* Left front substrate to which the Coil Spring Perch mounts is badly rusted and the spring is about to come off under pressure of the cars weight, thereby endangering myself and the general public. The car was towed to Feldmann Imports, a Mercedes-Benz dealer at 4901 American Blvd west, Bloomington , MN 55437 (952) -641-7908 and can be inspected there. * If the spring perch loosens any further, the coil spring would shoot off and likely interfere with the steering system, fuel lines and any number of other components on the vehicle, also there have been reports of the spring going out of the car under pressure and hitting other objects. * Yes, My car was in for another matter at LaMettry's Collision Center, of Eden Prairie, MN for a (minor dent) and (Braden) of LaMettry's said upon inspection of the spring perch that the car was undrivable and could not be fixed. * Feldmann Imports is currently looking at my car and Feldmann said that I should call Mercedes-Benz USA which my Brother-in-Law [XXX] did for me and is waiting for a call back. * There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the discovery by LeMettry's, in fact, Feldmann Import's inspected my car 12 times over the years with no mention of this serious condition. Upon searching the internet and other sources I believe that it is incumbent upon the federal safety agency to issue a recall on all these cars, there are several different models that use this thin wall substrate Mercedes-Benz has out on the road that must be endangering the lives and property of the owners and the public at large. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The worst 1997 Mercedes Benz E320 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Suspension32
- Seat belts10
- Airbags7
- Electrical5
- Transmission5
- Body4
- Engine4
- Brakes1
- Fuel system1
- Lights1
- Seats1
- Steering1
- Visibility1
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Mercedes Benz E320
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
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Mercedes Benz E320 31
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- NTG5.5
- If the customer brakes sharply from a speed of > 30mph, without ABS intervention, there is a single...
- Unmotivated Reaction from Park Assist
- Harsh engagement when changing gear range from P to D or R
- Harsh engagement when changing gear range from P to D
- Airmatic
- Seat belt extender toothed rack sluggish or makes noises
- Display of suspension setting in head unit implausible
- Liftgate intermittently does not open fully
- Enclosed for your information and pursuant to part 579.5, please find our latest Service and Warranty...
1997 Mercedes Benz E320 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2L 6‑cyl | RWD | 18 | 25 | 20 |
What 1997 Mercedes Benz E320 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Driver seatbelt exploded while buckled up as the car was going about 30 mph on a 4 lane street. No warning and was very traumatic. I had to pull over when I smelled something burning. When I released seatbelt to get out of the car it would not buckle up when I tried to get back in the seat. Had to drive home without seatbelt on Christmas Eve. The same thing happened a month later to the passenger seatbelt when I was a passenger in my car. This was very traumatic while driving down a 4 lane Avenue.
1997 mercedes benz e-320. Consumer writes in regards to airbags malfunction. *smd consumer stated that passenger side airbag deployed defectively for no reason while driving at a speed of 5mph. Consumer stated that contents from the airbag inflator did not go into airbag but instead hit himself and a passenger in the torso area.
Was driving slow like 10 MPH and preparing to make a right turn and there was a loud explosion as the passenger seat belt retracted with such force that it slammed into the sternum of my 73 year old mother, who almost had an episode of cardiac arrest, both from the impact of the belt pushing on her heart and the explosion. One week later the drivers side seatbelt did the same thing . I had not used the drivers side belt on the day of the first incident, or any day since. But they are exploding about the same time as the second incident happened the very first time that the drivers belt was put in use after the passenger belt incident. The same slow right turn, while braking into a the turn, was being performed. The SRS light has been on ever since.
While proceeding straight on a city street, at about 30 MPH, during the day, with no other vehicles on the road, I heard a metallic explosion inside our 1997 mercedes benz e320 sedan. The seat belt immediately and painfully pinned me back into the drivers seat, rendering me breathless and disorientated. I felt like I had been shot, and I looked around outside the car for the source. I turned off the street and parked. I was able to release the seatbelt, but it did not retract. The SRS warning light was on. I got out of the car and inspected its exterior. There was nothing to note. I subsequently took the car in for an authorized inspection and evaluation. I learned that the seatbelt retraction system had activated, even though there was no input to the activation sensor. There is no recall for this issue, so the repair bill is on me.
Left front spring cup assembly rusted and broke away from body. Resulted in dropped front end. Part replaced and area repaired.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mercedes-benz e320. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire in the driveway due to a faulty wiring harnesss. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a report. There were no injuries. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 170,000.
While making a left turn on a major street I heard a loud pop and pulled over to see if I ran over something, but nothing was in the road. When I started the car and began driving I noticed the suspension was making noises. I took it to a mechanic shop and was told the passenger side rear coil spring perch separated from the body and the car should not be driven. They quoted me $1500.00 to repair.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mercedes benz e320. While driving at 60 MPH, the air bags deployed inadvertently emitted a yellow substance and the vehicle shook violently. Shortly after, the shift lever exploded and smoke started to emit from the console. The contact noticed that the cam shaft fractured, which caused the contact to lose control of the vehicle. A police report was not filed. The contact sustained unknown injuries due to the substance from the air bag that required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
I was driving in a parking lot outside a drugstore very slow. I did not hit anything at all. All of a sudden the seatbelt made a loud explosion sound and smelled like burning. My entire body was restrained very tight against the seat and a hard impact on my chest. It was scary and I thought I was shot. I was lucky that I was not driving on the freeway at the time seat belt exploded. This could have caused a serious accident if I were driving on the highway with heavy traffic.
Compare the 1997 Mercedes Benz E320
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Questions about the 1997 Mercedes Benz E320
Is the 1997 Mercedes Benz E320 reliable?
Owners have filed 63 complaints about the 1997 Mercedes Benz E320, 1.7 times a typical E320 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Mercedes Benz E320?
Suspension, with 32 complaints, typically around 115,000 miles. Next is seat belts (10).
How many recalls does the 1997 Mercedes Benz E320 have?
No recalls on record.
What year does the Mercedes Benz E320 have bad suspension?
The Mercedes Benz E320 model years with the most suspension complaints are 1997 (32 complaints), 1996 (19 complaints) and 2003 (11 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1997 Mercedes Benz E320 get?
Official estimates for the 1997 Mercedes Benz E320 range from 20 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.2L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 18 city and 25 highway.
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