MERCEDES-BENZ 400 · model year

1999 MERCEDES-BENZ 400

1 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1999MERCEDES-BENZ400 carries 1 consumer safety complaint 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 1999 400 is power train:automatic transmission with 1 filings. 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 1999 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.

1
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

1 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
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1

Recent Complaints

20000221POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SINCE JANUARY 25,1999, MY ML430 HAS BEEN IN THE SERVICE DEPT. A TOTAL OF 18 DAYS. ON TWO OF THOSE OCCASIONS, MY VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 35MPH. AFTER TWO ATTEMPTS, DEALER FINALLY FOUND DEFECT AND REPLACED PARTS OF TRANSMISSION. NOW IN FEBRUARY 2000, MY TRANSMISSION IS HAVING PROBLEMS AGAIN. THIS TIME A MODULE HAS TO BE REPLACED. I HOPE THESE DEFECTS WILL END SOON. I FEEL THAT I HAVE PURCHASED A LEMON. THANK YOU . RACHEL HARRIS (RAH0910@AOL.COM). *AK

Compare 1999MERCEDES-BENZ400 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ 400 have?
The 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ 400 has 1 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ 400?
The most-complained component for the 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ 400 is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 1999 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.