Total Complaints
8 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS · model year
8 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2002MERCEDES-BENZE CLASS carries 8 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 2002 E CLASS is electrical system: instrument cluster/panel with 2 filings, followed by visibility:power window devices and controls (1) and wheels:rim (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 2002 E CLASS. 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.
Total Complaints
8 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL | 2 |
| VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | 1 |
| WHEELS:RIM | 1 |
| CHILD SEAT | 1 |
| VISIBILITY | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
I REITERATE ....THIS VEHICLE IS A DEATH TRAP! MERCEDES BENZ INSTALLED POWER SEAT CONTROLLERS IN THIS CAR THAT FAIL VERY FREQUENTLY. THIS DESIGN FLAW CAUSES THE UNIT TO RUN POWER SEAT COMPONENTS CONSTANTLY EVEN WHEN THE CAR IS PARKED, KEY REMOVED AND THE CAR IS LOCKED. WITHIN 2-11 HOURS, THE ACTIVITY OF THIS FAULT SEAT CONTROLLER UNIT DRAINS THE CAR BATTERY! WHEN YOU TRY TO JUMP START THE CAR AS PER MERCEDES BENZ OWNERS MANUAL INSTRUCTIONS, THE PROCESS CAUSES THE REAR LEFT SAM (SIGNAL ACQUISITION AND ACTUATOR MODULE DRIVER SIDE) TO LOSE PARTIAL OR FULL MEMORY. THIS AFFECTS A WHOLE HOST OF SYSTEMS INCLUDING FUEL DELIVERY, TAIL & HEAD LIGHTS. ITEMS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO OPERATING A VEHICLE ON THE PUBLIC ROADS SAFELY! THE OTHER DAY, APRIL 25TH, 2014, THE FUEL DELIVERY ON MY 2002 MB C32 AMG FAILED SUDDENLY WHILE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY! THE LOSS OF POWER WAS SO SUDDEN THAT I HAD TO SWERVE OFF THE ROAD AND ONTO THE SHOULDER; HITTING MY HEAD ON THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW IN THE PROCESS! HAV
Mileage: 102,000
THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTING IS DIMMING TO THE POINT YOU HAVE TO SQUINT TO SEE THE INFORMATION. THIS REQUIRES FOCUSING ON THE DISPLAY FOR LONGER THAN A SAFE AMOUNT OF TIME ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING. *TR
FRONT STRUTS FAILED, AIR SUSPENSION (AIR LEAK) AND WHEELS COLLAPSED UP INTO WHEEL WELLS. THE FRONT WHEELS COULD NOT BE TURNED AT ALL; IF TURNED THE TIRES WOULD HAVE RUBBED ON THE WHEEL WELLS RESULTING IN SUDDEN DEFLATION. THIS COLLAPSE OCCURED AFTER THE CAR WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE FOLLOWING 140 MILES OF INTERSTATE DRIVING. I BELIEVE THE LEAK OCCURED WHILE I WAS DRIVING AS THE COMPUTER INDICATED MY MPG HAD DROPPED 2 MPG COMPARED TO EARLIER IN THE DAY. THERE WERE NO REPLACEMENT PARTS AVAILABLE IN THE U.S. (SENT FROM GERMANY), INDICATING EITHER THESE NEVER FAIL AND THEREFORE SPARES NOT NEEDED OR FREQUENT FAILURES RESULTED IN LACK OF REPLACEMENT PARTS. THE REALLY SCARY PART IS THE THOUGHT OF BEING UNABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.
Mileage: 53,000
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTING FADED TO POINT OF BARELY BEING ABLE TO SEE PIXELS IN DISPLAY.NO TEMPERATURE READING-NO CLOCK READING AND SPEEDOMETER IS BARELY READABLE.MANUFACTURER ACKNOWLEDGED FAULT ON OTHER MERCEDES MODELS BUT NOT THE E-CLASS.DON'T DRIVE CAR MUCH AT NIGHT BECAUSE OF BARELY READABLE DISPLAY. *CN
FAULTY COVER ON ILLUMINATED VANITY MIRROR: 1. THE DESIGN OF THE COVER FOR THE ILLUMINATED VANITY MIRROR ON THE MERCEDES BENZ 2002 E320 IS FAULTY LEADING TO THE COVER BREAKING OFF EASILY DURING NORMAL USE. THE DANGER CREATED BY THE BREAKING OFF OF THE COVER IS THAT WHEN THE SUN VISOR IS PULLED DOWN TO PROTECT AGAINST SUN GLARE, THE EXPOSED MIRROR CREATES A DANGEROUS DISTRACTION TO THE DRIVER. AFTER CONDUCTING LIMITED RESEARCH ON THE SUBJECT, IT APPEARS THAT THIS PROBLEM WITH THE ILLUMINATED VANITY MIRROR COVER BREAKING OFF IS WIDESPREAD AND AFFECTS ALL AUTOMOBILES THAT UTILIZE THIS SUN VISOR WITH THE ILLUMINATED VANITY MIRROR AND COVER DESIGN. MERCEDES BENZ HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL ON THIS FAULTY PRODUCT AND REPLACEMENT OF THE BROKEN COVERS IS LEFT TO THE AUTOMOBILE OWNERS AND THEIR COST. *TR
Mileage: 50,023
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE CHILD WAS OBSERVED UNLATCHING THE LEVER AND LOOSENING THE ENTIRE HARNESS. THE SYSTEM USED TO SECURE THE SEAT WAS A LAP BELT COMBINATION FOR A FORWARD FACING CHILD SEAT. THE CONTACT ALERTED THE MANUFACTURER, BUT NO RESOLUTION WAS PROVIDED. MAKE: BRITAX, MODEL: MARATHON, MODEL#E9L0627, DOM: 05/12/05, *AK UPDATED 10/18/2006 - THE CONSUMER'S 21 MONTH OLD CHILD PULLED BACK ON THE STRAP WHICH CAUSED THE HARNESS RELEASE LEVER TO BE DEPRESSED. THE CHILD'S WEIGHT AGAINST THE HARNESS RELEASED THE HARNESS. *NM
Mileage: 35,000
1. HIT POTHOLE ON SIDE OF ROAD WHILE TRAVELING APPROX 10 MPH. 2. FLAT TIRE 3. REPLACE TIRE. THIS IS THE FOURTH INCIDENT IN 5 YEARS. TWO DIFFERENT TIRE MANUFACTURES INVOLVED. FAILURE IS ALWAYS SIDEWALL INTEGRITY. FAILURE IS DUE TO LOW PROFILE (235/45Z17) TIRES SUPPLIED WITH CAR. NO OTHER WHEEL/TIRE COMBINATION AVAILABLE DUE TO LARGE BRAKES. *NM
Mileage: 10,000
RIGHT REAR WINDOW MOTOR REPLACED. WINDOW HAD BEEN LOWERED AND RAISED APPROX. FOUR TIMES SINCE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW IN 2002. *JB
Mileage: 39,410
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.