Total Complaints
7 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS · model year
7 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1999MERCEDES-BENZC-CLASS carries 7 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1999 C-CLASS is electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery with 3 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components (1) and engine and engine cooling (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 15 investigation files overlapping the 1999 C-CLASS. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
7 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY | 3 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 |
SPRING PERCH (MOUNT) FOR THE FRONT SPRING ON DRIVER'S SIDE FAILED DUE TO CORROSION CAUSING SPRING TO BE EJECTED UNDER THE CAR AND FENDER TO DROP ONTO TIRE. CORROSION IS UNDETECTABLE BY NORMAL INSPECTION BECAUSE MANUFACTURER USES A HEAVY, RUBBERIZED COATING ON UNDERBODY PARTS. CAR WAS TRAVELING AT LOW SPEED SO DAMAGE WAS MINIMAL. AT HIGHER SPEEDS, CONSEQUENCES COULD BE SEVERE. INVESTIGATION REVEALS THAT THIS IS BECOMING A FAIRLY COMMON OCCURRENCE ON MERCEDES BENZ W202 AND W210 CHASSIS. FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED, BUT IS BELIEVED TO REQUIRE REMOVAL OF REMNANTS OF THE OLD PERCH, GRINDING OF THE FRAME TO REMOVE CORROSION, AND WELDING A NEW PERCH ONTO THE FRAME. THE SPINDLE ASSEMBLY AND CONTROL ARMS WILL HAVE TO BE DISASSEMBLED TO ACCOMPLISH THIS AND THEN REASSEMBLED AND THE SUSPENSION REALIGNED. *TR
Mileage: 159,400
MERC. BENZ 1999 C230 COMPRESSOR, THE CAR ROLLED OVER THREE TIMES BUT NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. *NM
Mileage: 52,000
I OWN A 1999 MERCEDES C43, I LIKE MANY OTHERS HAVE A HIGH FAILURE RATE OF THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSORS ON OUR VEHICLES. THIS PART WHEN FAULTY WILL NOT ALLOW THE CAR TO START WHEN THE CAR IS WARM. WHEN THE CAR SITS FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME TO "COOL DOWN" THE CAR WILL START. I WAS AT THE DEALER TODAY, AND THEY ARE AWARE THIS IS A HIGH FAILURE ITEM ON THIS MODEL. AS WELL AS THE CLK430, AND S430. BUT NO RECALLS HAVE BEEN ISSUED. THERE ISN'T ANY SIGN THAT THIS PART IS FAILING, ON SOME INSTANCES THE CAR JUST STALLS WHILE DRIVING. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS. I AM NOW AWAITING THE PART TO COME IN, AND WILL HAVE IT REPLACED ON THURSDAY THE 27TH. *JB
Mileage: 123,000
MFR# 2001120004 & NHTSA# 01 V 366 000/BATTERY: CONSUMER STATES DEALER (PARK PLACE MOTORS;HOUSTON,TX; PHONE# 713/986-6400) NOT HONORING RECALL, NO PARTS AVAILABLE. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*JB
THE CONSUMER RECIEVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE RECALL NUMBER IS #2001120004. NLM
THE CONSUMER TOOK HIS VEHICLE IN FOR A RECALL# 20012004 FOR HIS BATTERY. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO BROWN MERCEDES BENZ ROUTE 250 EAST PANTOPS CHARLOTTESVILLE VIRGINIA (804 817 3380). MR JACKSON EXPERIENCE PROBLEM WITH HIS VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. NLM
HAD THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE WHEN BRAKES FAILED TO FUNCTION WHILE ON AN INCLINE. HAD LITTLE BRAKING POWER ON STRAIGHT AWAY. MANUFACTURER KNOWS OF BRAKE PROBLEM. THE DEALER/MECHANIC ARE AWARE OF PROBLEM, BUT NOTHING WAS BEING DONE. *AK
Data vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.