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1999 Mercedes Benz E320 engine problems

18 complaints (22% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 62,000.

owner complaints
18
of this car's complaints
22%
typical mileage
62,000
crashes
0
recalls
0

Which part fails

  • Engine: gasoline: belts and associated pulleys
    5
  • Engine: gasoline
    3
  • Engine
    3
  • Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Mercedes Benz E320 engine problems in other years

1994200020052009

Specific symptoms reported on the 1999 Mercedes Benz E320 engine

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Loss of power 5Stalling 5

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Related investigations

Engine crankshaft pulley failureOpened December 17, 2003, closed April 22, 2004

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

What 1999 Mercedes Benz E320 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Mar 9, 2014 · Engine · 57,901 miles · NC

Just like the gm cars now being recalled, my car shut itself off completely while I was traveling at 60 MPH. It had to be towed to be repaired---and the diagnosis was made immediately, as the mechanic had done taken car of a car that had the identical "problem" just the week before. Parts replaced were l catalytic converter and air mass meter.

Filed Sep 29, 2010 · Engine, Transmission · 134,000 miles · MI

Engine just stops running/stalling after from 15 - 30 minutes of driving. Has happened twice midway through left turns. (scary!) can happen anytime and any speed.

Filed Apr 23, 2010 · Electrical, Engine · 80,000 miles · IL

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) september 12, 1998 I purchased a 1999 e320w.] I am the only owner of the car. The car is driven leisurely. To date, it only has 92,000 miles on it. I have been regularly obtaining the a & b maintenance services. The electrical system has been malfunctioning for months and mb allegedly can't diagnose it; and I have been using an excessive amount of oil. A second opinion mechanic said it is oil slugging which was recalled but mb won't honor. He also said my engine / motor now needs to be replaced. There is also an intermittent scraping on the passenger side. During all of the services to mb they never told me about the recall nor provided service to ensure that my car was not affected. They said it was not a total recall but a case-by-case situation and I am not eligible. I am very fearful when I am driving. Each time I go out I fear what might happen. I do not have the funds to pay for a engine. Please help me. I can provide a timeline of the history of my vehicle which with hindsight looks like I purchased a lemon. The second opinion mechanic informed me of the recall/class action but mb concealed the information. *tr the locks were inoperable and the key would not come out of the ignition, the check engine light illuminated, the serpentine belt, ball joints, tie rod ends were all replaced. The fuel sensor level was replaced. There was a shimmy in the suspension. The dealer replaced the tires and left rim. The valve stem was leaking, the left rear window was inoperable. The crankshaft position sensor was replaced. All of the dashboard lights intermittently, but regularly turn into line bars. The tail light circuit board and the right rear tail lamp, right front head light and left front parking bulbs were had to be replaced updated ivoq 05/27/10.

Filed Jul 29, 2006 · Electrical, Engine · 64,000 miles · MD

Crank position sensor (cps) started to fail when the outside temperature was above 95f. Car (1999 mercedes benz e320) failed to start twice when parked after driving for a short distance. Only after cooling it would start again. At one point the engine became very erratic while in traffic. At another point I was stopped on the traffic light and the engine just stopped running. Fortunately I was near home and after waiting a few minutes it started again. It was embarrassing to say the least , having a mb car stall in front of other much cheaper cars on the traffic light. Fortunately, I was using this car for only short trips and did not incur the risk of having it stall on a highway, but I am sure it would as long as the engine temperature was above a certain point. I researched this problem on the internet and found the following mb car owners chat/forum room with discussions on the many similar problems experienced by others: http://www.mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=80989.

Filed Jul 10, 2006 · Engine · 28,000 miles · IL

Dt*: the contact stated the check engine light illuminated while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined by diagnostic testing the air mass sensor needed to be replaced. The contact stated also owns an ml320 which had the same failure july 2006. If the air mass sensor is not replaced, further damage can result to the engine.

Filed Feb 21, 2006 · Engine, Lights · 55,000 miles · PA · fire

Consumer 1999 e320 had transmission problems and caught on fire with 110,000 miles on it. *ts the consumer stated the transmission problems started when the vehicle only had 55,000 miles. Before the fire, the vehicle had a tire leak and a defective lamp assembly.

Filed Sep 1, 2004 · Engine · 56,989 miles · OK

As I was accelerating onto the freeway, I heard a loud noise from my engine. I started losing power steering and my battery charger light kept flashing indicating a problem with the crankshaft pulley. Luckily I was able to get home safely.*ak after safely driving home, I looked under the hood and noticed huge chunks of rubber parts inside. I took the car to the mercedes dealership the next day and was told that the harmonic balancer had been damaged. When the harmonic balancer was damaged, it in turn ruined the oil pan cover and the timing chain cover resulting in a $2500 repair bill. The service manager stated he would write merceds to see if some of the costs can be defrayed and will be getting back to me. I highly doubt any substantial amount will be defrayed by the manufacturer. I am extremely disappointed in mercedes and the e320.

Filed Jul 27, 2004 · Engine · MI

During normal operation I experienced total loss of steering assist and the engine quit running. I barely missed hitting several roadside obstacles and was nearly stranded in the middle of a high speed roadway. I am a woman of over 70 years of age and do not have the strength to wrestle a 3000 pound car around without power assist. I had great difficulty maintaining control and avoiding a collision. The car had to be towed nearly 20 miles to the dealership where it was out of service for approximately a month at a cost of $4500.00. The dealership told me that the car had a failure of the harmonic balancer on the engine which destroyed a large number of surrounding parts. The damaged parts were replaced and the balancer was also replaced. The old part has been requested from the dealer.

Filed Mar 2, 2004 · Electrical, Engine · 60,530 miles · LA

1999 mercedes-benz e320t, 60k miles - crankshaft harmonic balancer (damper pulley) failed. Advised by mechanic to replace immediately, so as to avoid loss of multi ribbed-v-belt and concurrent loss of power steering, alternator and water pump function.

Filed Feb 5, 2004 · Engine · 76,500 miles · WA

Harmonic balancer (crankshaft pulley) is separating, creating noise and potentially lost of power assist for steering.

Questions about the 1999 Mercedes Benz E320 engine

Does the 1999 Mercedes Benz E320 have engine problems?

Owners have filed 18 complaints about the engine of the 1999 Mercedes Benz E320, 22% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.

At what mileage do 1999 Mercedes Benz E320 engine problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 62,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 1999 Mercedes Benz E320 engine?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

What year does the Mercedes Benz E320 have bad engine?

The Mercedes Benz E320 model years with the most engine complaints are 1999 (18 complaints), 2005 (17 complaints) and 1995 (10 complaints).

Other 1999 Mercedes Benz E320 problems

Airbags 17Transmission 11Suspension 10Electrical 8Fuel system 6Visibility 6Body 5Brakes 5Tires 5Steering 4Acceleration 3Lights 3Locks 1Wheels 1

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