I am writing regarding an investigation into mercedes benz e300 (w210 chassis) failures. While driving on the massachusetts turnpike, route 90 on monday, my spring perch failed, broke away from the vehicle and was lost on the highway. The perch let go with a very loud bang, then a pronounced bump (presumably as the rear tire drove over the spring assembly.) the car suddenly dropped hard on the front right bump stops. Lots of warning lights - bas, asr, etc. I thought I blew a tire or hit some road damage. Surprisingly, just a little swerve in the left lane and I made it to the right shoulder after a 1/4 mile. I had heard of the spring perch failures from the user forums at www.mercedesshop.com. At this point I was pretty sure it was a perch or possibly something worse because there was no tire smoke, burning or noise. I checked the tires & drove it 15 miles home. Put it up on jacks & found no spring at all & some disconnected sensor wires. Drove it 10 miles to my independent shop. Waiting for what happens next. Still no word from the dealer he contacted. I guess that's my next move.
The worst 1998 Mercedes Benz E Class problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Suspension7
- Electrical4
- Engine4
- Transmission4
- Airbags1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Suspension7
- Electrical4
- Engine4
- Transmission4
- Airbags1
- Body1
- Brakes1
- Fuel system1
- Lights1
- Locks1
- Steering1
- Tires1
- Visibility1
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Defect investigations
Front suspension coil spring ejection
Odi has focused this investigation on assessing the risks posed by a separated spring as (1) a road hazard and (2) the potential for vehicle control to be compromised after the front coil spring has been ejected from its intended position in the vehicle.both risks are associated with corrosion, flexing, and fracture of the upper front suspension mounting bracket.time-in-service failure rates are notably higher in salt belt states since corrosion is a primary contributor to the failure mode.since a number of incidents have occurred while the vehicle was being operated, odi is skeptical that owners can always detect the subtle side to side difference in ride height and/or inspect or notice that the upper suspension bracket has been compromised by corrosion.(1) road hazard - although the (approx. 7 lb.) front suspension spring that may be ejected at highway speeds could pose a serious road hazard to pedestrians and other vehicles, the occurrence rate has been low (.03% based on 51 reported incidents occurring and an initial population of 172,781 vehicles after 9 - 12 years of use / exposure) and there are no known injuries, fatalities, or property damage reports due to an ejected spring.also, many of the 51 incidents occurred at low speed or while the vehicle was stopped or parked.(2) vehicle control - vehicle handling and control could be affected by the fracture of the upper suspension mount and/or the associated spring ejection.odi first identified its concern about corrosion in the upper suspension bracket of subject vehicles in 2002, at which time mercedes provided a video that showed that a vehicle could be steered, stopped, and controlled through various maneuvers at high speeds with a front coil spring completely missing from the vehicle. During pe07-021, in addition to reviewing the 2002 video-tape, odi engineers drove an exemplar vehicle with the spring removed and simulated various combinations of steering angles to assess whether there were any possible conditions / displacements in which the separated spring might interfere with the wheels. In a vehicle with the front spring removed, the top of the wheel can lightly contact the bottom area of the wheel fender during high angle turns typically associated with slower speed maneuvers such as city driving. The light tire contact generated an obvious grinding noise and would likely abrade or bend the edge of the fender with continued use.however, the extent of the interference was not sufficient to affect vehicle steering and does not occur at smaller turning angles associated with highway driving.odi has not identified a safety related defect trend at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that a safety related defect does not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if future circumstances warrant.
PE07021
Engine crankshaft pulley failure
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure that could result in loss of power-steering assist.odi has received a total of 546 non-duplicative reports that allege engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure on all mercedes-benz vehicles using the subject component.the subject component failures are progressive in nature and only a small percentage of the complaints and warrant claims involved a failure that had progressed far enough to effect power steering performance (6 of 55 odi complaints reference increased steering effort).there have been no crashes or injuries related to the alleged defect.a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see summary report attached for further detail.
PE03058
Technical service bulletins for the 1998 Mercedes Benz E Class 6
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- SENTEX gate operator with Clik Card Remote not compatible with Homelink
- Revised repair procedure and additional applicable models
- Trunk lid opens or closes too quickly while operating with remote trunk lid control button
- Consumer shutoff displayed in instrument cluster while driving
- Updated information to reflect additon of approved tires
- Some vehicles may experience a engine rattle noise.
1998 Mercedes Benz E Class fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6‑cyl Diesel | RWD | 23 | 31 | 26 |
| 3.2L 6‑cyl | RWD | 17-18 | 24-26 | 20-21 |
What 1998 Mercedes Benz E Class owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
1998 mercedes benz e-320, speed <15 MPH had the front drivers side coil spring ejected and housing completely separated from the vehicle making the front end drop down onto driver's side front tire without warning. The impingement of the body onto the tire and wheel and/or the spring itself precluded any steering control. The coil spring mount or "saddle" had separated from the welded point to the frame of the vehicle. Mercedes offerred to pay 25% of the repair fee due to excellent service history. We repeatedly requested a team from mercedes to inspect the vehicle because this vehicle would be ideal to investigate as no other complicating crash had occurred. They refused this. My wife authorized the repair but indicated that we wanted all parts to be saved for further investigation by the federal safety agency.the next day, the service manager reported that mercedes now offerred to pay 50% of repair cost but required a "waiver" be signed to "hold harmless" mercedes from any further problems or damages incurred with this part of the vehicle. We refused to sign any waiver as it is our expectation that the repair be completed in a manner to ensure the vehicle's future safety. We contacted the body shop with the plan to inform mercedes that we would be towing the vehicle to another shop for further inspection/ repair. We were informed the repair had already been compelted and that the car was now at the dealership for allignment but old parts were saved for us. Mercedes never informed us of any open investigation regarding this vehicle even when directly asked this question. We anticipate the repair to exceed $1,000 plus towing. I disagree with information provided by mercedes in earlier investigations indicating that this failure would not result in a loss of control of the vehicle. I completely lost all ability to steer the vehicle and was only able to stop without crashing because it occurred at low speed with no other vehicles or objects around me.
The main suspension spring from my right front tire fell out on the garage floor and the car came down on the tire. Two minutes before the car was being driving on the road at 60 MPH and had it occurred two minutes earlier someone would have been killed. The poor design by mb caused excess rust and failure in the 1998 mb e320.
Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was at a stop, the front end collapsed to the ground. The vehicle was towed to the dealership, where it was determined the front driver side spring perch fractured. The spring perch was replaced.
Catalytic converter loose inside, rattling and not effective.
Tires overheat on dry pavement, causing decreased traction.
1998 mercedes benz e300d 4 door sedan. Driver side spring perch is rusted and peeling off due to manufacturing defect. Car is dangerous to drive the way it is due to this manufacturing defect. This is a known issue on many forums as well as previous http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/showthread.php3?t=95228.
Automatic transmission failure, stays on 1st. Gear (rough run). Took to authorized mbz repair station, they reset the "computer" and run approximately 450 miles ok and again the same problem. Went back and they flushed the transmission and reset again "computer faults", run again for 75 miles and same problem, and so on.....
I have noticed that the spring/coil upper tower perch has almost come completely off. If it comes off while driving the car will lose control. It has come loose due to rust,which is a problem with these cars. These cars will rust on the body panels and on the suspension components. Please get mercedes to do something about this. Not only is it bad cosmetically, but the rusted spring perches can be catastrophic.
When the engine gets hot, it stalls . After it cools for some time, it re-starts. It happened to me on the highway (bumper-to-bumper traffic). Found out from the mercedez forum that it is a known problem due to cranshaft position sensor. It has happened to number of people.
Compare the 1998 Mercedes Benz E Class
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Questions about the 1998 Mercedes Benz E Class
Is the 1998 Mercedes Benz E Class reliable?
Owners have filed 24 complaints about the 1998 Mercedes Benz E Class, 2.4 times a typical E Class model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Mercedes Benz E Class?
Suspension, with 7 complaints, typically around 140,000 miles. Next is electrical (4).
How many recalls does the 1998 Mercedes Benz E Class have?
No recalls on record.
What gas mileage does the 1998 Mercedes Benz E Class get?
Official estimates for the 1998 Mercedes Benz E Class range from 20 to 26 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.0L 6-cyl diesel, RWD) gets 23 city and 31 highway.
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