What breaks most · 2003 to 2017 model years
Mercedes-Benz E350 problems by year
Owners have filed 2,165 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mercedes-Benz E350 across model years 2003 to 2017. Three years stand out: 2006 for fuel system complaints, 2007 for fuel system complaints and 2014 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 2003, 2004 and 2005.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2007, 2014
- Fewest complaints: 2003, 2004, 2005
- Complaints on file
- 21652003 to 2017, all trims
- Worst year
- 2006398 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 8355 fires · 90 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 74kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 58Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (7) | |
| 15 | 2 | 0 | Fuel system (3) | |
| 398 | 14 | 4 | Fuel system (144) | |
| 349 | 1 | 5 | Fuel system (177) | |
| 173 | 8 | 4 | Fuel system (65) | |
| 64 | 2 | 4 | Fuel system (27) | |
| 183 | 9 | 4 | Air bags (68) | |
| 223 | 9 | 5 | Air bags (108) | |
| 216 | 6 | 7 | Air bags (84) | |
| 161 | 15 | 6 | Air bags (47) | |
| 277 | 10 | 8 | Air bags (49) | |
| 31 | 1 | 6 | Steering (5) | |
| 51 | 5 | 5 | Electrical system (9) | |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | Unknown or other (3) |
What fails on the 2006 Mercedes-Benz E350
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 36% |
144 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz E350 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 20% |
78 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz E350 |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 13% |
50 | 4 | Shop engine parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz E350 |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 12% |
46 | 3 | Shop brakes parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz E350 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 9% |
37 | 1 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz E350 |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 6% |
22 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz E350 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
18 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz E350 |
| Air bags | 3% |
13 | 5 | 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.
-
The contact owns a 2006 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that while the vehicle parked, fuel was noticed leaking from the vehicle onto the driveway. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 184,000.
-
Fuel smell coming from the rear, car is a pzev and out of warranty, smell is very strong and i am unable to drive it with a child in the back because they get dizzy. Unable to fill up with gas up to a certain point or smell will linger.
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Brake lines leaking because corrosion under frame from ABS module which is essential a safety aspect that should not be happening.
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 E350 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2007, 2014 carry the most filings on the Mercedes-Benz E350. The 2006 alone has 398 complaints, led by fuel system.
What is the most common Mercedes-Benz E350 problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is fuel system with 144 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mercedes-Benz E350 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mercedes-Benz E350 complaints that include mileage is about 74,000 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.