Total Complaints
8 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ MERCEDES BENZ · model year
8 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report. 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 1999MERCEDES-BENZMERCEDES BENZ carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 1 fire, 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 1999 MERCEDES BENZ is exterior lighting:headlights with 1 filings, followed by electrical system:ignition:switch (1) and service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 1999 MERCEDES BENZ. 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.
Total Complaints
8 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
FRONT SEAT BELTS IN 1999 CL500 WILL NOT RETRACT. MERCEDES SERVICE DEPARTMENT ADVISED IT WOULD COST OVER $900.00 TO REPLACE AS THEY CAN NOT BE REPAIRED. THIS SEEMS EXCESSTIVE FOR A CAR A LITTLE OVER 4 YEARS OLD AND I BELIEVE REPRESENTS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN CAR OF EVEN AFTER WARRENTY.*AK
Mileage: 40,000
THE TREAD ON THE INSIDE WALL OF BOTH FRONT TIRES TIRE HAS WORN UNEVENLY. *NLM
FAILURE DURING RAIN THE UNAIR-CONDITIONED AIR IS WARMER THAN WINSHIELD PRODUCING EXCESS FOGGING. *AK
NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVERS SIDE DOOR AIR BAG DURING SIDE IMPACT. NLM
SHORTLY AFTER BEING HIT ON THE LEFT FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AT 35 TO 40MPH THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. NO ONE HAS SEEN VEHICLE. *AK
A SENSOR WAS DAMAGED WHEN THE CAR WAS DRIVEN OVER A STICK (1/2 " APPROX IN DIAMETER) . *AK
CAN REMOVE KEY FROM IGNITION WITHOUT SHIFTING VEHICLE INTO PARK. VEHICLE CAN BE STARTED EVEN IF VEHICLE IS IN NEUTRAL. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTOFIED. MERCEDES BENZ E430 1999. *AK
(OWNER SAID MODEL IS CURRENT) THE HEADLIGHTS ON THE MERCEDES ARE VERY PAINFUL TO THE EYE. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW THEY HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR USE. I WOULD APPRECIATE RECEIVING THE SPECS ON THESE HEADLIGHTS. I FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE LEGAL AS THEY ARE BRIGHTER THAN NORMAL HIGH BEAMS ON OTHER CARS. I WOULD APPRECIATE A RESPONSE AND THE REQUESTED INFORMATION. THANK YOU.
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 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ MERCEDES BENZ; 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.