What is the worst year for a Mercedes Benz 300?

The 1993 Mercedes Benz 300 has the worst FaultScore of any year of this model, with 51 complaints filed with NHTSA, most of them about the electrical system.

What is the best year for a Mercedes Benz 300?

The 1997 Mercedes Benz 300 has the cleanest record of the graded years, with 10 complaints on file.

What breaks most often on a Mercedes Benz 300?

Electrical System accounts for more complaints than any other part on the Mercedes Benz 300.

Worst years for a Mercedes Benz 300

Owners have filed 288 complaints about the Mercedes Benz 300 with NHTSA across model years 1978 to 2002. More of them are about the electrical system than anything else.

Avoid

1993 Mercedes Benz 300

51 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly electrical system.

Cleanest on record

1997 Mercedes Benz 300

10 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Mercedes Benz 300 year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

1 3 6 10 4 6 18 38 8 7 5 32 25 51 7 23 23 10 2 6 3

78 80 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 02

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

Year	Grade	Complaints	Crashes	Fires	Median miles	Most reported
2002	—	3	0	0	—	Engine & Cooling
1999	—	6	0	0	—	Electrical System
1998	—	2	0	0	—	Brakes
1997	A	10	0	0	—	Engine & Cooling
1996	A	23	0	0	159,600	Electrical System
1995	D	23	1	2	—	Electrical System
1994	—	7	0	0	—	Engine & Cooling
1993	D	51	2	2	111,878	Electrical System
1992	—	25	2	2	—	Engine & Cooling
1991	—	32	3	3	—	Transmission & Drivetrain
1990	—	5	0	0	—	Engine & Cooling
1989	—	7	0	1	—	Acceleration & Cruise Control
1988	—	8	0	0	—	Engine & Cooling
1987	—	38	4	4	134,000	Engine & Cooling
1986	—	18	4	0	—	Airbags
1985	—	6	0	0	—	Tires
1984	—	4	0	0	—	Tires
1983	—	10	0	0	—	Engine & Cooling
1982	—	6	0	0	—	Engine & Cooling
1980	—	3	0	0	—	Engine & Cooling
1978	—	1	1	0	—	Seat Belts

What breaks on a Mercedes Benz 300

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Electrical System 54 18.8%

Worst in 1993

Engine & Cooling 53 18.4%

Worst in 1987

Airbags 26 9.0%

Worst in 1986

Transmission & Drivetrain 24 8.3%

Worst in 1991

Acceleration & Cruise Control 20 6.9%

Worst in 1987

Brakes 18 6.3%

Worst in 1995

Tires 17 5.9%

Worst in 1985

Fuel & Propulsion 14 4.9%

Worst in 1993

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 9 3.1%

Worst in 1992

Steering 8 2.8%

Worst in 1993

Body & Structure 8 2.8%

Worst in 1987

Lights 8 2.8%

Worst in 1996

Seat Belts 8 2.8%

Worst in 1993

Suspension 7 2.4%

Worst in 1996

Exactly what failed on a Mercedes Benz 300

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Engine 20 18.2%

Frontal 18 16.4%

Gasoline 16 14.5%

Front Underhood 15 13.6%

Automatic Transmission 12 10.9%

Wiring 11 10.0%

Fuel Injection System 5 4.5%

Foundation Components 5 4.5%

Tread/Belt 4 3.6%

Headlights 4 3.6%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Mercedes Benz 300, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Feb 1995 peak 15 Dec 2015

Compare the Mercedes Benz 300

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.

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