Unknown, the car filled with smoke from within the dashboard on driver side.
2001 Mercedes Benz E320 electrical problems
13 complaints (34% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 110,000.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 34%
- typical mileage
- 110,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Instrument cluster/panel2
- 12v/24v/48v battery1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Mercedes Benz E320 electrical problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2001 Mercedes Benz E320 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Engine caught on fire while vehicle was idling in park in the driveway. Completely destroyed the vehicle in 10-15 minutes. Fire started under the hood. I believe that there was an electrical problem that induced the fire but unable to be sure. Photos are available if needed. The car was in good maintenance, no engine work had been done recently. Last repair was a transmission fluid replacement after repairing a transmission fluid leak in early december 2018
Ignition and key defects causes car to stop running and stall. Steering wheel locks while car is in motion.
Defective insulation on the wiring for the exterior lighting. It appears this problem is catalyzed by heat. Insulation crumbles and leave bare wire exposed, causing shortage and failure/melting of light socket. Obviously, mercedes benz of north america realized issue but s not compelled to make repairs!
When the brakes were applied to slow down the car water from a cup in the cupholder directly above the center console where the gear shifter is located spilled and seeped down into an electrical circuit board that was located beneath the cup holder. The car came to an abrupt stop and was inoperable. The circuit board short circuited. This was the second time this occurred where liquid was spilled and seeped into the circuit board. I suspect that the location of the circuit would be the same for several model years and is a design flaw in that it makes no sense to locate a circuit board in a place where liquid is likely to be spilled and can cause a short circuit that renders the vehicle inoperable. This is very dangerous as it left the car inoperable in the middle of a 3 lane highway. The driver and passengers were exposed to the possibility of the car being struck by another vehicle on the highway or struck by a vehicle trying to leave the vehicle and seek safety on the side of the highway.
The plastic coating on the wiring for the headlights is coming off leaving exposed copper wires that short out causing headlights, etc. To fail.
The passenger side front low beam headlamp stopped working. We changed the light bulb, but that did not correct the problem. We noted that the socket for the passenger side low beam appeared burnt. We took it to a mechanic who rewired the right front low beam light socket and wire harness. After this initial problem, the driver side high beam headlamp stopped working. We replaced the lamp bulb. We noted that the driver side high beam headlamp socket appeared burnt. We did not replace the driver side high beam headlamp socket. So it does not work. After the above two problems, the driver side rear brake, tail, and parking lamp stopped working. We changed the lamp bulb, but that did not correct the problem. The driver side rear brake, tail, and parking lamp socket did not appear burnt. Instead the lamp was lose and could not be tightened. We used black electric tape to hold the lamp in place, which has worked. However, we must periodically re-tape.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 mercedes benz e 320. The contact stated that the cup holder was too close to the gear shift and when liquid spills into the gear shift, it shuts the vehicle off. When this happened it shorted out the controls on the instrument panel and the vehicle would not start until it dried out. The instrument panel; however, has to be replaced. The failure occurred twice. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 136000.
Turn signal will not turn off. Making a left turn causes the right turn signal to turn on and vice versa.
Tl* - the contact ownsw a 2001 mercedes e320. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in the garage when she started to smell fumes. The contact could not find where the fumes were coming from. She then called the fire department. The fire department found that the vehicle was the cause of the fumes and had caught on fire. Then, they extinguished the fire. The vehicle was a totaled. The contact called the dealership, and they offered no solution and have yet to fully inspect the vehicle to find out the cause of the fire. The fire department stated that an electrical failure was a possible cause of the fire.
Questions about the 2001 Mercedes Benz E320 electrical
Does the 2001 Mercedes Benz E320 have electrical problems?
Owners have filed 13 complaints about the electrical of the 2001 Mercedes Benz E320, 34% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2001 Mercedes Benz E320 electrical problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 110,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Mercedes Benz E320 electrical?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Mercedes Benz E320 have the most electrical problems?
The Mercedes Benz E320 model years with the most electrical complaints are 1995 (89 complaints), 2003 (21 complaints) and 2005 (16 complaints).
Other 2001 Mercedes Benz E320 problems
Airbags 7Transmission 6Lights 5Engine 4Steering 3Suspension 3Acceleration 2Fuel system 2Visibility 2Body 1Brakes 1Driver assistance 1Seat belts 1
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