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1989 Mercedes Benz 560

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

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: 1 of 7 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.

  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

1 reports
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178,013 miles · Jun 20, 2007
Electrical SystemFire

MANY OF THE COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ ARE ABOUT EARLY 1990 W124, W126,W140,W201 AND W202 MODELS. MY COMPLAINT WAS REGARDING AN ELECTRICAL MELTDOWN THAT OCCURRED ON THE 1989 560 SEL W126 LAST FRIDAY. I RECENTLY BOUGHT A SECOND CAR AND NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE HAD A LUMP OR A SURGE AT IDLE AND AT OPERATING SPEED. I THOUGHT SINCE THE…

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MANY OF THE COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ ARE ABOUT EARLY 1990 W124, W126,W140,W201 AND W202 MODELS. MY COMPLAINT WAS REGARDING AN ELECTRICAL MELTDOWN THAT OCCURRED ON THE 1989 560 SEL W126 LAST FRIDAY. I RECENTLY BOUGHT A SECOND CAR AND NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE HAD A LUMP OR A SURGE AT IDLE AND AT OPERATING SPEED. I THOUGHT SINCE THE CAR SAT FOR A WHILE BEFORE I BOUGHT IT THE PROBLEM WAS FUEL RELATED. I TOOK THE CAR TO REPAIR SHOP FOR A NEW FUEL FILTER. TWO DAYS AFTER I BOUGHT IT THE CAR WAS RETURNED AND IT WAS RUNNING FINE UNTIL I STARTED GETTING THE LUMPY IDLE AND SURGE AT SPEED. MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE CAR NEEDED TO BE DRIVEN. I DID JUST THAT, AND TOOK THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY WHICH DID NOT CURE THE PROBLEM. I NOTICED THAT WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR SEEMED TO BLACK OUT TEMPORARILY, CUTTING IGNITION AND FUEL, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS A FLUKE AND CONTINUED DRIVING. WHEN MAKING A TURN LATER INTO THE GAS STATION THE CAR BLACKED OUT COMPLETELY AND SMOKE EMERGED FROM THE RIGHT FRONT OF THE CAR. I OPENED THE HOOD AND THE WIRING WAS ON FIRE. I IMMEDIATELY PUT OUT THE BLAZE AND HAD THE CAR TAKEN BACK TO THE REPAIR SHOP. AS OF NOW MY MECHANIC WAS GETTING A WIRING DIAGRAM OF THE CAR, AND WILL BE INVESTIGATING WHAT HAPPENED SO I COULD REPORT THIS TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY. I AM NOT SURE WHAT THE CAUSE E WAS, BUT WE WERE LEANING TOWARD A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS. ALTHOUGH IT HAD OVER 150,000 MILES, I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN. ONE WOULD AN ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, BUT NOT SOMETHING LIKE THIS. IF I WERE ON THE INTERSTATE, WHERE I WAS DRIVING PRIOR TO THE FIRE, I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED, AND I COULD HAVE LOST THE CAR ALTOGETHER. I AM NOT SURE IF STATE FARM WILL COVER THIS, BUT I PLAN TO USE THIS DATA WHEN TALKING TO THE CLAIM REPRESENTATIVE SHOULD I NEED TO FILE A CLAIM, WHICH I WILL KNOW AFTER SEEING AN ESTIMATE OF THE REPAIRS. *AK

NHTSA ODI #10193868

Official recalls

0

No 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.