2011 MERCEDES BENZ E350 — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 222 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: AIR BAGS (104 complaints · 46.9%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 9
  • Fires 2
  • Injuries 8
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2010 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 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.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution AIR BAGS appears in 104 of 222 owner complaints (46.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. AIR BAGS: 104 complaints, 46.9% of reports AIR BAGS 104 · 46.9% · 4 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 29 complaints, 13.1% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 29 · 13.1% SERVICE BRAKES: 11 complaints, 5.0% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 11 · 5.0% · 1 crash reports STRUCTURE: 11 complaints, 5.0% of reports STRUCTURE 11 · 5.0% · 2 crash reports ENGINE: 9 complaints, 4.1% of reports ENGINE 9 · 4.1% · 1 fire reports STEERING: 9 complaints, 4.1% of reports STEERING 9 · 4.1% SUSPENSION: 8 complaints, 3.6% of reports SUSPENSION 8 · 3.6% WHEELS: 5 complaints, 2.3% of reports WHEELS 5 · 2.3% POWER TRAIN: 3 complaints, 1.4% of reports POWER TRAIN 3 · 1.4% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 38 complaints, 17.1% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 38 · 17.1% · 4 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
AIR BAGS 104 46.9% 4 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 29 13.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 11 5.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 11 5.0% 2 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 9 4.1% 0 crashes · 1 fires
STEERING 9 4.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 8 3.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
WHEELS 5 2.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 3 1.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 38 17.1% 4 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 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.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2011; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2012. 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q4: 33 owner reports 33 2018-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2018-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2018-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2018-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2019-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2019-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2022-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2022-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2023-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2023-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2011 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 12V557000 ◆ Recall campaign 12V557000 Recall campaign 16V081000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V081000 Recall campaign 16V363000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V363000 Recall campaign 19V010000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V010000 Recall campaign 21V638000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V638000 Investigation DP20004 ● Investigation DP20004 Investigation EA21002 ● Investigation EA21002
  • Campaign 16V081000 was reported 962 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 16V363000 was reported 1,067 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 19V010000 was reported 2,025 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 21V638000 was reported 2,972 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q4 Owner reports 3
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 4
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 3
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 5
2016-Q4 Owner reports 6
2017-Q1 Owner reports 6
2017-Q2 Owner reports 4
2017-Q3 Owner reports 5
2017-Q4 Owner reports 33
2018-Q1 Owner reports 7
2018-Q2 Owner reports 12
2018-Q3 Owner reports 6
2018-Q4 Owner reports 10
2019-Q1 Owner reports 14
2019-Q2 Owner reports 5
2019-Q3 Owner reports 5
2019-Q4 Owner reports 3
2020-Q1 Owner reports 4
2020-Q2 Owner reports 2
2020-Q3 Owner reports 3
2021-Q1 Owner reports 4
2021-Q2 Owner reports 3
2021-Q3 Owner reports 5
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q1 Owner reports 4
2022-Q2 Owner reports 4
2022-Q3 Owner reports 3
2022-Q4 Owner reports 6
2023-Q1 Owner reports 11
2023-Q2 Owner reports 2
2023-Q3 Owner reports 3
2023-Q4 Owner reports 4
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 2
2024-Q3 Owner reports 3
2024-Q4 Owner reports 3
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 6
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 12V557000
Recall campaign 1 16V081000
Recall campaign 1 16V363000
Recall campaign 1 19V010000
Recall campaign 1 21V638000
Defect investigation 1 DP20004
Defect investigation 1 EA21002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 12V557000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    If the fuel filter flange cracks, it will leak fuel which may lead to a fire if an external ignition source is present.
    Remedy:
    Mercedes-Benz will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel filter, free of charge. The recall campaign is expected to begin in February 2013. Owners may contact Mercedes-Benz at 1-800-367-6372.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V081000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    MBUSA will their notify owners, and Fiat Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler owners. Dealers for the respective brands will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. This recall began November 2016. Mercedes-Benz owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372 and Chrysler owners may contact Fiat Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V363000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag modules, free of charge. Owners were sent an interim notification October 2016. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V010000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began March 29, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21V638000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An incorrect air bag may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag on the affected vehicles, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 10, 2021. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 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.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 222 complaints · page 1 of 9

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

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 2026-08-21 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.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources