Airbag complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 6 | 15% | 84,000 miles |
| 2005 | 22 | 10% | 50,000 miles |
| 2004 | 6 | 3% | 135,000 miles |
| 2003 | 19 | 9% | 95,000 miles |
| 2002 | 3 | 13% | 90,000 miles |
| 2001 | 7 | 18% | 135,000 miles |
| 2000 | 12 | 27% | 163,000 miles |
| 1999 | 17 | 20% | 125,000 miles |
| 1998 | 3 | 8% | 128,000 miles |
| 1997 | 7 | 11% | 130,000 miles |
| 1996 | 5 | 11% | 93,000 miles |
| 1995 | 2 | 2% | 307,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I was involved in an accident sat. April 9, 2016. I struck another vehicle that was stopped dead still in the road. My air bags did not deploy . I was traveling at a speed over 30 miles an hour but less than 45 MPH and the impact was dead on, no glancing blow. The accident happened on a state highway about 10 p.m.
My airbags self deployed while I was driving. I had just left work and driving northbound on the west sam houston tollway approaching the toll station at highway speeds. There was an incredibly loud explosion and and hard percussion as the airbags self deployed while I was driving. I thought I had been punched or shot in the gut. The passenger side curtain dropped down and the right rear passenger side door bag deployed. The seatbelt around my waist and shoulder tightened. Fortunately, I kept it together and drove directly to the dealership. I had not hit anything, run over a pothole, swerved or otherwise make any sudden direction change. I was immediately called by an operator on the Mercedes emergency system within the car. So Mercedes is aware of the incident at the time it happened. She asked if I needed an ambulance or police. …
The driver of the Mercedes was traveling east on interstate 80 in a rural area of california. The driver claims to have fallen asleep while driving the vehicle and allowed the vehicle to leave the south side of the freeway while traversing a left curve in the roadway. The vehicle launched off a slight downhill embankment south of the roadway and the vehicle traversed an undulated vegetative area prior to striking a large diameter tree with the front of the vehicle. The impact was right of the center of the front of the vehicle. The driver and front passenger were wearing their type-2 safety belts. After striking the tree, the vehicle overturned onto its left side and came to rest on its roof. The driver front and side-curtain airbags deployed as did the front passenger side-curtain airbag. The front passenger front airbag did not deploy. …
Tl* Takata recall. The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320. While the contact was driving at a low rate of speed, another vehicle switched lanes into the path of the contact's vehicle. The contact swerved to the right and crashed into a curb to avoid the other vehicle. Some of the air bags deployed. Smoke appeared inside and outside the front passenger side of the vehicle. There were no injuries. The insurance company towed the vehicle to a facility. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was not available.
Back air bag behind driver lost air while driving. Took in to repair they thought it was air line. They repaired but same thing happened leaving repair shop at an intersection. All the light turned on to stop driving just like before. I towed back to shop.they said the whole system needed to all be replaced.my only reason to file this is the fear I had of getting hurt or hurting other by my vehicle just being undrivable while in motion on major intsection.this problem occured before but always when leaving my home so id just wait for the air suspension self correct. Which it had before.I was only going 15mpg or so when it gave out I was approching my right hand turn. We are available to help with more details and documentation if needed.
Driving on the freeway, 61 MPH, start raining hard, pouring, car slipped, turned and hit the wall on the side of the freeway heads on straight. Got hit by another car on the side, after couple of turns, it stopped on the middle of the freeway. Couple of side air bags deployed, the most important ones, the front air bags, driver and passenger side did not deployed.
Tl* the contact owned a 2004 Mercedes-Benz E320. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle crashed into the rear of a second vehicle. The front end was severely damaged, but the air bag did not deploy. The driver sustained chest and torso injuries, which required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was 193,000.
This vehicle is equipped with sensotronic brake control that has a service threshold. When this threshold is reached the brake system defaults to non power assisted hydraulic mode to the front wheels only. This occurs without any prior warning and results in increased stopping distance. I do believe that this issue is relayed in the Mercedes service bulletin s142.46-p-0012a which addresses this issue. Mercedes stopped installing this system in 2006.I purchased the vehicle in December of 2007 as a used vehicle with aprox. 40,000 miles. I have not been sent anything from mbenz notifying of this issue.vehicle put in shop 4-16-20015 at Mercedes. Diagnosis was faulty sbc pump system at a cost for repair $2400.00. …
NHTSA investigations
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…
Frequently asked questions
Which Mercedes-Benz E320 years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2005 (22), 2003 (19), 1999 (17), 2000 (12) and 1997 (7) model years. Airbag complaints make up 10% of all complaints for the 2005.
Is there a recall for Mercedes-Benz E320 airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for any Mercedes-Benz E320 model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Mercedes-Benz E320 airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 111,000 miles; 17% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the frontal (17 mentions), followed by the side/window (8).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.