IllustrationCAR WAS CRUISING AT 10MPH BEFORE GETTING INTO OUR HOUSE DRIVEWAY, WHEN SMOG CAME UNDER THE HOOD, OPEN HOOD IMMEDIATELY AND NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE ELECTRICAL HARNESS WAS MELTING DOWN, SHUT OFF ENGINE AND DISCONNECTED BATTERY. *TR
1995 Mercedes Benz 320
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 320 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 13 of 29 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports2 fire reports6 injury reports
What owners actually said
29 reportsDURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, MISSING INSULATION WAS DISCOVERED ON WIRING TO A SENSOR IN THE AIR TUBE, VISIBLE OUTSIDE OF TAPE WRAP. I MADE SURE THAT WIRES WERE NOT TOUCHING AND INSULATED THE EXPOSED AREAS AT THE CLIP-ON CONNECTOR TO THE SENSOR. ENGINE MISSFIRE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO FUEL DELIVERY AND INJECTOR CLEANER WAS ADDED TO TANK…
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DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, MISSING INSULATION WAS DISCOVERED ON WIRING TO A SENSOR IN THE AIR TUBE, VISIBLE OUTSIDE OF TAPE WRAP. I MADE SURE THAT WIRES WERE NOT TOUCHING AND INSULATED THE EXPOSED AREAS AT THE CLIP-ON CONNECTOR TO THE SENSOR. ENGINE MISSFIRE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO FUEL DELIVERY AND INJECTOR CLEANER WAS ADDED TO TANK. DRIVEABILTY CONTINUED TO WORSEN, AS ENGINE MISSFIRE BEGAN TO OCCUR MORE OFTEN. I WAS RECENTLY MADE AWARE OF THE WIRING ISSUES, SO I DECIDED TO REMOVE THE TAPE WRAP ON THE LEAD TO THE SENSOR. THE ENTIRE LENGTH THAT I EXPOSED, HAS CRACKED AND MISSING INSULATION. I THEN STOPPED, AS DISTURBING ANY ADDITIONAL WIRING WILL WORSEN THE PROBLEM. I CHECKED WITH MY LOCAL MERCEDES DEALER REGARDING THIS PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD THAT MERCEDES ISN'T DOING ANYTHING TOWARD FIXING THE DEFECTIVE WIRING, AND THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE DISPOSED OF THEIR VEHICLES OR JUST QUIT DRIVING THEM RATHER THAN SPEND THE MONEY TO HAVE REPAIRS MADE. MY CAR HAS LESS THAN 90,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN GARAGE KEPT. DUE TO THE RISK OF FIRE, NOW IT JUST SITS IN MY DRIVEWAY UNTIL I DECIDE IF I WANT TO HAVE IT HAULED AWAY. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 MERCEDES BENZ 320SL. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED AUTOMOTIVE CENTER WHERE THE COMPUTER WAS REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 MERCEDES BENZ 320SL. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED AUTOMOTIVE CENTER WHERE THE COMPUTER WAS REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 50,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 MERCEDES BENZ 320SL. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME AND HAVE IT TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE COMPUTER IN THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXI…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 MERCEDES BENZ 320SL. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME AND HAVE IT TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE COMPUTER IN THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 50,000.
THE ENGINE WIRE HARNESS IN THE CAR IS KNOW NOT GOOD THAT COULD CAUSE FIRE IN THE CAR. BENZ SHOULD REPAIR IT AT NO CHARGE. *TR
WHILE DRIVING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MERCEDES DEALER. I WAS TOLD THE LIGHT CAME ON DUE TO A "BAD" WIRING HARNESS. COST TO REPAIR WAS $1,500.00. WAS TOLD IF THE REPAIRS WERE NOT DONE THE VEHICLE MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE PROBLEMS. PRIOR TO SPENDING THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE WE…
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WHILE DRIVING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MERCEDES DEALER. I WAS TOLD THE LIGHT CAME ON DUE TO A "BAD" WIRING HARNESS. COST TO REPAIR WAS $1,500.00. WAS TOLD IF THE REPAIRS WERE NOT DONE THE VEHICLE MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE PROBLEMS. PRIOR TO SPENDING THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE WEB AND FIND THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REGARDING 1991-1996 WIRING HARNESSES. I BELIEVE AN IN DEPTH ANALYSIS OF THE VAST NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS WOULD CLEARLY INDICATE MERCEDES SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR
WIRING HARNESS WAS NOTICED TO BE DAMAGED DURING SERVICE AT MERCEDES SERVICE CENTER AND WAS REPLACED. EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE PART AND WAS TOLD BY REPAIR FACILITY THAT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM. HFM CONTROL UNIT IS NOW DAMAGED, ANOTHER VERY EXPENSIVE PART, AND WAS TOLD THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY THE DEFECTIVE WIRING HARNESS. *TR
ENGINE WIRING HARNESS DETERIORATED TO THE POINT OF CAUSING UNEVEN IDLE AND ENGINE SPEED. *TR
FAILURE OF ENGINE WIRE HARNESS ON 1995 E320 MERCEDES BENZ. APPARENTLY DUE TO INFERIOR WIRE. HEAT DESTROYED SOME BUT NOT ALL WIRES. TOTAL ELECTRONIC FAILURE AND NO USE OF THE VEHICLE! QUOTES TO REPAIR (MERCEDES) FROM $2,000 TO $3,700. *TR
HIGH STATIC ELECTRICITY SHOCK. VEHICLE SHOCKS AFTER ENGINE IS TURNED OFF WHEN BODY CHASSIS IS TOUCHED. *JB
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.