD BE ABOUT $ 1080.00. COME TO FIND OUT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE THIS PROBLEM. WHY DON'T YOU FOLKS GET MERCEDES TO ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL !! HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE OR GET BURNED ALIVE BEFORE YOU HELP THE PUBLIC THAT YOUR SUPPOSED TO PROTECT !! PLEASE HELP US--THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. *JB
Mileage: 176,800
20060604ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
ENGINE WIRING HARNESS WAS DETERIORATED COMPLETELY CAUSING ENGINE PROBLEMS,STALLING IN TRAFFIC. IT WAS CORRECTED BY BUYING A NEW WIRING HARNESS. THE OLD PART WAS KEPT. IT IS UNDERSTOOD BY ME THAT THE INSULATION USED WAS BIODEGRADABLE. *JB
Mileage: 111,000
20030805ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
THE DESIGN AND LOCATION OF THE SPARK PLUGS CAUSES A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. IN ORDER TO REPLACE OR INSPECT THE PLUGS WIRE HARNESS NEEDED TO BE UNBOLTED AND PUSHED BACKWARDS, WIRE HARNESS SHOULDN'T BE MOVED. WIRE HARNESS SHORTED OUT, CAUSING A SHORT OUT OF ALL COMPONENTS IN THAT CIRCUIT.*AK
Mileage: 128,000
20030805ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS
THE DESIGN AND LOCATION OF THE SPARK PLUGS CAUSES A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. IN ORDER TO REPLACE OR INSPECT THE PLUGS WIRE HARNESS NEEDED TO BE UNBOLTED AND PUSHED BACKWARDS, WIRE HARNESS SHOULDN'T BE MOVED. WIRE HARNESS SHORTED OUT, CAUSING A SHORT OUT OF ALL COMPONENTS IN THAT CIRCUIT.*AK
Mileage: 128,000
19970528CrashFireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE AFTER MILDLY REARENDING ANOTHER VEHICLE. *AK
19951012VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY SURGES AT SPEEDS OF 10-20 MPH. *AW
19950125SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
BRAKE AND ROTOR WEAR OUT AT 4,000 MILES. TT
Compare 1993MERCEDES-BENZ400 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1993 MERCEDES-BENZ 400 have?▼
The 1993 MERCEDES-BENZ 400 has 11 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1993 MERCEDES-BENZ 400?▼
The most-complained component for the 1993 MERCEDES-BENZ 400 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR.
Is the 1993 MERCEDES-BENZ 400 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.