Major Problems with Mercedes-Benz C-Class Derived from Complaints & Recalls

Learn about the common problems with a used Mercedes-Benz C-Class to avoid purchasing a bad year of the model.

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Best and Worst Years for Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Explore the chart showing how many complaints have been filed for each year of Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Model Year	Complaints
2008 C-Class	9
2006 C-Class	6
2005 C-Class	4
2004 C-Class	8
2003 C-Class	5
2002 C-Class	17
2001 C-Class	8
2000 C-Class	5
1999 C-Class	3

Worst 3 Mercedes-Benz C-Class complaints

1999 Mercedes-Benz C-Class AIR BAGS Victims: 2 Mileage: 52000 miles

2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class AIR BAGS Victims: 1 Mileage: 20000 miles

2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class HEAD RESTRAINT Victims: 1 Mileage: 3800 miles

Browse Mercedes-Benz C-Class complaints by category

Problems with ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, TIRES and AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from Mercedes-Benz C-Class owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercedes c class. the contact stated that another vehicle crashed into the contact's front...	11 ~ 67974 miles
TIRES tl*the contact owns a 2008 mercedes benz c300. the vehicle has michelin pilot sport tires size 232/35/19 (na) in the...	6 ~ 27617 miles
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN the transmission of my new car 2006 mbz c280 has failed three times. the car goes into a false neutral...	5 ~ 13720 miles
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL while driving experienced sudden loss of power. engine would rev normally but vehicle acted as if in neutral. i was...	4 ~ 386845 miles
FRONTAL > AIR BAGS accident. 2008 mercedes c-350 rear ended a delivery truck. mercedes began smoking immediately and caught fire within one minute. within...	4 ~ 18450 miles
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING while driving consumer noticed steam coming from underneath the vehicle. consumer was able to pull over to shoulder lifted up	4 ~ 39000 miles
SUSPENSION while starting vehicle there is constant vibration until vehicle has heated up approximately 20 minutes. dealer has been notified mechanic...	4 ~ 157000 miles
SEATS seat control module failure. 2 modules per car 1 for passenger seat and 1 for driver seat fail. the defective...	3 ~ 53667 miles
AIR BAGS tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz c240. the contact stated while driving 15 mph the vehicle in front of...	3 ~ 27389 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER this defect/concern is a general safety complaint with respect to all vehicles which should be addressed by enactment of standards...	3 ~ 4370 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 3/03 within 3 months of purchasing my 2002 c-240 the air conditioning stopped working fuel gauge failed headlight washer broke...	3 ~ 72350 miles
POWER TRAIN while driving experienced sudden loss of power. engine would rev normally but vehicle acted as if in neutral. i was...	2 ~ 36477 miles
EXTERIOR LIGHTING experience rear lighting failure (rear passenger tail/brake light out). however both driver and passenger rear tail lamp assembly/connectors/ wiring were	2 ~ 56125 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC car: 2000 mercedes c230 kompressor driving at 55mph the car's front right brake suddenly engaged causing the car to loose...	2 ~ 95551 miles
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL car: 2000 mercedes c230 kompressor driving at 55mph the car's front right brake suddenly engaged causing the car to loose...	2 ~ 95551 miles
ENGINE > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING tl*the contact owns a 2001 mercedes benz c240. the contact stated that the check engine indicator illuminated on the instrument...	2 ~ 54500 miles
SIDEWALL > TIRES the tires of the car started growing bumps on the face of the tire. initially one in one tire then...	2
AIR CONDITIONER > APPLIANCE > EQUIPMENT while driving with a/c set on "auto" the a/c system would suddenly turn off by itself and would turn of...	2 ~ 20387 miles
STRUCTURE dt*: the contact stated while wearing sunglasses the instrument panel was not readable. the dealership determined this was how the	2 ~ 79250 miles
TREAD/BELT > TIRES the right rear tire has a split about 1.5 inches long proceeding diagonally through the tread to near the sidewall....	2 ~ 29425 miles
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM this is a follow-up to complaint #10579528. spoke to robin customer service representative at mercedes benz corporate headquarters in the...	1 ~ 103000 miles
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY seat control module failure. 2 modules per car 1 for passenger seat and 1 for driver seat fail. the defective...	1 ~ 105000 miles
COOLING SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz c240. the contact stated the coolant was leaking from the radiator into...	1 ~ 70000 miles
SEAT BELTS tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz c240. the contact stated while driving 15 mph the vehicle in front of...	1 ~ 20000 miles
SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE > FRONTAL > AIR BAGS tl*the contact owns a 2008 mercedes benz c350. the driver side air bag warning system light illuminated. the vehicle was...	1 ~ 600 miles
ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM i own a 2003 mercedes c240 station wagon with about 42000 miles a few days ago i observed some messages...	1 ~ 43620 miles
HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS > DOOR > BODY the inside front door handle of c-class (year2002 or similar) is no good if you park the car on the...	1 ~ 34000 miles
INTERIOR/UNDER DASH > WIRING > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM i have a 2004 mercedes c230 compressor. yesterday i drove the vehicle home and afterwards left it parked. all of...	1
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM dt*: the contact stated while wearing sunglasses the instrument panel was not readable. the dealership determined this was how the	1 ~ 1500 miles
FLOOR SHIFT > LEVER AND LINKAGE > AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION automatic transmission shift box not sealed properly to protect against water spills. this can stop your car in the middle	1 ~ 58800 miles
HEAD RESTRAINT > FRONT ASSEMBLY > SEATS the mercedes clk350 vin [xxx]- the passenger seat and driver seat when released to allow a rear passenger out of...	1 ~ 3800 miles
WHEELS i bought a new 2006 c230 on 2/27/2006 . i was driving this car on the freeway at night and...	1
LABELS > OTHER > EQUIPMENT the transmission of my new car 2006 mbz c280 has failed three times. the car goes into a false neutral...	1 ~ 3500 miles
MOTOR > WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER > VISIBILITY ever since i purchased this vehicle i hava had problems with is features. power seats that move by themselves automatic...	1
POWER ADJUST > FRONT ASSEMBLY > SEATS ever since i purchased this vehicle i hava had problems with is features. power seats that move by themselves automatic...	1
EXTERIOR > REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES > VISIBILITY ever since i purchased this vehicle i hava had problems with is features. power seats that move by themselves automatic...	1
ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM > STEERING ever since i purchased this vehicle i hava had problems with is features. power seats that move by themselves automatic...	1
WIRING > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM when driving 15 mph vehicle was involved in a collision. 15 seconds later vehicle caught on fire. due to severe	1 ~ 18000 miles
HEADLIGHTS > EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3/03 within 3 months of purchasing my 2002 c-240 the air conditioning stopped working fuel gauge failed headlight washer broke...	1 ~ 8700 miles
ACCELERATOR PEDAL > VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercedes c240. she stated that her vehicle would not accelerate fast enough to safely merge...	1 ~ 77 miles
12V/24V/48V BATTERY > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM mfr# 2001120004 & nhtsa# 01 v 366 000/battery: consumer states dealer (park place motors houston tx phone# 713/986-6400) not honoring	1
WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER > VISIBILITY various problems with 2001 mercedes c240. *mr the keyless entry remote failed intermittently. the windshield washer aimed too high. the	1 ~ 10168 miles
CLUTCH ASSEMBLY > POWER TRAIN various problems with 2001 mercedes c240. *mr the keyless entry remote failed intermittently. the windshield washer aimed too high. the	1 ~ 10168 miles
RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC. > ELECTRICAL > EQUIPMENT various problems with 2001 mercedes c240. *mr the keyless entry remote failed intermittently. the windshield washer aimed too high. the	1 ~ 10168 miles
RIM > WHEELS c240 model. there is vibration and a slapping noise while driving at speeds of 35-70 mph. the steering wheel shakes...	1
FOUNDATION COMPONENTS > SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC had the vehicle in reverse when brakes failed to function while on an incline. had little braking power on straight	1
EQUIPMENT consumer states there are problems concering the esp and bas systems warning messages that are appearing on the monitor when...	1
GLASS, SIDE/REAR > VISIBILITY consumer stated soon after purchasing vehicle he noticed a design flaw a blind spot between the rear window and the...	1

FAQ

What year Mercedes-Benz C-Class is the most reliable?

Speaking of the models produced in the last 9 years, Mercedes-Benz C-Class models of 1999, 2005, 2003 year of manufacture have had the least number of complaints.

What year was a bad year for Mercedes-Benz C-Class?

Mercedes-Benz C-Class models of 2002 and 2008 are probably the years to be avoided like the plague due to a higher than an average number of issues reported.

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