Driver's power seat moves unexpectedly, without driver touching the seat control buttons. Seat has feature to place seat in a "memorized" position upon demand. Sometimes the seat moves forward, sometimes back, sometimes in a rocking motion. Approximately 20-30 such incidents have occurred. Twice, the seat moved all the way forward on its track, crowding me up to the dash and making it difficult to move my feet. Behavior began this summer and seems most likely when the car interior is hot, from sitting in the sun. Most incidents occurred within a few minutes of starting the car on a hot day when the interior was hot at the start. At least one incident occurred after the car had been driven for approximately 20-25 minutes with air conditioning on, and interior had cooled somewhat. (weather has been mostly very hot since behavior began, so temperature may be a coincidence.) in some instances, the control switches can override the seat motion, sometimes they could not. Usually the control switch is inoperative for some minutes after an incident. In the most serious incident, the seat moved all the way forward, the seat switch could not stop it, and the seat controls remained inoperable for several minutes. The car was taken to the local dealer for repair. The control switch was replaced, but the problem continued. The owner attempted a repair by replacing the seat control module beneath the seat. (the module stores the seat position for recall by the memory switches, and is the interface between the switch and the seat motors.) the replacement module was from the same make and model car, from a wrecked vehicle. The assumption was made that it was unlikely the wrecked vehicle had the same defect. But the behavior continues after replacing the module, so either the cause is not the module, or both modules have the same failure. Internet research shows many other owners have experienced such incidents in same make car, in this and other models.
The worst 1992 Mercedes Benz 124 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Seats1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Seats1
Recalls 2
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- The front passenger metal foot rest can, over time, abrade through the wiring harness under the foot rest causing the wiring harness to short circuit.
- Risk
- A short circuit can cause the wires to overheat, stall the engine, or inadvertently deploy an airbag, any of these increases the potential for a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install additional wiring harness cable fastener ties and edge protective covering for sharp edges of the metal foot rest.
Recall number 95V031000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- Driver's side airbags do not meet certain requirements of fmvss 208.
- Risk
- Seat occupants relying on the installed airbag would notbe protected in the same manner as that of fmvss 208 compliant airbag, andcould have an increased risk of injury in an accident.
- Remedy
- Replace the airbags with airbags that comply with fmvss 208.
Recall number 93V108000 · Recall details
What 1992 Mercedes Benz 124 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Compare the 1992 Mercedes Benz 124
Other model years
Questions about the 1992 Mercedes Benz 124
Is the 1992 Mercedes Benz 124 reliable?
Owners have filed 1 complaint about the 1992 Mercedes Benz 124, close to a typical 124 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1992 Mercedes Benz 124?
Seats, with 1 complaint.
How many recalls does the 1992 Mercedes Benz 124 have?
2 recalls, covering electrical system and air bags.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1992 Mercedes Benz 124?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history