2005 Mercedes Benz E320 Problems: Fuel system (229 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 is Fuel system (51% of 229 owner reports). There are 3 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Fuel system — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 229 complaints · 3 recalls

What problems show up on the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320?

117 of 229 filings named Fuel system (51% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Brakes (50 reports).

There are 3 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Glass / wipers / cameras. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 2004 has 202 reports on file; this year has 229. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2005 Mercedes Benz E320

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 3 campaigns on file below.
  2. Fuel system. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly.
  3. Brakes. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm.
  4. Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Fuel system. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Fuel system 117 complaints · 51.1% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 10
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 15
  • Deaths 4
All Mercedes Benz E320 years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) appears in 117 of 229 owner complaints (51.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 117 complaints, 51.1% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 crash reports 2 fire reports 117 · 51.1% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 50 complaints, 21.8% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 4 crash reports 50 · 21.8% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 15 complaints, 6.6% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 5 crash reports 1 fire reports 15 · 6.6% Engine (ENGINE): 13 complaints, 5.7% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 1 fire reports 13 · 5.7% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 7 complaints, 3.1% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 7 · 3.1% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 4 complaints, 1.8% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 4 · 1.8% Steering (STEERING): 4 complaints, 1.8% of reports Steering (STEERING) 4 · 1.8% Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY): 4 complaints, 1.8% of reports Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 4 · 1.8% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 3 complaints, 1.3% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 3 · 1.3% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 63 complaints, 27.5% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 2 crash reports 63 · 27.5% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 117 51.1% 1 crashes · 2 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 50 21.8% 4 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 15 6.6% 5 crashes · 1 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 13 5.7% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 7 3.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 4 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING) 4 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 4 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 3 1.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 63 27.5% 2 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2004; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2019. 2004-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2012-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2013-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2013-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2013-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2013-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2014-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2014-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2014-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2014-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2015-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2015-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2015-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2018-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 2004 Jan 2025 Recall campaign 19V918000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V918000 Recall campaign 22V954000 ◆ Recall campaign 22V954000 Recall campaign 24V874000 ◆ Recall campaign 24V874000 Investigation PE10017 ● Investigation PE10017 Investigation EA13003 ● Investigation EA13003
  • Campaign 22V954000 was reported 947 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 24V874000 was reported 1,644 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2004-Q3 Owner reports 1
2004-Q4 Owner reports 3
2005-Q1 Owner reports 1
2005-Q2 Owner reports 1
2005-Q4 Owner reports 3
2006-Q1 Owner reports 1
2006-Q2 Owner reports 5
2006-Q3 Owner reports 1
2006-Q4 Owner reports 2
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q2 Owner reports 1
2010-Q3 Owner reports 4
2010-Q4 Owner reports 3
2011-Q1 Owner reports 7
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 4
2011-Q4 Owner reports 3
2012-Q1 Owner reports 2
2012-Q2 Owner reports 7
2012-Q3 Owner reports 4
2012-Q4 Owner reports 4
2013-Q1 Owner reports 7
2013-Q2 Owner reports 10
2013-Q3 Owner reports 14
2013-Q4 Owner reports 5
2014-Q1 Owner reports 13
2014-Q2 Owner reports 6
2014-Q3 Owner reports 9
2014-Q4 Owner reports 15
2015-Q1 Owner reports 8
2015-Q2 Owner reports 7
2015-Q3 Owner reports 3
2015-Q4 Owner reports 5
2016-Q1 Owner reports 6
2016-Q2 Owner reports 3
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 5
2017-Q1 Owner reports 5
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 4
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 7
2018-Q2 Owner reports 4
2018-Q3 Owner reports 3
2018-Q4 Owner reports 3
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 2
2020-Q1 Owner reports 3
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2021-Q1 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 2
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 2
2023-Q4 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 19V918000
Recall campaign 1 22V954000
Recall campaign 1 24V874000
Defect investigation 1 PE10017
Defect investigation 1 EA13003
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (3)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Glass / wipers / cameras.

  1. Recall campaign 19V918000

    Glass / wipers / cameras

    Report date
    Component:
    Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
    Consequence:
    A detached glass panel can separate from the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the glass panel bonding and replace the sliding roof, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 10, 2020. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2020040011.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 22V954000

    Glass / wipers / cameras

    Report date
    Component:
    Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
    Consequence:
    A detached sunroof panel may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will inspect and replace the sunroof panel as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 3, 2023. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. This recall expands NHTSA recall number 19V-918. MBUSA's numbers for this recall are 2023010004, 2023010005, and 2023010006.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Recall campaign 24V874000

    Glass / wipers / cameras

    Report date
    Component:
    Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
    Consequence:
    A detached sunroof panel can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will inspect and replace the sunroof panel as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2025. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall number 22V-954. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2024120001/2/3.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 10 of 229 complaints · page 1 of 10
2025-02-19Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 11643797
CrashFireInjuryDeath
There has not been an incident report, however, my brakes failed while driving and I pulled over. This is the fault the SBC System which has an Extended 25 year warranty. I brought it into Mercedes prior to complete failure, but they only replace the Pressure Reservoir. It must be returned to Mercedes for the SBC UNIT replacement.
2024-01-26Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
NHTSA ODI 11568069
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V954000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated she had trapped her finger in the sunroof. The contact stated that the sunroof was loose. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.
2023-11-15Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 11555325
CrashFireInjuryDeath
A warning in Red came up on the dashboard which said something like "catastrophic break failure" ..I was going slow about to stop at the Red light and the brakes did not work and I hit a mini van
2023-08-29Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 11541370
CrashFireInjuryDeath
car break looses 70% of its pressure and only left with 30% break. It happened 3-4 times already. break booster malfunction sign comes up. When i restart the car, malfunction sign goes away and it run ok for few days till it happen again. I am not driving it right now. it can cause serious accident at high speed
2023-08-20Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 11539618
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Break booster malfunction sign popped up 3-4 time while driving and I lost 70% of the break. Luckily it happened on local road at speed under 30mph. It is very dangerous and can result in an accident
2023-05-09Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 11521089
CrashFireInjuryDeath
While driving in highway, SBC brake failure warning and failure. Fortunate to be able to come to a stop without crashing into a car ahead since had plenty of time and distance to slowly come to a stop even with reduced braking power. If traveling in rush hour would likely have rear ended a stopped car in front and potentially causing serious injury and damage! This is a known issue with Mercedes, and there is an extended 25 year warranty on the vehicle but for some reason, my vehicle was not included in the recall: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 04V296000 2005 Mercedes e320 automatic sedan. I had the dealer replace parts of the the SBA brake unit once, but it has since reappeared on an intermittent basis usually during cold start and then it goes away in a few seconds while pulling out of a driveway, but this time it occurred after having driven for awhile on a freeway Please investigate to include additionally affected vehicles!!!
2023-02-18Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 11507993
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Brake warning lights flashed and brakes failed
2022-12-15Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 11497658
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Please see this discussion... 2005 Mercedes E320 SBC brake system should be recalled. Thanks for considering!
2022-03-07EXTERIOR LIGHTING
NHTSA ODI 11455595
CrashFireInjuryDeath
INSTRUMENT PANEL NOT WORKING FOR LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS OR LONGER DID NOT DRIVE FOR SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE
2021-09-10Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
NHTSA ODI 11432490
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V918000 (Visibility) however, the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320?

Owners named Fuel system most often — 117 of 229 reports (51%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320?

NHTSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Glass / wipers / cameras. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2005 Mercedes Benz E320?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources