1997 Mercedes-Benz E Class problems & reliability
38 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Mercedes-Benz E Class, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Mercedes-Benz E Class vehicles were involved in 5 fatal crashes with 4 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension → | 20 | 53% |
| Structure | 6 | 16% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 8% |
| Visibility | 3 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 2 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 3% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 3% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 3% |
| Seats | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 11 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 25 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 90,000 miles (middle 50% between 78,000 and 115,200 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I took my car into get the suspension fixed and was told that the spring perch that attached the spring to the car has rusted through and is about to break. Luckily I found it before I had a bad accident. I am in the process of checking with mercedes to see if they will stand by a poor design issue and repair it. I am…”
Suspension · filed Dec 18, 2013
“I was coming off west rt 46. I came to a stop sign,made a right and as I was driving heard a thump noise....then as I drove a squeaking noise and I pulled over,looked at the car ,around it and under it and didn't see anything. I drove it slowly abt a mile home. When I got home I opened the hood and didn't see…”
Suspension · filed Jul 27, 2012
“Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e420. The contact was driving approximately 35 mph in lightly drizzled weather conditions. There was a loss of steering control. The driver experienced difficulty in turning the steering wheel. Suddenly, pressure was applied to the brake pedal and the vehicle failed to slow…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Feb 24, 2010
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRING EJECTION
Preliminary Evaluation PE07021 · opened Apr 19, 2007 · closed Aug 9, 2007
- INADVERTENT SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG DEPLOYMEN
Recall Query RQ00013 · opened Jun 2, 2000 · closed Jul 20, 2001 · led to recall 99V327000
Technical service bulletins
5 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Mercedes-Benz E Class.
SENTEX gate operator with Clik Card Remote not compatible with Homelink
LI68.05-P-059193 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 20, 2014
Trunk lid opens or closes too quickly while operating with remote trunk lid control button. *tt
885040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 5, 2005
Consumer shutoff displayed in instrument cluster while driving. *tt
5410117 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2004
Mercedes-benz usa will conduct a recall campaign of certain vehicles to replace the left / right side impact airbag. *tt
612 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 14, 2000
Updated information to reflect additon of approved tires. *yc
PSIMBNA4020M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 1998
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1997 Mercedes-Benz E Class has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
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 1997 Mercedes-Benz E Class?
- · 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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 90,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.