AutoUtility currently tracks 166 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 38 complaints (22.9% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 3 filings cite a crash, 3 cite a fire, 8 report one or more injuries. The 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class belongs to the 5th Generation (W213) platform.

Key Problem Findings
  • • Total NHTSA Complaints: 166 reports
  • • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (38 reports • 22.9% of submitted complaints)
  • • Secondary Problem Areas: Fuel & Propulsion System (28), Electrical System (27)
  • • Crash-Citing Complaints: 3 filings
  • • Fire-Citing Complaints: 3 filings
  • • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 8 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
166
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
3
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
3
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
8
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 22.9% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

38 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
🔥 2 fire reports
#2 Problem Area 16.9% of complaints

Fuel & Propulsion System

28 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#3 Problem Area 16.3% of complaints

Electrical System

27 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 3 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
🔥 2 fire reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
#4 Problem Area 13.3% of complaints

Air Bags & Restraints

22 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 3 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
🩹 1 injury report entry
#5 Problem Area 9.6% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

16 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 3% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

5 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Fuel & Propulsion System 2.4% of complaints

Fuel Pump Failure / Fuel Leak & Odor

4 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11754872
Filed: 08/04/2026

"My vehicle has about 68k miles, while driving on freeway all of sudden the car engine started to shake and check engine light came on dashboard. This engine shaking would stop when vehicle was being driven at high speed. Upon returning home I checked the DTC codes and had P300, P301 engine misfire..."

Incident Date: 07/28/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Electrical System NHTSA ODI ID: #11737905
Filed: 05/14/2026

"Sunroof glass shattered water got in the car"

Incident Date: 05/06/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11735276
Filed: 05/02/2026

"There is a recall on my year model 2017 Mercedes E3 hundred 4matic for the steering column shift module, but I’m being told that my specific vin was not included, but it is having the exact issues as the recall while driving the shift lever will not leave drive to go into reverse. It will only go..."

Incident Date: 02/11/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA ODI ID: #11734140
Filed: 04/27/2026

"Code P052E after oil changed. seems to happen often judging my forums."

Incident Date: 04/24/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11732941
Filed: 04/22/2026

"My car is not accelerating when I shift into drive or reverse. It says “reversing not possile-service required” error. Out the blue. There is a known recall on these model cars but Mercedes benz is saying its vin specific and mine is not covered even though I am experiencing the exact same issue...."

Incident Date: 04/21/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 57 5 6 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 89 6 5 View 2016 Problems →
2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Current Page 166 3 20 Current
2018 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 66 2 6 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 54 4 20 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 20 0 14 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 25 0 18 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 21 2 8 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 24 0 5 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 25 3 0 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2 0 2 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 0 0 0 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 59 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 26 0 1 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 16 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 16 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 11 1 0 1 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 10 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 10 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 5 0 0 2 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 1 0 3 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 4 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 4 1 0 1 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 2 0 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT 2 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 2 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,COMMUNICATION 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 1 0 0 3 0
SERVICE BRAKES,PARKING BRAKE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (166). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Related Official Reports for 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year

Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.