MERCEDES-BENZ 420 · model year

1991 MERCEDES-BENZ 420

4 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1991MERCEDES-BENZ420 carries 4 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 1991 420 is suspension:front with 1 filings, followed by unknown or other (1) and equipment:appliance:air conditioner (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 1991 420. 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.

4
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 filings

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

ComponentCount
SUSPENSION:FRONT1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER1
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL1

Recent Complaints

20050331CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL

THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WHEN THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN AN FRONT END COLLISION WITH HIS 1991 MERCEDES BENZ 420 SEL. **NAR*** *NM *SC *JB

19991001EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

NO SUMMARY.

19990504FireUNKNOWN OR OTHER

NO SUMMARY

19950613SUSPENSION:FRONT

THE VEHICLE'S FRONT END WILL NOT STAY IN ALIGNMENT, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO WANDER, ALSO EXCESSIVE WEAR ON THE TIRES. TT

Compare 1991MERCEDES-BENZ420 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1991 MERCEDES-BENZ 420 have?
The 1991 MERCEDES-BENZ 420 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1991 MERCEDES-BENZ 420?
The most-complained component for the 1991 MERCEDES-BENZ 420 is SUSPENSION:FRONT with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER.
Is the 1991 MERCEDES-BENZ 420 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.