What breaks most · 1995 to 2003 model years
Mercedes-Benz 240 problems by year
Owners have filed 78 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mercedes-Benz 240 across model years 1995 to 2003. Three years stand out: 2003 for electrical system complaints, 2002 for electrical system complaints and 2001 for speed control and throttle complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 2002, 2001
- Complaints on file
- 781995 to 2003, all trims
- Worst year
- 200327 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 122 fires · 9 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 42kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Exterior lighting (1) | |
| 22 | 3 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (4) | |
| 26 | 5 | 0 | Electrical system (7) | |
| 27 | 4 | 0 | Electrical system (6) |
What fails on the 2003 Mercedes-Benz 240
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 22% |
6 | 1 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 19% |
5 | 1 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 19% |
5 | 1 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 15% |
4 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 7% |
2 | 1 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 7% |
2 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 7% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Air bags | 7% |
2 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Vehicle without any warning stalled in the middle of the road, and noticed all warning lights were on. Dealer claims it was a broken wire? Lucky did not happened on freeway while driving 70 mph. *ak
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Consumer states that while driving and no warning the headlight went out and consumer was unable to see and the consumer was force to pull over. Dealer notified. Ts
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Three episodes on unintended acceleration from a stop. Vehicle begins to stall and then suddenly accelerates. Dealer states problem on earlier vehicles, but solved with replacement fuel pump. I have replacement pump but problem still occurs. Fortunately, no one in front of me on these occasions.*ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mercedes-Benz 240 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003, 2002, 2001 carry the most filings on the Mercedes-Benz 240. The 2003 alone has 27 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Mercedes-Benz 240 problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 6 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mercedes-Benz 240 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mercedes-Benz 240 complaints that include mileage is about 42,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.