Total Complaints
10 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ 420 · model year
1999 MERCEDES-BENZ 420
10 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1999MERCEDES-BENZ420 carries 10 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 1999 420 is power train:automatic transmission with 1 filings, followed by fuel system, gasoline:fuel injection system (1) and unknown or other (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 1999 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.
10
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 |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 1 |
| STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 1 |
| WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20020910STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
A CRACK IN LEFT REAR FRAMES. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK *JLG
20011115WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
ON 10/24, 2001, WHILE DRIVING MERCEDES S-420 WITH 65 MILES PER HOUR ON PENNSYLAVANIA TURNPIKE, PASSANGER SIDE WHEEL WITH TIRE AND WHEEL CAP SEPARATED FROM THE CAR AND FLEW OUT TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF ONCOMING TURNPIKE. AFTER THE CAR WAS TOWED TO SUN MOTOR CARS, INC. AT 4444 CARLISLE PIKE, CAMP HILL, PA,(717 737-3030) IT WAS FOUND OUT THAT THE 4 BOLTS FIXATING THE WHEEL TO CAR WERE CUT AND SHEARED. AND ONE HOLE WAS RUSTY. THIS MIGHT SUGEST THAT MANUFATURER USED SUBSTANDARD BOLTS WHICH COULD NOT WITHSTAND THE PRESSURE. I HOPE NO OTHER PEOPLE HAD SAME EXPERIENCE LEADING TO THE INJURIES AND DEATH. *AK
20000623ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
STRANGE ELECTRONIC WHIRRING SOUND WHEN STARTING VEHICLE ON 6/7. SIDE VIEW MIRRORS SUDDENLY MOVED AND THEN CLOSED HALFWAY. NO RESPONSE FROM INTERIOR CONSOLE CONTROL. STEERING WHEEL ALSO BEGAN TO MOVE UP AND DOWN ON ITS OWN. REAR BRAKES CONTINUED TO SQUEAK AND GRAB. WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY LAST NOVEMBER.
20000623STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
STRANGE ELECTRONIC WHIRRING SOUND WHEN STARTING VEHICLE ON 6/7. SIDE VIEW MIRRORS SUDDENLY MOVED AND THEN CLOSED HALFWAY. NO RESPONSE FROM INTERIOR CONSOLE CONTROL. STEERING WHEEL ALSO BEGAN TO MOVE UP AND DOWN ON ITS OWN. REAR BRAKES CONTINUED TO SQUEAK AND GRAB. WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY LAST NOVEMBER.
20000623VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
STRANGE ELECTRONIC WHIRRING SOUND WHEN STARTING VEHICLE ON 6/7. SIDE VIEW MIRRORS SUDDENLY MOVED AND THEN CLOSED HALFWAY. NO RESPONSE FROM INTERIOR CONSOLE CONTROL. STEERING WHEEL ALSO BEGAN TO MOVE UP AND DOWN ON ITS OWN. REAR BRAKES CONTINUED TO SQUEAK AND GRAB. WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY LAST NOVEMBER.
20000623ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
STRANGE ELECTRONIC WHIRRING SOUND WHEN STARTING VEHICLE ON 6/7. SIDE VIEW MIRRORS SUDDENLY MOVED AND THEN CLOSED HALFWAY. NO RESPONSE FROM INTERIOR CONSOLE CONTROL. STEERING WHEEL ALSO BEGAN TO MOVE UP AND DOWN ON ITS OWN. REAR BRAKES CONTINUED TO SQUEAK AND GRAB. WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY LAST NOVEMBER.
20000623SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
STRANGE ELECTRONIC WHIRRING SOUND WHEN STARTING VEHICLE ON 6/7. SIDE VIEW MIRRORS SUDDENLY MOVED AND THEN CLOSED HALFWAY. NO RESPONSE FROM INTERIOR CONSOLE CONTROL. STEERING WHEEL ALSO BEGAN TO MOVE UP AND DOWN ON ITS OWN. REAR BRAKES CONTINUED TO SQUEAK AND GRAB. WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY LAST NOVEMBER.
20000523FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
CONTINUING IDLING AND ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. ON JANUARY 21, 2000, ONE MONTH AFTER SECOND REPAIR ATTEMPT, WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE IT SUDDENLY LOST POWER THEN VIOLENTLY JOLTED FORWARD CAUSING TEMPORARY LOSS OF CONTROL. (NOTE: DRIVER'S FOOT DID NOT TOUCH ACCELERATOR). DRIVER THEN NOTICED "ENGINE" CHECK LIGHT SUDDENLY COME ON (SUBSEQUENTLY LEARNED THIS INDICATES A FUEL INJECTION PROBLEM). IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED DEALER BUT PROBLEM PERSISTS. ON APRIL 26, "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT AGAIN CAME ON AND CAR BEGAN TO DRIVE TERRIBLY, E.G., POOR AND INCONSISTENT ACCELERATION. *AK
20000523UNKNOWN OR OTHER
CONTINUING IDLING AND ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. ON JANUARY 21, 2000, ONE MONTH AFTER SECOND REPAIR ATTEMPT, WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE IT SUDDENLY LOST POWER THEN VIOLENTLY JOLTED FORWARD CAUSING TEMPORARY LOSS OF CONTROL. (NOTE: DRIVER'S FOOT DID NOT TOUCH ACCELERATOR). DRIVER THEN NOTICED "ENGINE" CHECK LIGHT SUDDENLY COME ON (SUBSEQUENTLY LEARNED THIS INDICATES A FUEL INJECTION PROBLEM). IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED DEALER BUT PROBLEM PERSISTS. ON APRIL 26, "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT AGAIN CAME ON AND CAR BEGAN TO DRIVE TERRIBLY, E.G., POOR AND INCONSISTENT ACCELERATION. *AK
19990407POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION SLIPS INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING. THIS HAS OCCURRED 5 TIMES IN TWO WEEKS. IT IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER FOR REPAIR OF THIS DEFECT, AGAIN. *AK
Compare 1999MERCEDES-BENZ420 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ 420 have?▼
The 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ 420 has 10 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ 420?▼
The most-complained component for the 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ 420 is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM and UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Is the 1999 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.