Mercedes-Benz 280 Recalls & Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 95 owner complaints across 11 model years of the Mercedes-Benz 280 (1971–2000). The most-complained-about year is 1995.

Pick your Mercedes-Benz 280 model year

• 1971
• 1972
• 1973
• 1976
• 1994
• 1995
• 1996
• 1997
• 1998
• 1999
• 2000

What Mercedes-Benz 280 owners complain about

Across all model years, owners have filed 95 complaints with NHTSA. The 1995 model year has the most, with 47.

• Electrical system15
• Electrical system: front underhood15
• Electrical system: wiring12
• Engine and engine cooling5
• Vehicle speed control4
• Air bags4
• Engine and engine cooling: engine4
• Air bags: frontal3

All Mercedes-Benz 280 recalls (6)

Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a Mercedes-Benz 280, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.

1. Vehicle speed control

   NHTSA 76V027000 Reported February 17, 1976 15,367 vehicles potentially affected MERCEDES-BENZ USA, INC.

   Model years: 1976

2. Anchorage (seat belts)

   NHTSA 75V054000 Reported April 9, 1975 29,228 vehicles potentially affected MERCEDES-BENZ USA, INC.

   Model years: 1973

3. Injectors (fuel system)

   NHTSA 74V131000 Reported August 19, 1974 8,963 vehicles potentially affected MERCEDES-BENZ USA, INC.

   Model years: 1971, 1972

4. Heater core (visibility)

   NHTSA 73V120000 Reported May 24, 1973 2,800 vehicles potentially affected MERCEDES-BENZ USA, INC.

   Model years: 1973

5. Delivery (fuel system)

   NHTSA 71V168000 Reported September 27, 1971 2,281 vehicles potentially affected MERCEDES-BENZ USA, INC.

   Model years: 1971

6. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (service brakes)

   NHTSA 71V073000 Reported April 30, 1971 16,107 vehicles potentially affected MERCEDES-BENZ USA, INC.

   Model years: 1971

Other Mercedes-Benz models

• C3003,469 complaints
• E3502,170 complaints
• E3201,164 complaints
• ML350952 complaints
• GLK350904 complaints
• ML320742 complaints
• C250726 complaints
• C230657 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.