Mercedes Benz / E500 / 2003
2003 Mercedes Benz E500 problems
Owners have filed 143 complaints about the 2003 Mercedes Benz E500 with NHTSA. Service brakes account for 20.3% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of fuel/propulsion system at 18.9%.
Complaints143
Crashes6
Fires0
Injuries8
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Service brakes 20.3% · 29
Fuel/propulsion system 18.9% · 27
Suspension 14.7% · 21
Fuel system, gasoline 9.8% · 14
Power train 7.0% · 10
Service brakes, hydraulic 5.6% · 8
Air bags 4.9% · 7
Unknown or other 3.5% · 5
Severity
Of those complaints, 6 describe a crash and 8 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 3 model years of the Mercedes Benz E500 in this data, 2003 ranks 3rd by complaint volume — 2004 draws the most.
Filing volume has held steady, 7 in the last three years against 8 in the three before.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 90,378 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2003 Mercedes Benz E500. The contact stated that the brake malfunction warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic and a diagnostic test was performed. The failure was located within the brake control unit. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 96,000. The approximate current mileage was 100,000. Service brakes · reported at 96,000 miles
As I were driving on a side road, suddenly a warning red light came on the dash flashing the brake sign. Soon after a message started to flash warning me to turn off vehicle. As I were proceeding to pull to a safe place, I pressed on the brake and found to my surprise that I had pressed on a soft pedal. Lucky I had kept my kool, and managed to pull over on a side street and brought the car to a stop. Service brakes · reported at 106,191 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Mercedes Benz E500. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the sbc warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the brake hydraulic module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. Service brakes · reported at 80,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…