2003 Mercedes-Benz E Class problems & reliability
45 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2003 Mercedes-Benz E Class, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. 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).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2003 Mercedes-Benz E Class vehicles were involved in 19 fatal crashes with 12 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 13 | 29% |
| Electrical System | 9 | 20% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 5 | 11% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 11% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 9% |
| Equipment | 4 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 9% |
| Power Train | 3 | 7% |
| Suspension | 3 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 2 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 19 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 30 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 14,205 miles (middle 50% between 3,930 and 56,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My whole garage smells like gasoline whenever we fill up the gas tank. The smell will remain until we drive the car for a few days, consuming perhaps 1/4 of the tank. This has been on-going only for the last year. *js”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Apr 29, 2014
“I started smelling gas in the car cabin. There was gas on my driveway as well. The gas sign started to flash on my dash and the check engine light came on. Went to the dealership and they said there was a major leak in the purge system. They quoted me $3066.88. They should take responsibility and not pass it on to me…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Dec 16, 2013
“Strong odor of gasoline evident after fill up. This coincided with accuracy issues of the fuel gauge, where vehicle now runs out of gas when gauge indicates 1/4 tank. The strong smell of gas happens now repeatedly with every fill up, which seems to indicate some form of leakage at or near the top of the tank. *tr”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Oct 31, 2013
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
22 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2003 Mercedes-Benz E Class. The 10 most recent:
SENTEX gate operator with Clik Card Remote not compatible with Homelink
LI68.05-P-059193 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 20, 2014
Mercedes: the limited warranty on the sbc hydraulic unit for models 211, model 219 and models 230 was extended from the original 4 years/50,000 miles to 10 years with no mileage limitation. The sbc hydraulic unit…
SB-090930 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 5, 2009
Revised repair procedure and additional applicable models. Model 170, 202, 208 and 210 models. Front fog lamp(s) inoperative. Mercedes-benz. *tt model years: 1994-2004. Updated 09/09/08. *pe
8210196 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 4, 2008
Mercedes benz service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. Check fuel filter module assembly and repair or replace if necessary. Models 211 and 219 amg. Model years 2003-2006. Csc was received. *pe
2008020001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2008
Dirt can collect in the rear sleeves on the front axle carrier. Clean sleeves on front axle carrier and install new bolts and washers. *tt
2006040004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 2006
The alternator regulator may fail to prevent voltage values ranging beyond the specified tolerance limits. *tt
2005070017 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2006
Implausible or illogical messages can appear in the instrument cluster. *tt
2005060008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2006
The remote trunk closing control unit may not be sufficiently durable and may result in the need to open and close the trunk manually. Replace remote trunk closing control unit. *tt
2006010006 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2006
Steering wheel twitch during brake application. Various models including mercedes benz 2006 model 230. *tt
331516 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2006
Inspect rear sam control module, replace if necessary. A fault in the rear single acquisition and actuation module (rear sam) may under some circumstances cause the fuel gauge to no longer register the proper fuel level…
2005100009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2005
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 2003 Mercedes-Benz E Class has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — 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 2003 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 14,205 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.