2016 MERCEDES BENZ E350 — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 51 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (6 complaints · 11.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 5
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 4
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2015 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints 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.

Component Problem Distribution

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

Component Problem Distribution ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 6 of 51 owner complaints (11.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 6 complaints, 11.8% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 · 11.8% VISIBILITY: 6 complaints, 11.8% of reports VISIBILITY 6 · 11.8% ENGINE: 5 complaints, 9.8% of reports ENGINE 5 · 9.8% · 1 fire reports STEERING: 5 complaints, 9.8% of reports STEERING 5 · 9.8% · 3 crash reports STRUCTURE: 4 complaints, 7.8% of reports STRUCTURE 4 · 7.8% FUEL SYSTEM: 3 complaints, 5.9% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 3 · 5.9% POWER TRAIN: 3 complaints, 5.9% of reports POWER TRAIN 3 · 5.9% AIR BAGS: 2 complaints, 3.9% of reports AIR BAGS 2 · 3.9% · 1 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 2 complaints, 3.9% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 3.9% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 17 complaints, 33.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17 · 33.3% 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)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 11.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 6 11.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 5 9.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
STEERING 5 9.8% 3 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 4 7.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 3 5.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 3 5.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 2 3.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 2 3.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17 33.3% 0 crashes · 0 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 2015; the first recall shown was reported in Aug 2015. 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Aug 2015 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 15V505000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V505000 Recall campaign 16V899000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V899000 Recall campaign 17V177000 ◆ Recall campaign 17V177000 Recall campaign 17V627000 ◆ Recall campaign 17V627000 Recall campaign 19V787000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V787000 Investigation EA21002 ● Investigation EA21002
  • Campaign 16V899000 was reported 334 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q1 Owner reports 3
2016-Q4 Owner reports 2
2017-Q1 Owner reports 2
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q1 Owner reports 2
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2020-Q4 Owner reports 2
2021-Q1 Owner reports 2
2021-Q2 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 2
2021-Q4 Owner reports 3
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 2
2022-Q3 Owner reports 2
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 4
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 2
2024-Q3 Owner reports 2
2024-Q4 Owner reports 2
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 2
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 15V505000
Recall campaign 1 16V899000
Recall campaign 1 17V177000
Recall campaign 1 17V627000
Recall campaign 1 19V787000
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 15V505000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    If the rubber seal falls into the engine compartment, it may contact parts of the engine or exhaust system, increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rubber seal, in the engine compartment, free of charge. The recall began on September 2, 2015. MBUSA's number is 2015080001. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-201-573-5339.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V899000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    If the control unit pins lose connection, there would be a loss of electric power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash. The increase in pin contact resistance can also increase the risk of a fire, even while the vehicle is parked and ignition is off.
    Remedy:
    MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electric power steering control unit, free of charge. The recall began October 13, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 17V177000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the air bags do not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, there would be an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
    Remedy:
    MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update software in the affected control units, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 17V627000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the driver air bag inadvertently deploys, it can increase the risk of injury and a crash.
    Remedy:
    MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will add sufficient grounding to the steering components, free of charge. The recall began in December 6, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V787000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    An inaccurate vehicle location may delay emergency responders, increasing the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    MBUSA has initiated an Over the Air (OTA) remote update. MBUSA will also notify owners, and dealers will check software for a successful OTA or update the communication module software as needed, free of charge. The recall began December 23, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2019120008.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints 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.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-22
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 51 complaints · page 1 of 3

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 2026-08-22 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.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-22.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources