MERCEDES-BENZ E · model year

2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E

5 NHTSA complaints. 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 2005MERCEDES-BENZE carries 5 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.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2005 E is fuel system, gasoline with 3 filings, followed by air bags (1) and service brakes (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 2005 E. 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.

5
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

5 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
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE3
AIR BAGS1
SERVICE BRAKES1

Recent Complaints

20140323FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

FILLED FUEL TANK , CAME HOME ,PARKED IN GARAGE AND NOTICED A STRONG FUEL SMELL. FUEL WAS LEAKING ON FLOOR AND I HAVE TO LEAVE IT OUTSIDE NOW. *TR

Mileage: 55,000

20140309FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

I RECENTLY BOUGHT A USED 2005 MERCEDES E320 WITH 126.3K MILES. AT TIME OF TRANSACTION, CAR HAD HALF A TANK OF FUEL ONLY. COUPLE DAYS LATER, WHEN I WENT TO REFUEL, I FILLED UP TANK ALL THE WAY TO TOP, I DROVE HOME AND AS SOON AS I EXITED CAR, I COULD SMELL A VERY STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE INSIDE CAR AND INSIDE LEFT REAR WHEEL WELL. I INSPECTED THE CAR AND AFTER LIFTING REAR SEAT CUSHION, I OPENED THE COVERS TO GAS TANK TO FIND THERE WAS A FUEL LEAK AT THE FUEL SENDING UNIT, DRIVER'S SIDE, ABOUT 1-2 OUNCES OF FUEL. TODAY I PURCHASED AN UPDATED NEW FUEL SENDING UNIT FROM MB DEALER AND WILL NEED TO GET IT INSTALLED. WHEN TANK IS THREE QUARTER FULL OR LESS, YOU DON'T SMELL THE ODOR AND NO SIGN OF LEAK IS PRESENT. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG MERCEDES E-CLASS. I'VE LEARNED THIS THRU MY MOST RECENT ONLINE SEARCH. I'M SO DISAPPOINTED IN MERCEDES BENZ FOR THIS POOR MANUFACTURING. *TR

Mileage: 126,449

20140202FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

AFTER FILLING UP THE FUEL TANK WITH GASOLINE, I SMELL AN ODOR OF GAS UNTIL THE TANK IS DOWN TO ABOUT 3/4 FULL. *TR

Mileage: 33,130

20130728SERVICE BRAKES

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE SBS SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH LOSS OF MOST BRAKING ABILITY. I MANAGED TO STOP THE CAR, TURN AROUND AND RETURN ABOUT 8 MILES TO MY HOME IN "LIMP HOME" MODE. THERE WAS NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. I THEN CALL THE MB DEALERSHIP WHICH SENT A TRUCK TO PICK UP THE CAR. THE SBS HYDRAULIC UNIT HAD FAILED AND WAS REPLACED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY AT NO COST. WHILE I AM NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE COST (NONE), THE FAILURE COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT WITH THE LOSS OF BRAKE ABILITY. I TAKE ROAD TRIPS TO THE COLORADO MOUNTAINS AND IF THIS HAD HAPPENED THERE, I COULD HAVE SUFFERED A FATAL INJURY. THIS SYSTEM IS DEFECTIVELY ENGINEERED AND SHOULD BE REPLACED ON ALL MERCEDES CARS SO EQUIPPED. *TR

Mileage: 80,150

20130114AIR BAGS

SRS SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. *TR

Mileage: 64,000

Compare 2005MERCEDES-BENZE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E have?
The 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E?
The most-complained component for the 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS and SERVICE BRAKES.
Is the 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E 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 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 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E; 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.