Owners have filed 12 complaints
about the 2020 Mercedes Benz E 350 with NHTSA between 2020 and 2026.
The largest single group is the engine & cooling.
Across this model's run it ranks 2 of 4 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 46
Against the median year of the Mercedes Benz E 350. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 100
41.7% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — 68
40% of failures with a mileage on record happened under
36,000 miles, against a national rate of
29%.
How 2020 compares with every other Mercedes Benz E 350
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2020 Mercedes Benz E 350
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Other & Unspecified
325.0%
Median failure at 400 miles
Engine & Cooling
325.0%
0 crashes, 1 fires
Fuel & Propulsion
216.7%
Median failure at 37,000 miles
Electrical System
216.7%
0 crashes, 1 fires · median 400 mi
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers
18.3%
Median failure at 48,000 miles
Transmission & Drivetrain
18.3%
Median failure at 47,726 miles
When owners complained
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.
Nov 2020peak 3Feb 2026
Complaints that involved harm
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
Potomac, MDFire
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
There was smoke coming from from the engine compartment and spontaneous fire started while the car was at a stop light. The car was totally damaged. The car has less than 15000 miles driven. It is still under warranty. Information was sent to Mercedes-Benz USA with a certified mail and immediately via email from the dealership. Also was reported where the vehicle was stored if they wanted to investigate the engine. Benz USA just wanted me to fill out their standard report form. The towing company also told me that they had to tow another Benz not long ago from engine fire.
NHTSA complaint #11616110 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Potomac, MDFire
ENGINE
There was smoke coming from from the engine compartment and spontaneous fire started while the car was at a stop light. The car was totally damaged. The car has less than 15000 miles driven. It is still under warranty. Information was sent to Mercedes-Benz USA with a certified mail and immediately via email from the dealership. Also was reported where the vehicle was stored if they wanted to investigate the engine. Benz USA just wanted me to fill out their standard report form. The towing company also told me that they had to tow another Benz not long ago from engine fire.
NHTSA complaint #11616110 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 48,000 milesWatsonville, CA2 injured
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes Benz E350. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, she heard a loud abnormal sound emit from the vehicle as glass shattered from the vehicle's panoramic sunroof. The contact immediately pulled over as she, her husband, and her dog suffered minor injuries from the glass shard from the sunroof. The contact managed to clean out the vehicle, used cardboard to tape up the sunroof, and drove the vehicle to her destination. The contact then drove the vehicle to the dealer where she was given an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
NHTSA complaint #11493675 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 400 milesGreat Neck, NY1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
PLEASE SEE ATTACHED PDF. IT CONCERNS THE TRUNK OPENING AND CLOSING MECHANISM WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO SIGNAL WHEN SOMETHING IS IN THE WAY BEFORE IT CLOSES. THE TRUNK CLOSED WITHOUT WARNING ON MY HEAD. MERCEDES REFUSES TO DISCONNECT THE TRUNK LATCH FEATURE BECAUSE I WILL NOT SIGN A RELEASE, WHICH I WILL NOT DO. SEE ATTACHED INCIDENT REPORT FILED WITH MB.
NHTSA complaint #11374322 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 400 milesGreat Neck, NY1 injured
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
PLEASE SEE ATTACHED PDF. IT CONCERNS THE TRUNK OPENING AND CLOSING MECHANISM WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO SIGNAL WHEN SOMETHING IS IN THE WAY BEFORE IT CLOSES. THE TRUNK CLOSED WITHOUT WARNING ON MY HEAD. MERCEDES REFUSES TO DISCONNECT THE TRUNK LATCH FEATURE BECAUSE I WILL NOT SIGN A RELEASE, WHICH I WILL NOT DO. SEE ATTACHED INCIDENT REPORT FILED WITH MB.
NHTSA complaint #11374322 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Fairfield, IA
ENGINE
The AC compressor failed in traffic causing the engine to lock up and not restart.
NHTSA complaint #11720104 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
San Jose, CA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Over the last couple of days, my car has displayed the "Engine Warning" message intermittently. I took this to the dealership for inspection and received the following fault code: P06DA00 - Inoperative Oil Pump Valve. For a car with low mileage, this could potentially be a car issue. The estimated total cost for labor and parts is over $5k. I think there are more cars affected.
NHTSA complaint #11666806 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
San Jose, CA
ENGINE
Over the last couple of days, my car has displayed the "Engine Warning" message intermittently. I took this to the dealership for inspection and received the following fault code: P06DA00 - Inoperative Oil Pump Valve. For a car with low mileage, this could potentially be a car issue. The estimated total cost for labor and parts is over $5k. I think there are more cars affected.
NHTSA complaint #11666806 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
San Jose, CA
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Over the last couple of days, my car has displayed the "Engine Warning" message intermittently. I took this to the dealership for inspection and received the following fault code: P06DA00 - Inoperative Oil Pump Valve. For a car with low mileage, this could potentially be a car issue. The estimated total cost for labor and parts is over $5k. I think there are more cars affected.
NHTSA complaint #11666806 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 37,000 milesSalinas, CA
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact detected an abnormally strong fuel odor inside the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer, who determined that the fuel injector in cylinder #3 needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V961000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.
NHTSA complaint #11649244 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Potomac, MDFire
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
There was smoke coming from from the engine compartment and spontaneous fire started while the car was at a stop light. The car was totally damaged. The car has less than 15000 miles driven. It is still under warranty. Information was sent to Mercedes-Benz USA with a certified mail and immediately via email from the dealership. Also was reported where the vehicle was stored if they wanted to investigate the engine. Benz USA just wanted me to fill out their standard report form. The towing company also told me that they had to tow another Benz not long ago from engine fire.
NHTSA complaint #11616110 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Potomac, MDFire
ENGINE
There was smoke coming from from the engine compartment and spontaneous fire started while the car was at a stop light. The car was totally damaged. The car has less than 15000 miles driven. It is still under warranty. Information was sent to Mercedes-Benz USA with a certified mail and immediately via email from the dealership. Also was reported where the vehicle was stored if they wanted to investigate the engine. Benz USA just wanted me to fill out their standard report form. The towing company also told me that they had to tow another Benz not long ago from engine fire.
NHTSA complaint #11616110 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 47,726 milesSouthington, CT
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated while his wife was driving and stopped at a traffic signal, the gasoline saving START/STOP feature turned off the vehicle however, upon depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that the failure caused the vehicle to roll into the intersection at approximately 3 MPH. The contact's wife was able to stop the vehicle and shift into park(P). The contact stated that his wife was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that several software updates needed to be performed, and the updates were completed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 47,726.
NHTSA complaint #11561351 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 48,000 milesWatsonville, CA2 injured
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes Benz E350. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, she heard a loud abnormal sound emit from the vehicle as glass shattered from the vehicle's panoramic sunroof. The contact immediately pulled over as she, her husband, and her dog suffered minor injuries from the glass shard from the sunroof. The contact managed to clean out the vehicle, used cardboard to tape up the sunroof, and drove the vehicle to her destination. The contact then drove the vehicle to the dealer where she was given an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
NHTSA complaint #11493675 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Parlin, NJ
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was operating my vehicle on an open road, as I was proceeding to stop at the stop light the ligths on my dashboard began to dim.. suddenly without warning my vehicle completely shut down , no messages no warning lamps.. I turned the car back on it drove me up the block to my final destination and shut down again I called for a tow the next morning it arrived 24 hours later, the tow truck driver was able to start it and it immediately shut down and is now at a Mercedes dealership awaiting diagnostic test results. What a frightening experience.
NHTSA complaint #11423352 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 400 milesGreat Neck, NY1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
PLEASE SEE ATTACHED PDF. IT CONCERNS THE TRUNK OPENING AND CLOSING MECHANISM WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO SIGNAL WHEN SOMETHING IS IN THE WAY BEFORE IT CLOSES. THE TRUNK CLOSED WITHOUT WARNING ON MY HEAD. MERCEDES REFUSES TO DISCONNECT THE TRUNK LATCH FEATURE BECAUSE I WILL NOT SIGN A RELEASE, WHICH I WILL NOT DO. SEE ATTACHED INCIDENT REPORT FILED WITH MB.
NHTSA complaint #11374322 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 400 milesGreat Neck, NY1 injured
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
PLEASE SEE ATTACHED PDF. IT CONCERNS THE TRUNK OPENING AND CLOSING MECHANISM WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO SIGNAL WHEN SOMETHING IS IN THE WAY BEFORE IT CLOSES. THE TRUNK CLOSED WITHOUT WARNING ON MY HEAD. MERCEDES REFUSES TO DISCONNECT THE TRUNK LATCH FEATURE BECAUSE I WILL NOT SIGN A RELEASE, WHICH I WILL NOT DO. SEE ATTACHED INCIDENT REPORT FILED WITH MB.
NHTSA complaint #11374322 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.