2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (27) · Fuel/Propulsion System (18) · Power Train (13)
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
55 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (16)
Communication: Auto Crash Notification 2021-02-12 · campaign 21V072000 · 67 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017-2019 C300, E300, 2018-2020 CLA250, 2020 CLS450, AMG E53, AMG GT53, GLE450, 2018 AMG E63, AMG GTA, 2017-2020 GLA250, GLC300, 2019 GLC350, AMG GLC43, 2017-2018 GLE350, 2019 AMG GLC 43, GLC350, GLE400, 2017 GLS450, S550, C300 Cabrio, and 2018-2019 S560 vehicles. On June 18, 2021, an additional 9 vehicles were added, including certain 2021 GLA250, GLC300, 2018 S450, E400, and 2017 CLA250 vehicles. The communication module might have been
Risk: A disabled eCall system would prevent a vehicle occupant from contacting emergency services through the call center in an emergency, potentially delaying emergency responders and increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the communication module and activate it, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2021. Letters for the owners of the 9 additional vehicles were mailed July 9, 2021. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2021030005.
Communication: Auto Crash Notification 2021-02-05 · campaign 21V058000 · 1,292,258 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2016 - 2021 CLA-Class, GLA-Class, GLE-Class, GLS-Class, SLC-Class, A-Class, GT-Class, C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, CLS-Class, SL-Class, B-Class, GLB-Class, GLC-Class, and G-Class vehicles. Please refer to the Part 573 report for specific vehicle model details. The software design of the communication module may fail to communicate the correct vehicle location for the emergency call system (eCall) in the event of a crash.
Risk: Failure of the eCall system may result in emergency responders being dispatched to the wrong location, increasing the risk of injury following a crash.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and the communication module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. The recall began March 12, 2021. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2021020025.
Electrical System:software 2020-07-31 · campaign 20V449000 · 56 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2019 C300, C300 Coupe, CLS450, E450 Coupe and S450, 2017-2019 E300, 2018 E400 Coupe, E400 Stationwagon, and 2018-2019 S560 vehicles that have previously had the instrument cluster replaced. The software in the replaced instrument cluster may cause the seat belt warning system to not operate properly, only displaying a solid warning light if either the driver or passenger seat belt is unfastened, instead of a blinking light with an audible ton
Risk: Without the audible tone and blinking warning light to remind the front seat occupants that their seat belts are not buckled, they may forget to buckle their seat belt, increasing their risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began September 8, 2020. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2020080015.
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2018-04-27 · campaign 18V271000 · 42 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 4Matic, E300, E43 AMG, and E400 vehicles. The headlight horizontal adjustment screws on these vehicles may not be properly sealed behind a non-removable sealing cap to keep headlights from being readjusted. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: If the headlight's horizontal aim is altered, a misaimed headlight may lead to an insufficiently illuminated roadway, which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will retrofit the sealing caps for the headlights, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in June 2018. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2018050012.
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2018-03-06 · campaign 18V151000 · 28 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017 E300 4Matic, E300, and E43 AMG vehicles fitted with LED headlights. These vehicles may have misadjusted headlights, possibly resulting in the low beam headlights insufficiently illuminating the roadway. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: An insufficiently illuminated roadway may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the headlamp adjustment, adjusting it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 3, 2018. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2018030005.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2017-11-14 · campaign 17V714000 · 72 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017 E300, S65 AMG Coupe, S550, S65 AMG Cabriolet, S550 Cabriolet, S550e, S65 AMG, and Mercedes-Maybach S600 vehicles. A transistor within the power steering control unit may overheat resulting in the power steering system being disabled.
Risk: If the power steering assist is unexpectedly disabled, it may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the steering rack, replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in January 2018. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2017-09-19 · campaign 17V574000 · 4 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling one 2017 C43 AMG, one E300 4Matic sedan, one GLC300, and one E43 AMG 4Matic sedan. These vehicles have electrical power steering control units with improperly welded contact pins.
Risk: The improperly welded pins may lose contact, deactivating the power steering assist and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electric power steering rack, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin November 10, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2017-04-11 · campaign 17V241000 · 58,323 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2016 GLE300d 4Matic, E400 4Matic Coupe, GL63 AMG, GLE350, GLE350 4Matic, GLE350d 4Matic, GLE400 4Matic, GLE43 AMG Coupe 4Matic, GLE550e 4Matic, GLE63 AMG 4Matic, GLE63S AMG 4Matic and GLE63S AMG Coupe 4Matic vehicles, 2017 E300 4Matic and GLS63 AMG 4Matic vehicles, and 2016-2017 GL350 4Matic BlueTec, GL450 4Matic, and GL550 4Matic vehicles. The affected vehicles have an electric power steering connector that may be insufficiently sealed, allo
Risk: If water enters the power steering control unit, the power steering assist may be deactivated, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the connector and inspect the electric power steering rack, replacing the rack as necessary. These repairs will be performed free of charge. Remedy parts are currently unavailable. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed June 30, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
Electrical System:software 2017-04-11 · campaign 17V245000 · 15 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017 E300 and E300 4MATIC vehicles. The software for the widescreen instrument cluster may cause the instrument cluster to not display anything on vehicle on startup, or the display may reset while driving. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Control and Displays."
Risk: Without the instrument cluster displaying important information such as the vehicle's speed, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster display software, free of charge. The recall began late May 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
Structure:body:roof And Pillars 2017-04-11 · campaign 17V246000 · 411 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2016-2017 E300 and 2017 E300 4MATIC vehicles. The affected vehicles have a roof mounted spoiler that may not be properly attached and thus may detach while driving.
Risk: If the roof-mounted spoiler detaches while driving, it can become a road hazard, increasing a risk of a crash.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the roof spoilers, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 9, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
Air Bags:frontal:sensor/Control Module-Inactive 2017-03-14 · campaign 17V176000 · 65 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA LLC, (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017 E300 and E300 4Matic vehicles. The front passenger air bag may not deploy properly if a front seat passenger is sitting on the edge of the seat or is laying in the seat with the seat reclined. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: In the event of a crash that necessitates air bag deployment, if the air bag does not deploy as intended, there would be an increased risk of occupant injury.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update the air bag control module software, free of charge. The recall began April 13, 2017. Owner's can contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
Electrical System:starter Assembly 2017-02-23 · campaign 17V114000 · 307,629 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2015-2017 C300 4Matic, C300, CLA250, CLA250 4Matic and CLA45 AMG vehicles, 2017 C300 4Matic Cabrio, C300 4Matic Coupe, C300 Cabrio, C300 Coupe, E300, E300 4Matic, E400 4Matic Wagon, E43 AMG 4Matic, GLA250, GLA250 4Matic and GLC300 4Matic Coupe vehicles and 2016 C350e and GLC300 vehicles and 2016-2017 C450 4Matic AMG Sport and GLC300 4Matic vehicles. In the event that the engine or transmission cannot turn over, the starting current limiter ma
Risk: If the starting current limiter overheats, the surrounding components can melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional fuse in the electrical line to the starter, free of charge. The recall began August 31, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2017080002.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2017-02-08 · campaign 17V076000 · 12,456 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017 E300, E300 4Matic, and E43 AMG vehicles. The front passenger occupant detection control unit may have been incorrectly installed. As a result, the front passenger seat occupant may be misclassified. For example, an adult may be misclassified as a child seat, causing the front passenger air bag to be deactivated in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the passenger front air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of a injury.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the routing of the pressure hose of the seat occupancy detection control unit and replace the pressure hose and seat occupancy detection mat if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm) 2017-02-08 · campaign 17V078000 · 73 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017 E300 and E300 4Matic vehicles. The affected vehicles may have a damaged steering column-mounted shift lever module. If the internal circuit board is damaged, moving the shift lever will not select a transmission gear.
Risk: If the vehicle does not move forward or backward as selected by the driver with the shift lever, there is an increased risk of a crash.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering column-mounted shift lever module, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2017-02-08 · campaign 17V080000 · 2,112 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017 CLA250, CLA250 4Matic, E400 Coupe, E400 4Matic Coupe, E550 Coupe, E400 Cabriolet, E550 Cabriolet, E300, E300 4Matic, E400 Wagon, GLA250, and GLA250 4Matic vehicles. The pelvis air bag or the front passenger air bag inflator initiator may fail to ignite in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the pelvis airbag or the front passenger airbag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the occupants have an increased risk of injury.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2016-10-19 · campaign 16V758000 · 6,858 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2017 E300 Sedan and E300 Sedan 4Matic vehicles manufactured December 10, 2015, to June 30, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the rear bench seat frame may contact and damage the wiring harness for the fuel pump, fuel tank pressure sensor or fuel level gauge.
Risk: Damage to the fuel pump wiring may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: MBUSA has notified owners, and dealers will modify the routing of the affected wiring harness, repairing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 28, 2016. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
Service bulletins (229)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Steering 2026-09-26 · LI46.10-P-080896 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint slight creaking noises when steering. cause noises may come from one or more sleeves of the horn contact plate. remedy remove the horn contact plate and check the sleeves for noise; see attached video. if necessary, apply lubricant to the sleeves.
Power Train 2026-09-26 · LI27.00-P-073124 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint customer complaints relating to automatic transmission 725.0 (nag3 classic /9g‑tronic automatic transmission) and 725.1 (nag3 facelift/9g‑tronic automatic transmission facelift) for faster, more effective and more targeted diagnosis, intelligent predictive repair (ipr) has been developed a
Service Brakes 2026-09-22 · LI42.10-P-078779 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint repeat workshop visit for vehicle vibration while braking from 60mph. note: although the symptom is similar to a tire or wheel vibration, it is usually readily noticeable that it is distinctly different if it happens at all times or only while braking. cause although the cause of the vibra
Engine 2026-09-17 · LI20.10-P-075374 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint red coolant warning in instrument cluster. fault codes u019f00 or u019f87 current/stored in mrg1 control unit. cause various causes remedy perform guided test for fault code u019f with xentry diagnosis. verify the following connections are clean and tight. correct any problems and retest p
Structure:body 2026-09-14 · LI82.62-P-078631 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors. cause under analysis. remedy to narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • if the noise continues to occur even with the door trim removed, then continue the diagnosis working towards the speaker and if necessary,
Power Train 2026-09-14 · LI27.10-P-075869 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint only vehicles with a variable transfer case are affected. this can be identified through control unit n45 or n15/7 in the quick test. when accelerating with light load, vibrations or jolting sensation may come from the drivetrain. it may be mistaken for a harsh shift. cause modified oil qu
Showing the 6 most recent of 229 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-12 · Electrical System · 🔥 fire“the starting current limiter recall (nhtsa campaign 16v831000 / 17v114000): if your e-class failed to start or struggled to crank initially, a defective starting current limiter can severely overheat the electrical lines to the starter, causing nearby components-including the battery assembly and main wiring—to melt and smoke. the above is exactly…”
2026-08-04 · Engine“my vehicle has about 68k miles, while driving on freeway all of sudden the car engine started to shake and check engine light came on dashboard. this engine shaking would stop when vehicle was being driven at high speed. upon returning home i checked the dtc codes and had p300, p301 engine misfire codes. my mechanic suggested to have spark plugs an…”
2026-05-14 · Electrical System“sunroof glass shattered water got in the car …”
2026-05-02 · Power Train“there is a recall on my year model 2017 mercedes e3 hundred 4matic for the steering column shift module, but i’m being told that my specific vin was not included, but it is having the exact issues as the recall while driving the shift lever will not leave drive to go into reverse. it will only go to park. it refuses shift commands. if i shut the en…”
2026-04-27 · Fuel/Propulsion System“code p052e after oil changed. seems to happen often judging my forums. …”
2026-04-22 · Engine“my car is not accelerating when i shift into drive or reverse. it says “reversing not possile-service required” error. out the blue. there is a known recall on these model cars but mercedes benz is saying its vin specific and mine is not covered even though i am experiencing the exact same issue. recall date- 2017-02-07 recall no. 17v078000…”
2026-04-13 · Unknown Or Other“i’m having issues with my control module not going forward or backwards at times and there was a recall on models of this vehicle for that exact reason nhtsa id: 17v078000 issued: feb 2, 17. dealership is telling me it’s not open. i’m scared for my safety when my car doesn’t shift in the correct gear. this started in 2021 or 2022 and i’m not gettin…”
2026-03-17 · Fuel/Propulsion System“i own a 2017 mercedes benz e-class. i'm starting to smell gasoline in the cabin and also outside of my vehicle. i tried entering my vin number to see if any recalls. there is something listed for the smell of gas. can someone help me regarding this matter.…”
2026-01-28 · Power Train · 144,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 mercedes-benz e300. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. the message "reverse not possible - service required" was displayed. the contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. the contact w…”
2025-11-21 · Steering · 80,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 mercedes-benz e300. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle intermittently lost power steering functionality. the contact stated that the failure occurred increasingly while turning. the vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics and to the dealer, but no dtc was retrieved. the vehicle wa…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.