There has not been an incident report, however, my brakes failed while driving and I pulled over. This is the fault the SBC System which has an Extended 25 year warranty. I brought it into Mercedes prior to complete failure, but they only replace the Pressure Reservoir. It must be returned to Mercedes for the SBC UNIT replacement.
The worst 2005 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.
- Fuel system122
- Brakes54
- Airbags22
- Engine17
- Electrical16
- Transmission10
- Steering6
- Suspension6
- Visibility5
- Acceleration4
- Seat belts3
- Tires3
- Driver assistance2
- Lights2
- Seats2
- Body1
- Locks1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320
Fuel smell 74Fuel leak 39Fuel gauge 25Brake failure 20Airbag light 13Check engine light 13Fuel pump 11ABS 5Stalling 5
Trouble codes owners of the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 mention
C25D5 2
Recalls 3
Visibility: sun/moon roof assembly
- What is wrong
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2001-2011 C-Class, CLK, E-Class, and CLS vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models and model years. The glass sunroof panel may not be properly secured and can detach.
- Risk
- A detached sunroof panel can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the sunroof panel as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2025. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1‑800‑367‑6372. This recall is an expansion of previous the federal safety agency recall number 22V‑954. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2024120001/2/3.
Recall number 24V874000 · Recall details
Visibility: sun/moon roof assembly
- What is wrong
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2001-2011 C-Class, CLK, E-Class, and CLS vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle model details. The glass sunroof panel may not be properly secured and may detach.
- Risk
- A detached sunroof panel may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the sunroof panel as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 3, 2023. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1‑800‑367‑6372. This recall expands the federal safety agency recall number 19V‑918. MBUSA's numbers for this recall are 2023010004, 2023010005, and 2023010006.
Recall number 22V954000 · Recall details
Visibility: sun/moon roof assembly
- What is wrong
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2001-2011 vehicles. The bonding between the glass panel and the sliding roof frame may deteriorate, possibly resulting in the glass panel detaching from the vehicle. For a full list of the affected models visit:
- Risk
- A detached glass panel can separate from the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the glass panel bonding and replace the sliding roof, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 10, 2020. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1‑800‑367‑6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2020040011.
Recall number 19V918000 · Recall details
See all 3 recalls for the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320
Defect investigations
Fuel Leakage From The Fuel Tank
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation on January 23, 2012 as PE12-001 based on 20 consumer reports in model year (MY) 2003-2006 E55 AMG vehicles.Based on new reports in other E-Class vehicles, ODI upgraded the investigation to Engineering Analysis (EA) 13-003 on March 15, 2013, and expanded the scope to all E-Class vehicles through MY 2008.The complainants alleged a strong odor of gasoline fuel both inside and outside of their vehicle, particularly after refilling the fuel tank.Many of the complainants noted that the odor subsided or went away after driving some distance thereby lowering the fuel level in the tank.Other owners reported they would only fill the tank to about three quarters full to avoid the odor altogether.Some complainants alleged fuel leaked from the fuel filter/sender, located on the top of the fuel tank on the driver's side, and collected on top of the tank.There were also allegations that the fuel leaks were associated with an Emissions Recall Campaign (No. 2008020001) conducted by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (Mercedes) in 2008 on MY 2003-2006 E-Class and CLS-Class AMG models.The issue in the recall involved small cracks in the pressurized outlet fitting of the fuel filter/sender.AMG vehicles are high performance models that operate at higher fuel pressure and use a different fuel filter/sender and fuel pump than non-AMG models.Information on Recall No. 2008020001 is available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website at www.EPA.gov.ODI's investigation found various leak sources that are unrelated to the outlet fitting cited in the EPA recall campaign.Through interviews with complainants, field inspections of complaint vehicles, and the collection and laboratory analysis of failed parts, three identifiable leak sources were found.The component parts and areas of the leaks involve the On-Board Diagnostic fuel tank pressure sensor (located on top of the fuel filter/sender), the outlet of the centrally mounted fuel tank fuel filling limiter valve, and the top of the fuel pump. These areas of leakage are located at the top of the fuel tank in unpressurized parts of the fuel system. When the tank is full, fuel can slowly weep/seep from micro-cracks in these components and may collect in cavities on top of the filter/sender, pump, or tank.Contrary to complainant's allegations that fuel entered the inside of their vehicle under the rear seat bench, neither ODI nor Mercedes found a plausible way for this to occur.The fuel tank is located outside of the passenger compartment, attached to the underside of the vehicle.The service access ports for the fuel filter/sender (driver's side) and fuel pump (passenger's side) are located under the rear seat bench, covered by a steel plate, sealed and bolted to the vehicle floor.When technicians service the fuel filter/sender, which has a regularly scheduled 60,000 mile service interval, and/or the fuel pump, the work is performed from inside the vehicle by working through the access ports.By letter dated September 4, 2014, Mercedes has notified the agency that it will extend the original warranty coverage to 15 years and unlimited mileage on Covered Fuel Tank Components in E-Class vehicles in MY 2003-2009 and CLS-Class vehicles in MY 2006-2011.The covered fuel tank components for the warranty extension include the fuel tank, fuel filter/sender, fuel pump, and all related gaskets/seals and retention rings.ODI is closing this investigation based on the manufacturer's extend warranty of the affected fuel system components and in consideration that the nature of the leaks does not appear to present an un
EA13003
Driver Air Bag Circuit High Resistance
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) has reported a high number of warranty claims for air bag warning lamp illumination due to a diagnostic fault code 9103 or 9123 indicating a high resistance in the driver's frontal air bag firing circuit.MBUSA's testing and evaluation have shown that this condition is the result of a faulty connector (specifically, improper wire crimp) but that it will not prevent proper deployment of the driver's frontal air bag.The faulty connector can cause the air bag circuit resistance levels to exceed the threshold that illuminates the air bag warning lamp, but they do not exceed a higher limit at which proper deployment of the air bag may no longer occur.The agency believes that further expenditure of agency resources does not appear to be warranted at this time.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.The agency will monitor the issue and reserves the right to take future action if warranted by the circumstances.During the investigation, ODI learned that MBUSA will initiate a warranty extension program to address the faulty connectors in subject model year 2005 and 2006 E-Class and other MBUSA model/model year vehicles.This action will extend the warranty coverage for this issue to 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first.MBUSA will notify all affected vehicle owners of this action.A bulletin describing this program is available in the investigative file.
PE10017
Technical service bulletins for the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 95
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- The warranty on the SBC Hydraulic Unit for MY 2003-2006 Model 211, MY 2006 Model 219, and Model Year...
- In our continuing efforts to enhance the satisfaction of our customers, Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) has...
- Repeat workshop visit for vehicle vibration while braking from 60MPH. NOTE: Although the symptom is...
- Clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
- There are several types of complaint about noises or poor windshield wiper wiping performance: A: Wiper...
- Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged
- Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged
- Headlamps leaking or fogged
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
2005 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 | 26 | 20 |
What 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V954000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated she had trapped her finger in the sunroof. The contact stated that the sunroof was loose. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.
A warning in Red came up on the dashboard which said something like "catastrophic break failure" ..I was going slow about to stop at the Red light and the brakes did not work and I hit a mini van
car break looses 70% of its pressure and only left with 30% break. It happened 3-4 times already. break booster malfunction sign comes up. When i restart the car, malfunction sign goes away and it run ok for few days till it happen again. I am not driving it right now. it can cause serious accident at high speed
Break booster malfunction sign popped up 3-4 time while driving and I lost 70% of the break. Luckily it happened on local road at speed under 30mph. It is very dangerous and can result in an accident
While driving in highway, SBC brake failure warning and failure. Fortunate to be able to come to a stop without crashing into a car ahead since had plenty of time and distance to slowly come to a stop even with reduced braking power. If traveling in rush hour would likely have rear ended a stopped car in front and potentially causing serious injury and damage! This is a known issue with Mercedes, and there is an extended 25 year warranty on the vehicle but for some reason, my vehicle was not included in the recall: the federal safety agency CAMPAIGN ID: 04V296000 2005 Mercedes e320 automatic sedan. I had the dealer replace parts of the the SBA brake unit once, but it has since reappeared on an intermittent basis usually during cold start and then it goes away in a few seconds while pulling out of a driveway, but this time it occurred after having driven for awhile on a freeway Please investigate to include additionally affected vehicles!!!
Brake warning lights flashed and brakes failed
Please see this discussion... 2005 Mercedes E320 SBC brake system should be recalled. Thanks for considering!
Instrument panel not working for last couple of months or longer did not drive for several weeks before
The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320. The contact received a recall notification for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V918000 (Visibility) however, the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Compare the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320
Other model years
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Questions about the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320
Is the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 reliable?
Owners have filed 231 complaints about the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320, 6.1 times a typical E320 model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.
What is the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 year score?
The 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 scores 7 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the Mercedes Benz E320: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320?
Fuel and propulsion system, with 122 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles. Next is brakes (54).
How many recalls does the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 have?
3 recalls, covering visibility.
What year does the Mercedes Benz E320 have the most fuel system problems?
The Mercedes Benz E320 model years with the most fuel system complaints are 2005 (122 complaints), 2004 (117 complaints) and 2003 (88 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 get?
Official estimates for the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 range from 20 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.2L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 18 city and 26 highway.
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