Total Complaints
168 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ E500 · model year
168 NHTSA complaints, 4 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2005MERCEDES-BENZE500 carries 168 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 4 crashes, 0 fires, 4 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 2005 E500 is fuel/propulsion system with 55 filings, followed by service brakes (34) and fuel system, gasoline (20). 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 2005 E500. 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
168 filings
Crashes Reported
4 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 55 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 34 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 20 |
| SUSPENSION | 9 |
| ENGINE | 8 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 |
| AIR BAGS | 5 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 4 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 4 |
| POWER TRAIN | 4 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN | 1 |
This is not about an accident. It's about the vehicle's condition. Precisely, about the brake service warning. Red warning with beeping on dashboard saying I need to bring it to workshop for service. My wife was driving this car when she felt something was wrong with the car and she brought it to her trustful mechanic for check up right away sameday That mechanic gave up to look any further suggesting a visit to MB dealer.
Car smells like gas. Constantly a couple machanic. Did some repairs. But thereâs a small leak as well from a smoke test. Gas leaks in more than one area. Oil leaks everywhere. Evap leak didnât pass smog. Then went to a smog station and repair. Check engine light back on again. I saw Mercedes had an extended warranty to avoid recalling several safety complaints. I got the car from a guy who never looked into recalls or extended warranty for these complaints. Please help me to get refunded what I payed so far with repairs on gas leaks. Also to repair the whole gas system. It is dangerously ongoing. I never got notified by Mercedes nor did the previous owner.
Car smells like gas. Constantly a couple machanic. Did some repairs. But thereâs a small leak as well from a smoke test. Gas leaks in more than one area. Oil leaks everywhere. Evap leak didnât pass smog. Then went to a smog station and repair. Check engine light back on again. I saw Mercedes had an extended warranty to avoid recalling several safety complaints. I got the car from a guy who never looked into recalls or extended warranty for these complaints. Please help me to get refunded what I payed so far with repairs on gas leaks. Also to repair the whole gas system. It is dangerously ongoing. I never got notified by Mercedes nor did the previous owner.
2005 e500 mercedes benz,after full tank of gas I filled. I noticed very strong gas inside my car and outside. It can catch on fired. cause cancer and lung issues.
2005 e500 mercedes benz,after full tank of gas I filled. I noticed very strong gas inside my car and outside. It can catch on fired. cause cancer and lung issues.
2005 e500 mercedes benz,after full tank of gas I filled. I noticed very strong gas inside my car and outside. It can catch on fired. cause cancer and lung issues.
The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E500. The contact stated that fuel was leaking from the fuel tank. There was an abnormal odor of fuel inside the vehicle. The contact refueled the vehicle and there was an abnormal odor of fuel outside of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who stated there was no warranty coverage. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
Mileage: 40,000
Per incident was back glass detached from window and broke all over the road and on the back of my car while driving. 2: Sbcc pump goes in and out admittedly and type of a no brake issue at all hard as a rock will not move car only has 180,000 miles on it and itâs been doing that since 140,000 miles Which did cause me to get in a minor accident on the right side of the car the passenger side where now Iâve had to replace a fender and still have problems because of it
Mileage: 180,000
Had a minor accident no airbags deployed sitting in car I donât know a month later something around that sitting in car key not in the ignition sitting in the driver seat when all of a sudden a big bang happened and blue out both side airbag by the sunroof sunroof. Was very loud and knocked my head sideways. Nothing had touch the car car hadnât been hit car was sitting in the driveway with no ignition running no key in the ignition.
Several times if the vehicle is not driven in a day or two the battery would be dead.I had to replace the battery twice in 2 years. I now receive a message (check battery) every time I start the vehicle. I bought a battery charger that I keep with me all the time. Once a month I put the vehicle on a battery charger, and if Iâm not going to use it for a week or more,I put it on a trickle charger. I own 2 other vehicle and none of them need this type of treatment.
Several times if the vehicle is not driven in a day or two the battery would be dead.I had to replace the battery twice in 2 years. I now receive a message (check battery) every time I start the vehicle. I bought a battery charger that I keep with me all the time. Once a month I put the vehicle on a battery charger, and if Iâm not going to use it for a week or more,I put it on a trickle charger. I own 2 other vehicle and none of them need this type of treatment.
I was traveling at about 60mph and started to slow to turn off the highway. Suddenly a red brake warning light came on and it took tremendous pressure to slow the car down and I overshot the turn. Then the car had no power. I was 36 miles from my home. I limped at 5-20 mph to a friends house and had the car towed to my home. There was absolutely no warning of any kind of brake problem. The car was driving just fine before this happened. I believe it could have been a much worse situation had I been in any kind of traffic.
Mileage: 156,000
I was traveling at about 60mph and started to slow to turn off the highway. Suddenly a red brake warning light came on and it took tremendous pressure to slow the car down and I overshot the turn. Then the car had no power. I was 36 miles from my home. I limped at 5-20 mph to a friends house and had the car towed to my home. There was absolutely no warning of any kind of brake problem. The car was driving just fine before this happened. I believe it could have been a much worse situation had I been in any kind of traffic.
Mileage: 156,000
I was traveling at about 60mph and started to slow to turn off the highway. Suddenly a red brake warning light came on and it took tremendous pressure to slow the car down and I overshot the turn. Then the car had no power. I was 36 miles from my home. I limped at 5-20 mph to a friends house and had the car towed to my home. There was absolutely no warning of any kind of brake problem. The car was driving just fine before this happened. I believe it could have been a much worse situation had I been in any kind of traffic.
Mileage: 156,000
I was sold this car and because I did not know what the red "STOP CAR TOO LOW WARNING" meant when I was driving it home, I was not only scammed by the used car dealership with no recourse, but I also was tricked into driving this car while it was not supposed to be driven for safety, per the manual of the vehicle. I will include a picture of the safety message from the manual where it states, "HIGH PRIORITY MESSAGES APPEAR IN THE MULTIFUNCTION DISPLAY IN RED COLOR". and the STOP CAR TOO LOW message states very specific safety instructions that a reasonable person could not know. I am filing this recall complaint because how the system operates. I was sold this car while the struts were faulty and had already developed a leak and because the car was currently running the AIR COMPRESSOR was able to keep up with the leak during the test drive because a slow leak will only go back down after an extended time period which I believe the dealer knew because he asked me how much I was trying t
The 2005 E500 W211 gas tank cracks leaking fuel sending unit and fuel pump. The odor of gas permeates the cabin, recall campaign number 2008-020001, and itâs extension information of 15 years dated Jan. 2015 signed by Ralph S. Fisher GM customer assistance center. The dealer in Hawaiâi refuse to honor the recall warranty. Itâs traveling a bomb.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E500. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL FUEL ODOR DETECTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO EURO AUTO CENTER (5180 VENICE BLVD LOS ANGELES, CA 90019, (323) 938-9888) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR SEATS WERE SOAKED IN FUEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50,000. ## VIN PASSED ## MERCEDES-BENZ E500 2005 ##
Mileage: 50,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E500. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL FUEL ODOR DETECTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO EURO AUTO CENTER (5180 VENICE BLVD LOS ANGELES, CA 90019, (323) 938-9888) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR SEATS WERE SOAKED IN FUEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50,000. ## VIN PASSED ## MERCEDES-BENZ E500 2005 ##
Mileage: 50,000
I HAVE REPLACED THE SUSPENSION BEFORE AND NOW THE SUSPENSION LIGHT COMES BACK ON. THE CAR IS DOWN LOWER THAN NORMAL. THIS IS ALL THE TIME.
Mileage: 169,000
EMISSION SYSTEM HAS MULTIPLE ISSUES OVER TIME THAT CAUSE CHECK ENGINE LIGJT TO ENGAGE. PROBLEM S RANGE FROM, GAS CAP TO FUEL TANK PARTS TO VALVES TO CARBON CANISTER ISSUES. ALL ISSUES OCCUR WHEN VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AND IN MOTION. NO IMPACT.
Mileage: 800,000
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.