Mercedes-benz E320 1996

No recalls could be found for this vehicle. To ensure accuracy and for your safety, do a free VIN recall check here or here [USA] - UK - Canada.

Bulletins are notices put out by manufacturers in conjunction with the NHTSA to notify the public of manufacturing issues or changes.

• Front suspension coil spring ejection investigation as of 20070419

  Odi has focused this investigation on assessing the risks posed by a separated spring as (1) a road hazard and (2) the potential for vehicle control to be compromised after the front coil spring has been ejected from its intended position in the vehicle.Both risks are associated with corrosion, flexing, and fracture of the upper front suspension mounting bracket.Time-in-service failure rates are notably higher in salt belt states since corrosion is a primary contributor to the failure mode.Since a number of incidents have occurred while the vehicle was being operated, odi is skeptical that owners can always detect the subtle side to side difference in ride height and/or inspect or notice that the upper suspension bracket has been compromised by corrosion.(1) road hazard - although the (approx. 7 lb.) front suspension spring that may be ejected at highway speeds could pose a serious road hazard to pedestrians and other vehicles, the occurrence rate has been low (.03% based on 51 reported incidents occurring and an initial population of 172,781 vehicles after 9 - 12 years of use / exposure) and there are no known injuries, fatalities, or property damage reports due to an ejected spring.Also, many of the 51 incidents occurred at low speed or while the vehicle was stopped or parked.(2) vehicle control - vehicle handling and control could be affected by the fracture of the upper suspension mount and/or the associated spring ejection.Odi first identified its concern about corrosion in the upper suspension bracket of subject vehicles in 2002, at which time mercedes provided a video that showed that a vehicle could be steered, stopped, and controlled through various maneuvers at high speeds with a front coil spring completely missing from the vehicle. During pe07-021, in addition to reviewing the 2002 video-tape, odi engineers drove an exemplar vehicle with the spring removed and simulated various combinations of steering angles to assess whether there were any possible conditions / displacements in which the separated spring might interfere with the wheels. In a vehicle with the front spring removed, the top of the wheel can lightly contact the bottom area of the wheel fender during high angle turns typically associated with slower speed maneuvers such as city driving. The light tire contact generated an obvious "grinding" noise and would likely abrade or bend the edge of the fender with continued use.However, the extent of the interference was not sufficient to affect vehicle steering and does not occur at smaller turning angles associated with highway driving.Odi has not identified a safety related defect trend at this time.Further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that a safety related defect does not exist.The agency reserves the right to take further action if future circumstances warrant.
  

  Show Content

Common OBD Error codes specific to this vehicle.

• P2269 [1] Water in Fuel Condition
• U1454 [1] U1454

Tl* the contact owned a 1996 mercedes benz e320. While driving 65 mph, the air bags failed to deploy after the contact's vehicle crashed into another vehicle. The driver sustained knee, back, neck, and chest injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 131,000.

When you replace the battery on these vehicles the safety restraint system malfunctions rendering the safety equipment useless ie. Air bags the automobile should have a recall whereby mercedes fixes the defective system. *tr

After filling up on gas just two days ago, there was a very peculiar smell. It smelled of gas fumes. Just today, i noticed that my gas gauge was going down quite fast and it wasn't until just now that my gas tank is leaking.

My vehicle was parked in front of store allowing a 93 year old lady to go shopping,as i was parked there i was sideswiped, i immediately took it to the auto shop to have it repaired, after doing this i discovered that the key can't start the car because the ignition is jammed or key will not turn, so the car won't start. I called a locksmith and discovered that the ignition is defected. *tr

Spring perch snapped and spring shot out on front passenger side while wife and children were in the car. Thank god they were less the 200 feet from the house and only traveling about 5 mph. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercedes benz e320. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the starter would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed back to the mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the wiring harness had began to dry rot and was to deteriorating. The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileage was 48,000. ..Updated 07-01-13 *bf

Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercedes-benz e 320. The contact stated that fuel was leaking from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The technician stated that the sending unit was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 102,000.

This vehicle (1996 mercedes e320) has had a history of electrical problems over the past several years. Many repairs have been made to the vehicle electrical systems at great expense! This time the vehicle would not start and i was investigating the cause myself. Troubleshooting revealed a defective wiring harness assembly from the electrical system connection in the left front of the engine compartment to the park/neutral safety switch on the transmission and to the starter. This harness also includes connections to the starter and sensors on the transmission. All wires in the entire harness have crumbled insulation and have shorted together. This caused shorting and burning of the wires and damage to other system components. I have been a mechanic for 15+ years and it is obvious that the harness assemblies on this vehicle are of poor quality and subject to failure. The insulation on all wires is inferior and will fail and crack over short periods of time. Further investigation of the other harnesses on the vehicle has revealed the same problems. This could have caused a major fire and personal injury. Luckily the damage was small and contained to this one harness, however all harness on the vehicle must be replaced. *tr

I was driving down a back road in my 1996 mercedes e320 when i heard a bang and the passenger front side dropped. The front coil spring had popped out. If i had been going any faster i would have lost control of the car. I have heard that the front coil spring mounts in this model corrode due to improper undercoating. *tr

Engine and engine cooling:engine the drive belt pulley on the engine is develop fatigue cracks in the metal and break. The drive pulley breaks, the car would not have engine cooling, battery charging, and/or power steering. Consequence: loss of these systems can cause the car to over heat, lose power from the battery, and loss of control of the car increasing the potential for a vehicle accident i took it to the dealership, and they said that there is no recall on the car and they can not help me so nothing was done to correct the failure. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1996 mercedes e 320. The contact was driving approximately 10 mph, black smoke circulated throughout the air vents inside the vehicle. The contact shifted the gear into park and exited the vehicle. Immediately, the vehicle engulfed into flames and was completely destroyed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The manufacturer was notified and sent an investigator to inspect the vehicle. The investigator stated "there was no product defect regarding the fire". The contact requested the incident report of the investigation and the manufacturer had not provided the information at the time of the complaint. The contact stated the cause of failure was electrical; and life threatening. The failure mileage was 95,000.

Front spring perches must have been rusted at the welding seam. When i was driving at 35 mph i heard a big snap and the front of the car hit the ground at which point i lost steering control. The front perches must have dislodged and almost caused accident while i was driving. This is a vital part of the suspension/steering system and should be recalled. The dealership would not help out replacing this part. This is clearly a manufacturing issue and should be recalled. Luckily i was driving on a local road, or it could have caused an accident or death, at which point they would have had a lawsuit on their hands. I also had 2 additional passengers at the time of the occurrence. This event could have been prevented by a recall as i've also heard the same issues from other owners. The car is a mercedes benz 1996 e320 with 134,000 miles on it. *tr

Up until about 6 months ago, the only problems to my vehicle had been due to routine maintenance. About that time, my 1996 mercedes benz e320 began running rough. I took my vehicle to a reputable (mercedes benz only) shop who replaced 2 coils. Although the vehicle ran good for a few days, it soon began running rough. A follow up visit led c & g mercedes, in houston, texas, to find that the problem was related to it's wiring harness, that resulted from a common problem to this and other models, due to premature corrosion of the insulation of the wires. From what i understand this can cause the problems i have described and can results in fires too. I also understand that this occurs in 1990 -1996 models. The correction is a $1,000.00 replacement part. *tr

Mercedes have a front suspension problem. Consumer states that the front driver side dropped and wants to know why there is not a recall for this. *nj the technicians found the problem to be the perch, which had to do with the front suspension letting go, which caused the frame to drop. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 1996 mercedes benz e320. The vehicle was at the dealer to have the bumper repainted due to a crash. The dealer noticed rust on the trunk of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 111,896 and current mileage was 116,772. Updated 07/29/08 *bf the consumer stated there was rust on the vehicle in 3 placed. Updated 07/29/08

The wiring on the car is disintegrating harness wires every wire was a great car wiring causing various problems cost more to fix then its worth help me! *tr

My car seem not to be starting all the time when i turn the ignition key on. Mercedes service informed me that the wire harness needs to be replace and there are bare wire exposed and this could be causing the problem. The informed me that the material was made with biodegradable material and that's why this is occurred. I informed the dealer that this is a safety hazard and should be fixed by mercedes as a campaign rather than charge the owner 1,500 dollars to fix. The dealer said to not touch the wire harness and eventually the car will stop running. This is totally unacceptable for a 50k plus car and not to have the manufacturer to stand behind their poor design. I am reporting this before i have a failure which could cause an accident due to engine failure and brake failure due to lack of power. *tr

I recently heard a loud pop from the front of my car while traveling at highway speed. I stopped to inspect the noise and found that the car was slightly leaning to the right. Not seeing anything on the roadside, i drove it home slowly to inspect further. Information i read online informed me of a design flaw involving the failure of spot welds that attach the front, top coil spring perch to the chassis. Upon deeper inspection i found my r side spring perch welds were 80% failed and the force of the coil spring had bent the spring perch up 45 deg. From normal. Evidently the noise i heard were the welds breaking! The coil spring was bulging outward, about to pop out. Thankfully, the spot welds did not fully let go on this curvy road. If they had fully failed at highway speeds the car most certainly would have lost control and death could have been the result. I called the dealership and they offered to weld a new spring perch in for $440. The l side had already been corrected by a previous owner. I have photos and the failed part in my possession. I was totally unaware of this problem when i bought the car. I had it inspected but the defect was missed. At a minimum, owners of this make, year and model should be contacted and warned of this problem. The manufacturer should recall and repair at no charge. *tr

When i found out that my dear wife was dying from advanced kidney failure, i went out and bought a beautiful 1996 e 320 (from its original owner). However, when he decided to advertise the car, he carefully pressure-washed the engine compartment, etc., so it would look its best. After which, he could not get the engine to fire again, so he had it towed to the local dealer, who charged him almost $800 to "dry off the spark plug wires, & replace the spark plug boots"!!! (nothing was mentioned about "cracked wiring, etc.) i took possession of the car right after this fiasco, and never gave it a second thought until the car began to sputter and die, right in the midst of traffic, etc.! On at least 3 other occasions, the car has simply shut off, just like turning the ignition off! The orig. Owner says it has never done this for him! So i stumbled onto the huge list of consumer complaints on the deteriorating wiring harness issues, which have not been recalled by mb. I have always held mb in highest regards, but for them to know about this, yet not fix it, is unforgivable! My wife's aid must use this car to drive her to her routine doctor appointments, and i can only say that they'd better not get hurt in this vehicle because it stalls out with them! They will have a lawsuit on their hands for sure! I only expect that such blatant faulty wiring problems should be fixed...No questions asked! I believe any american manufacturer would do so, and i expect mb to be held accountable to fix this horrific well-documented problem! Please use whatever power you can muster, to help convince them to rectify this defect! (i no longer believe the dealer mechanic who told me that he had never heard of this car doing such a thing, and it must be a drop of condensation in the gastank"! I was instructed to "run a can of injector cleaner thru, and it should fix the stalling problem". Ha! Not!!!! *tr

Wiring harness defect, needs to be recalled and replaced. *ak

Front spring perches are rusted at the welding seam. It is only a matter of time before perch dislodges and may cause accident or death while driving. This is a vital part of the suspension/steering system and should be recalled. The best deal the dealership can give is half off repair bill. This is a manufacturing issue and should be for free!!! *tr

1996 mercedes benz e320. Front suspension collapsed due to faulty spring perch. This seems to be a common problem among w210 chassis vehicles. *ak

Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercedes e320. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the front end suspension springs fractured, causing the contact to loose control of the vehicle. The contact crashed into the side rail on the highway. The contact spoke with a mechanic who stated that he had never experienced the type of failure described. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 67,000.

The left front upper spring perch failed causing the suspension to collapse. This occurred due to poor design of the perch attachment to the frame. The failure occurred in my driveway, luckily not at speed on the road where total loss of control would have occurred. The perch and spring was replaced. *nm

I have a 1996 e320 and the first thing to go was the condenser fan, when you turn the ac on its the fans that help keep your car cool, but then that went out and my car would run hot if i constantly ran ac. Then my ac blower just went out one day. Then i took it to a mercedes specialist and he noticed that the wiring harness was frail and worn. He called my car a time bomb and said it would be a matter of time before it died on me. But i thought that mercedes last a long time. And then, about a month later, my check engine light came on and my car began shaking from time to time and i lost a lot of power to it. Sometimes i would have to pull over and turn the car off and then turn it back on to stop the shaking. He also said that it would cost about $1000 to replace and that it was a bad design by mercedes. And last saturday night on my way home, i got into my car and tried to start it, but nothing happened, i couldn't even hear a click at all when i turned the key. I tried jump starting it, and still nothing, so i ended up having to tow it home. I called the mercedes specialist again and told him what was wrong and all the steps i took, and he said more than likely its the wiring harness. So now i have a nice looking car just sitting in my drive way doing nothing. Pooler, ga. *nm

Highway driving 45-50 mph when there is a loud clunk from underneath car followed by a slight loss of handling looked in rearview mirror and saw a spring lying in the street. Upon stopping to inspect the vehicle and retrieve the spring i noticed the drivers side front was very low. I looked underneath the car and saw what appeared to be a rusty mangled can. Come to find out it was the spring top mount and it had rusted completely away from the frame. Had to have vehicle towed over 60 miles away to have repaired. Had to have parts re-welded and fabricated at the shop to solve the problem. *jb

Corroded driver side spring housing on 1996 e320 mercedes benz. Corroded to the extent that it spring could have dislarged. Reports have been made in other locals that this has occured. Manufacturer contacted and investigating, but hasn't recalled part.

Front coil spring top support corroded and broke away from the body. When driving vehicle became unstable. Currently vehicle cannot be driven. *ak consumer heard that this was a common problem with the 1996 e class mercedes . *bf

I lost control of the car at the end of a freeway off ramp on a rainy day and went off the road into an embankment and after one spin bounced into a utility pole, hitting the car on the driver side. The driver side door was pushed into the steering wheel. The car is a total loss. None of the air bags front or side deployed, which in view of the nature and magnitude of the impact is unbelievable. *jb

Our low mileage 1996 e320 mercedes check engine light keeps going and remaining on.(for years now) the code comes up advising that a switch on the automatic trans.Is faulty. Had mb replace it and a week later it came up with the same code. Mb has looked at it numerous times, the last time i was charged. I have had to replace the ignition switch at 55,000 miles (mb-$650.) they charged me for another hour as they said that the wiring harness was damaged. I told them that this was a one owner car serviced at mb and nothing in the dash had ever been taken apart before. They claim it had been . Not true. After this repair, the right side automatic daytime running lights, including the right tail light only works if i use the light switch. They deny that the ignition switch repair has anything to do with it. Unlike the us , mb canada is a cartel and their attitude has a lot to be desired. There are four mercedes benz dealerships in vancouver bc and all are mb canada owned and operated.As in all other canadian cities. *tr

The consumer was pulling out of the driveway and hit the brakes. The consumer got out of the vehicle and discovered that the suspension of the vehicle had dropped down to the ground. It was also discovered that 3 spot welds had failed. The consumer notified the manufacturer and was told that there was a repair kit for this problem. Provide further details. *jb

While backing out of the drive way, the consumer heard a loud thump coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who found the front suspension had broken away from the chassis. *jb

Consumer stated front end collasped because of the corrosion of the frame. *ak

The perch assembly that held the wheel welding came apart from the frame . This occurred while driving at 60 mph which resulted in the consumer temporarily losing control of the vehicle and almost being hit by passing motorist. Consumer was able to control the vehicle by slowing it down and pulling off the highway onto the shoulder. The dealership replaced the perch. *ak *jb

Consumer states theatfront suspension is rusted, all suspension brackets collapsed. Dealer notified. *ak

While driving the front left coil spring failed. *jb the coil spring failure caused the consumer to lose control of the vehicle.*ts *jb

The spring purch plate had rusted and ripped apart from the frame. Mr scc

Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercedes-benz e320. While driving approximately 60 mph, the front end of the vehicle suddenly shook and vibrated before collapsing. During the incident, the front driver side suspension spring separated from the vehicle and caused a puncture to the fuel tank. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 60,000.

There is a bolt that disconnects from the frame of vehicle, causing some noise. Bolt dis onnects from way bar mount. *ak

Vehicle was involved in a t-bone collision at 25 mph and neither air bag deployed. Dealer and manufacturer were notified. Feel free to provide any further information.*ak

The front left upper spring support bracket rusted and bent under normal daily driving conditions, this allowed the spring to become partially exposed. *slc

When ignition was turned battery exploded violently covering garage and vehicle with battery acid. No determination has been made for the cause of this problem. Please provide any additional information / attachments.*ak

Engine light illuminated. *slc

There was a problem with the electrical system. *slc

Upon taking ownership of vehicle air bag light on the instrument panel was illuminated. Dealership changed an unknown component, and since then has examined vehicle two more times for same problem. Consumer has been informed that wiring harness had to be replaced in order to correct the problem, and was being charged $2,500.00 for repairs. Please provide any additional information / documentation.*ak