FaultScore report
Owners have filed 22 complaints about the 1987 Mercedes Benz 190 with NHTSA between 1995 and 2008. The largest single group is the acceleration & cruise control.
22
Complaints
3
Crashes reported
0
Fires reported
3
Injuries reported
Click any bar to open that year's report.
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
2 crashes, 0 fires
Median failure at 49,115 miles
1 crashes, 0 fires
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.
An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.
PARKING BRAKE LEVERS
SUDDEN ACCELERATION
THE CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY PETITIONED NHTSA TO OPEN AN INVESTIGATION INTOSUDDEN ACCELERATION ON VARIOUS MERCEDES-BENZ MODELS.THE PETITION WASGRANTED WITH RESPECT TO THE 1986-1987 300E MODEL AND ENGINEERING ANALYSISEA88-003 WAS OPENED COVERING JUST THE 1986 AND 1987 300 E VEHICLES.SUBSEQUENTLY, CFAS REPETITIONED NHTSA TO EXPAND ITS INVESTIGATION TO COVERALL 1984 THROUGH 1987 MERCEDES GASOLINE POWERED VEHICLES.DEFECT PETITIONNUMBER DP88-013 WAS THEN ASSIGNED.ON JULY 14, 1988, THE CFAS WAS ADVISEDTHAT PETITION DP88-013 HAD BEEN GRANTED AND THAT A NEW ENGINEERING ANALYSIS(EA88-034) HAD BEEN OPENED...
ABS FAILURES
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not always mirror the American ones.
Brakes
THE PARKING BRAKE LEVER RELEASE KNOB COULD STICK, CREATING THE POTENTIAL FOR THE LEVER TO RELEASE UNINTENTIONALLY WITH A CORRESPONDING REDUCTION IN PARKING BRAKE APPLICATION FORCE. CORRECTION: PARKING BRAKE LEVER GRIP WILL BE REPLACED WITH ONE OF A NEWER DESIGN.
Seats And Restraints
ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM, AN ELECTRICAL PLUG ON THE AIR BAG MODULE MAY HAVE AN INSUFFICIENT PUSH/PULL FORCE. IF THIS IS THE CASE, THE AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT. CORRECTION: AIR BAG UNIT WILL BE EXCHANGED FOR ONE WITH AN INTEGRAL CONNECTOR.
Recalls cover specific build ranges, so check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or, in Canada, Transport Canada.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHILE IN REVERSE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED TO EXTREMELY HIGH RPMS WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
NHTSA complaint #8001456 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION DUE TO SUDDEN ACCELERATION IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
NHTSA complaint #8001459 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION DUE TO SUDDEN ACCELERATION IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
NHTSA complaint #8001459 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE
WHILE DRIVING HEATER HOSE CAME OUT. BRACKET HOLDING HEATER PIPE BROKE. CONSUMER'S FEET WERE BURNED. CONSUMER HAD TO PULL EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND JUMP OUT OF VEHICLE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED VEHICLE WAS TOO OLD.
NHTSA complaint #8000995 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
THE HEATER CORE IN THE VEHICLE RUPTURED, CAUSING BOILING HOT COOLANT TO POUR ONTO THE DRIVER'S FEET. THE BOILING COOLANT CAUSED SEVERE BURNS TO DRIVER'S FOOT, ANKLE AND LEG. THE ESCAPING COOLANT ALSO CAUSED THE CAR TO FILL UP WITH STEAM AND ELLIMINATED VISIBILITY.
NHTSA complaint #733844 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE
WATER HEATER DEFROSTER EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING, HEATER CORE RUPTURE, CAUSING HOT WATER INSIDE VEHICLE SCALDING LEGS WHILE DRIVING. TT
NHTSA complaint #967075 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
TIRES
ON OUR WAY TO THE MAYO CLINIC IN ROCHESTER, MN. WHEN THE LEFT FRONT TIRE SUDDENLY STARTED TO DISINTEGRATE. PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE TOLL ROAD TRUCK CAME AND CHANGED TIRE....ILLINOIS STATE TROOPER STOPPED AND FILED A ACCIDENT REPORT.
NHTSA complaint #10251028 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
WHILE MAKING A U-TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME LOCKED IN THE LEFT TURN POSITION. *PH UPON START UP, IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STEER TOWARDS THE RIGHT AND THERE WAS A STRONG TENDENCY FOR THE VEHICLE TO VEER TOWARDS THE LEFT.
NHTSA complaint #10065112 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SUSPENSION
WHILE MAKING A U-TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME LOCKED IN THE LEFT TURN POSITION. *PH UPON START UP, IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STEER TOWARDS THE RIGHT AND THERE WAS A STRONG TENDENCY FOR THE VEHICLE TO VEER TOWARDS THE LEFT.
NHTSA complaint #10065112 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHILE IN REVERSE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED TO EXTREMELY HIGH RPMS WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
NHTSA complaint #8001456 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION DUE TO SUDDEN ACCELERATION IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
NHTSA complaint #8001459 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION DUE TO SUDDEN ACCELERATION IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
NHTSA complaint #8001459 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE
WHILE DRIVING HEATER HOSE CAME OUT. BRACKET HOLDING HEATER PIPE BROKE. CONSUMER'S FEET WERE BURNED. CONSUMER HAD TO PULL EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND JUMP OUT OF VEHICLE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED VEHICLE WAS TOO OLD.
NHTSA complaint #8000995 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
THE HEATER CORE IN THE VEHICLE RUPTURED, CAUSING BOILING HOT COOLANT TO POUR ONTO THE DRIVER'S FEET. THE BOILING COOLANT CAUSED SEVERE BURNS TO DRIVER'S FOOT, ANKLE AND LEG. THE ESCAPING COOLANT ALSO CAUSED THE CAR TO FILL UP WITH STEAM AND ELLIMINATED VISIBILITY.
NHTSA complaint #733844 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
VEHICLE WOULD JERK/ HAD LEAKING SEALS, AND DID NOT SHIFT PROPERLY. CONSUMER HAS TO ADD TRANSMISSION FLUID EVERY OTHER DAY.
NHTSA complaint #869259 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY:AXLE SHAFT:SEAL
VEHICLE WOULD JERK/ HAD LEAKING SEALS, AND DID NOT SHIFT PROPERLY. CONSUMER HAS TO ADD TRANSMISSION FLUID EVERY OTHER DAY.
NHTSA complaint #869259 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
ENGINE STALLS INTERMITTENTLY ON DECELARATION WITH FOOT ON BRAKE, REPLACE OVER-VOLT PROTECTION RELAY.
NHTSA complaint #514860 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
KNOCK NOISE IN ENGINE.
NHTSA complaint #514860 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE ACCELERATES IN DRIVE AT IDLE, CAN NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #514860 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE
HARD START WHEN ENGINE WARM FUEL ACCUMULATOR LEAKING INTERNALLY, REPLACE FUEL ACCUMULATOR.
NHTSA complaint #514860 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #512663 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS AND WILL NOT SHUT OFF, ONLY WAY IS TO TURN IGNITION SWITCH OFF.
NHTSA complaint #541011 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
CAMSHAFT IS KNOCKED AND THEN THE ENGINE FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #513080 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
ODOMETER FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #530256 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #530256 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
CRUISE CONTROL FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #530256 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
CRUISE CONTROL FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #515440 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE
WATER HEATER DEFROSTER EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING, HEATER CORE RUPTURE, CAUSING HOT WATER INSIDE VEHICLE SCALDING LEGS WHILE DRIVING. TT
NHTSA complaint #967075 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.