Total Complaints
9 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ MERCEDES BENZ · model year
9 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998MERCEDES-BENZMERCEDES BENZ carries 9 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 1998 MERCEDES BENZ is engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline with 1 filings, followed by fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump (1) and service brakes, hydraulic:power assist (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 2 investigation files overlapping the 1998 MERCEDES BENZ. 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
9 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:HYDRAULIC | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 |
| VISIBILITY | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | 1 |
CATALYTIC CONVERTER SYSTEM FAILED. *YC
BLOWER MOTOR FAILED. NLM
STEERING WHEEL FAILURE. *YC
BRAKE BOOSTER MODULE FAILED.
SUSPENSION SYSTEM PULLS TO THE LEFT CONTINUALLY WHEN STEERING WHEEL IS STRAIGHT, UNABLE TO CORRECT AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS.
WATER LEAKING THROUGH LEFT REAR DOOR WINDOW SEAL.
BRAKE ASSIST RELEASE SWITCH FAILED.
ENGINE EXPERIENCED LOSS OF POWER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, REPLACED FUEL PUMP MODULE AND ENGINE CONTROL MODULE HOWEVER CONTINUED ENGINE POWER LOSS.
ENGINE EXPERIENCED LOSS OF POWER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, REPLACED FUEL PUMP MODULE AND ENGINE CONTROL MODULE HOWEVER CONTINUED ENGINE POWER LOSS.
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.