1998 Mercedes-Benz 320 problems & reliability
39 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Mercedes-Benz 320. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 6 | 15% |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 13% |
| Steering | 5 | 13% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 10% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 10% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 10% |
| Power Train | 3 | 8% |
| Seats | 3 | 8% |
| Structure | 3 | 8% |
| Suspension | 3 | 8% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 17 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mercedes benz 320. The contact stated that the tread came off of the rear passenger side tire while driving 60 mph. The contact nearly lost control of the vehicle when the failure occurred. The tire tread damaged the back of the vehicle and the passenger door. The estimated repair cost was…”
Tires · filed Dec 14, 2009
“Driving down road in 1998 mercedez e320, just exited nj turnpike at exit 2, heard loud noise car veered to left and large spring dropped out from engine compartment. *tr”
Suspension · filed Apr 2, 2008
“Head lamp covers on the mercedes "e" class turn from clear to a fogy translucent over time. Once the head light lens turns translucent the head light beam is no longer able to transmit light as far down the road as the original manufactures specification. The head lamp is also no longer capable of transmitting light…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Nov 8, 2006
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1998 Mercedes-Benz 320 in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1998 Mercedes-Benz 320?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.