Mercedes Benz years to avoid

For every Mercedes Benz model, the model years with more than twice that model's typical number of owner complaints, and the years with the fewest. Based on 24,652 owner complaints.

The worst Mercedes Benz model years

Years to avoid from the last 20 model years, with the most owner complaints. The last column shows how far each year is above a typical year of the same Mercedes Benz model.

Car	Complaints	vs typical year	Main problem
2007 Mercedes Benz C230	212	3.9x	Fuel system
2006 Mercedes Benz ML350	172	2.6x	Engine
2008 Mercedes Benz C350	144	2.2x	Electrical
2006 Mercedes Benz C230	116	2.1x	Engine
2007 Mercedes Benz GL450	115	2.1x	Seats

Mercedes Benz models: years to avoid and best years

Amber: more than twice the typical complaints for that model. Green: the years with the fewest complaints among years with enough cars on the road.

Model	Years to avoid	Best years
C300	None stand out
E320	2003 2004 2005
ML320	2001 2002
C230	2006 2007
ML350	2006
E500	2003 2004 2005
E Class	None stand out
S Class	None stand out
C350	2008
SL500	2003
S430	2001
C Class	None stand out
C320	2001 2002
GL450	2007
C280	None stand out
S500	None stand out
CLK320	None stand out
ML500	None stand out
CLK350	None stand out

Questions about the Mercedes Benz years to avoid

What Mercedes Benz years should you avoid?

The Mercedes Benz model years with the most owner complaints, each well above a typical year of the same model, are the 2007 C230 (3.9 times typical, mostly fuel system), the 2006 ML350 (2.6 times typical, mostly engine), the 2008 C350 (2.2 times typical, mostly electrical), the 2006 C230 (2.1 times typical, mostly engine) and the 2007 GL450 (2.1 times typical, mostly seats).

What is the most common problem with Mercedes Benz vehicles?

Across all models, most Mercedes Benz owner complaints are about electrical, fuel system and airbags.

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