Model Year Index

Which Mercedes-Benz E-Class years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2017, 2014 and 2016 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Mercedes-Benz E-Class Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2017 vs model median 2.7×
Model median3× median
Airbags & Restraints 18
Electrical 14
Engine 9
Avoid

2014 · 2017

Best

2020 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
1.13× 33 C
2011
0.86× 28 C
2012
0.74× 27 C
2013
0.95× 36 C
2014
2.56× 89 F
2015
1.07× 32 D
2016
1.19× 53 D
2017
2.70× 94 F
2018
1.02× 38 C
2019
0.98× 41 C
2020
0.41× 11 B
2021
0.61× 23 C
2022 P
0.59× 26 B
2023 P
0.98× 31 C
2024 P
0.23× 13 A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2014 F 89 reports · median 7,750 mi

  1. Body & Interior 13

    My husband and I just purchased a 2014 mercedes e 350 convertible and the first time I placed a standard size water bottle in the cup holder it fell under the pedals on the first turn. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Tires & Wheels 13

    The vehicle was serviced on 11/27/13. On 12/2/13 pulling away from a stop sign there was a loud pop and sudden drop to the car. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 9

    Collision prevention assist presents false positives (dash indicator lights and beeps) when passing cars in adjacent lane on left. This has happened at least twice a month when driving in heavy traffic. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

8 crash · 3 fire · 6 injuries

2017 F 94 reports · median 18,700 mi

  1. Airbags & Restraints 18

    The contact owns a 2017 mercedes-benz e400. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17v627000 (air bags); however, the part needed for the repair was not available. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 14

    Takata recall. The contact owns a 2017 mercedes-benz e300. While driving approximately 71 MPH, the brakes screeched and the vehicle shook and then shut off in the middle of the highway. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Engine 9

    After about 1-2 mikes of driving my 2017 mb e300 started jerking and engine light came on when I drove toward the first lane for a left turn on a busy highway intersection. I also found the gear was changed to neutral. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

1 crash · 7 fire · 4 injuries

The best year for the E-Class

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2020 is the best-scoring E-Class model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 74.7 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2020 0.41× 11 B
2021 0.61× 23 C
2012 0.74× 27 C

Recalls

56 campaigns on record.

Treat that as a minimum. NHTSA's lookup does not answer to this model's published name, so its campaigns are collected one trim at a time and the list may be short of the full count.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
21V058000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 2017–2021 1,292,258
16V081000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010, 2011 711,159
17V627000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL 2012–2017 495,290
21V354000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2021 343,191
17V114000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY 2017 307,629
19V010000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2011–2017 288,779
16V363000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010, 2011 258,163
22V365000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 2019–2021 242,722
15V088000 STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD 2013–2015 147,224
23V445000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP 2022, 2023 143,551
18V043000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010, 2013 132,167
22V232000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION 2019, 2020 126,443

+ 44 further campaigns

Recall work is free at any franchised dealer, whoever owns the car and however old it is. Check a specific car’s VIN on NHTSA’s register before you buy — an unrepaired campaign is among the most commonly missed items on a used vehicle.

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2017 were reported at a median of 18,700 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Mercedes-Benz E-Class years should you avoid?
2017, 2014, 2016 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Mercedes-Benz E-Class model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Mercedes-Benz E-Class?
2020 is the best-scoring Mercedes-Benz E-Class model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 74.7 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Mercedes-Benz E-Class have?
At least 56 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Mercedes-Benz E-Class model years — a minimum, because NHTSA's lookup does not answer to this model's published name and its campaigns have to be collected one trim at a time. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2017 E-Class
Complaints in window
94
Severity-weighted
154
Model median (weighted)
57
vs model median
2.70×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
8
Open investigations
1
Score 14.1 F