MERCEDES-BENZ E550 · model year

2009 MERCEDES-BENZ E550

4 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2009MERCEDES-BENZE550 carries 4 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, 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 2009 E550 is vehicle speed control with 1 filings, followed by wheels (1) and fuel system, gasoline (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 2009 E550. 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.

4
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
WHEELS1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1

Recent Complaints

20200710UNKNOWN OR OTHER

JOYSTICK AND CENTER CONSULT IS ALWAYS EXTREMELY HOT

20140105FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

PLEASE REFERENCE NHTSA ACTION# PE12001. AFTER FILLING THE CAR WITH GASOLINE, THERE IS A VERY STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE. THE SMELL OF GASOLINE GOES AWAY AFTER USING ABOUT A 1/4 OF THE TANK. I AM AWARE THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD ISSUE WITH E CLASS (W211) VEHICLES AND MERCEDES BENZ HAS BEEN DENYING ANY RESPONSIBILITY. I HAVE NOT TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER YET AND WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ALLOW THE NHTSA TO INSPECT MY VEHICLE. *TR

Mileage: 41,000

20120307WHEELS

I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 40 MILES PER HOUR ON A MAJOR STREET AND WENT OVER A SMALL POTHOLE. THIS RESULTED IN MAJOR FRACTURES ON BOTH OF THE PASSENGER'S SIDE WHEELS. ALL THE EQUIPMENT ON THIS CAR IS ORIGINAL FROM MERCEDES BENZ. THIS IS THE FIRST INCIDENT IN LATE 2010. RECENTLY, I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 35 TO 40 MILES PER HOUR AND WENT OVER A SMALL POTHOLE ON THE STREET THAT IS ABOUT 6 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND LESS THAN 2 INCHES IN DEPTH, AND RESULTED IN ANOTHER WHEEL FAILURE. I UNDERSTAND THAT POTHOLE DAMAGE IS A NORMAL PART OF WEAR AND TEAR. BUT THIS IS A MAJOR STREET THAT HAS TRAFFIC COUNT OF 75,000+ CAR PER DAY. IF MY CAR IS THIS EASILY DAMAGED IN A PERIOD OF 1 YEAR, I CAN'T EVEN IMAGING HOW MANY CARS WOULD GET DAMAGED ON THIS STRETCH OF ROAD. THEREFORE, I BELIEVE WHEEL FAILURES SUCH AS THIS AT RELATIVELY AVERAGE SPEED AND SMALL POTHOLES, CAN'T JUST BE A RESULT OF NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. I BELIEVE THIS IS EITHER DEFECTIVE DESIGN OR POOR PRODUCT QUALITY CONTROL. IF MY WHEELS GET DAMAGED AT T

Mileage: 20,000

20100219CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OF MERCEDES BENZ E 350 4 MATIC 2009 MODEL BARELY 3 MONTHS OLD-JUMPED THE CURB WHILE PARKING AND HIT THE WALL 4 FT OVER THE CURB CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE MEDICAL OFFICE WALL AND THE RIGHT FRONT END OF THE CAR. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT. REPORTED TO ALLSTATE CLAIMS, CAR REPAIRED AND INSPECTED BY BENZ DEALER. BOTH THE MB DEALER AND MB HEADQUARTER LETTER STATED THE CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE. ACCORDING TO MERCEDES BENZ THE CAR CHECKED OUT FINE. THEY SENT ME A LETTER STATING THAT AS WELL. *TR

Mileage: 2,500

Compare 2009MERCEDES-BENZE550 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ E550 have?
The 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ E550 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ E550?
The most-complained component for the 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ E550 is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include WHEELS and FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE.
Is the 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ E550 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.