IllustrationMY 1994 MERCEDES-BENZ S320 HAS A DEFECTIVE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS. IT IS FALLING APART BEING THAT IT WAS CONSTRUCTED USING BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS. IT IS CAUSING MANY, MANY, PROBLEMS WITH ENGINE MISFIRING, SMOKING / BARE WIRES, ETC. *TR
1994 Mercedes Benz 320
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 320 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
20–25K
025–50K
450–75K
275–100K
12100–150K
12150K+
32 reports with mileage · 17 unknown
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.
- Electrical System. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
42 reportsA/C AND ALL ITEMS ON FUSE #7 QUIT WORKING. CAR SKIPPED AND WOULD JUST DIE. CHECKED WIRING AND FOUND WIRES CRACKED. ALL WIRES IN HARNESS CRACKED AND LOOKED OVERHEATED. WIRING HARNESS REPLACED BY NEW OWNER. *TR
ENGINE WIRING HARNESS IS MADE OF BIODEGRADABLE MATERIAL THAT HAS CAUSED MASSIVE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WHEN IT DISINTEGRATED. *TR
1994 MERCEDES E320 WIRING HARNESS DETERIORATION, CRACKING REPLACEMENT WILL BE $2,000. *TR
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY CAR JUST STOPPED. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO BECK MERCEDES BENZ, A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS CONDUCTED, I WAS TO THE WIRING HARNESS HAD BROKEN COMPLETELY INTO. THE HARNESS WIRES WERE QUOTED AS BEING ROTTED. COST IS OVER $2,000.00 TO REPAIR. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. AFTER QUESTIONING HOW COULD TH…
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I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY CAR JUST STOPPED. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO BECK MERCEDES BENZ, A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS CONDUCTED, I WAS TO THE WIRING HARNESS HAD BROKEN COMPLETELY INTO. THE HARNESS WIRES WERE QUOTED AS BEING ROTTED. COST IS OVER $2,000.00 TO REPAIR. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. AFTER QUESTIONING HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN I WAS GIVEN NO ANSWERS. *TR
WIRE HARNESS FAILURE OUTER SHEATH IS MISSING AND EXPOSED INSULATION IS BRITTLE. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS COMMON WITH THE MERCEDES VEHICLES BETWEEN '93 - '95. WHEN WILL THE COMPANY STAND UP AND ADMIT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM. I GUESS SOMETIMES IT TAKES A ACCIDENT WITH LIVES LOST AND LAWSUIT BEFORE ANYONE WILL ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM. …
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WIRE HARNESS FAILURE OUTER SHEATH IS MISSING AND EXPOSED INSULATION IS BRITTLE. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS COMMON WITH THE MERCEDES VEHICLES BETWEEN '93 - '95. WHEN WILL THE COMPANY STAND UP AND ADMIT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM. I GUESS SOMETIMES IT TAKES A ACCIDENT WITH LIVES LOST AND LAWSUIT BEFORE ANYONE WILL ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM. *TR
THE WIRING HARNESS IS DEFECTIVE. ALL THE INSULATION AROUND EACH WIRE HAS DISINTEGRATED. THE CAR DIED AS I PULLED INTO HEAVY TRAFFIC. I AM TOLD THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THAT YEAR MERCEDES AND THAT THE MFGR. WILL NOT ADMIT THERE HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE WIRE INSULATION. *TR
MY WIFE OWNS A 1994 E320 THAT HAS ONLY 19,000 MILES ON IT. DURING A ROUTINE INSPECTION AFTER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS WAS DETERIORATED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. 91-96 MERCEDES BENZ ARE ALL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND MY CAR ONLY HAS 19,000 MILES. *TR
A YEAR OR TWO AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED(MAY, 1995) I OBSERVED AN OIL LEAK. I BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE DEALER BACK THEN, AND WAS TOLD ESSENTIALLY THAT ALL CARS LEAK OIL AND THAT THIS LEAK WAS MINOR. OVER THE YEARS IT HAS BEEN GETTING MORE PRONOUNCED, NOW LEAKING ON THE EXHAUST CAUSING SMOKE. RECENTLY I STOPPE…
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A YEAR OR TWO AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED(MAY, 1995) I OBSERVED AN OIL LEAK. I BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE DEALER BACK THEN, AND WAS TOLD ESSENTIALLY THAT ALL CARS LEAK OIL AND THAT THIS LEAK WAS MINOR. OVER THE YEARS IT HAS BEEN GETTING MORE PRONOUNCED, NOW LEAKING ON THE EXHAUST CAUSING SMOKE. RECENTLY I STOPPED GOING TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE, NOW TO AN INDEPENDENT MERCEDES SPECIALIST. THEY TELL ME THAT THIS OIL LEAK IS FROM THE HEADGASKET, A VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON THE W124 CHASSIS (E320 MODEL). FURTHER INVESTIGATION ON MY PART REVEALS THIS PROBLEM TO BE A COMMONLY REPORTED ISSUE, AND WAS FIXED ON THE NEXT MODEL BY BOLSTERING THE HEADGASKET IN A CERTAIN AREA. IN REPAIRING THE HEADGASKET THE CYLINDER HEAD HAS TO BE REMOVED AND THE ENGINE HARNESS DISCONNECTED. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE THE INSULATION ON THE ENGINE HARNESS IS ALREADY CRACKING AND FALLING OFF, EXPOSING THE METAL WIRES. THE ENGINE HARNESS WILL BE COMPLETELY DESTROYED WHEN IT IS MANIPULATED TO DISCONNECT IT. I ALSO IDENTIFIED FROM MY RESEARCH THAT THE INSULATION ON THE ENGINE HARNESS WAS MADE FROM BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS, NOW HOW SMART WAS THAT? NOW I'LL HAVE A $4-5000 REPAIR BILL ON TWO COMMON PROBLEMS WHICH MERCEDES DENIES EVEN EXISTS ON THIS MODEL CAR. IF I DON'T FIX IT, THEN I RUN THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL FIRE FROM THE HARNESS, AND THE RISK OF ENGINE FIRE FROM THE HEADGASKET LEAK, OR SOME CATROSTROPIC COMBINATION OF BOTH. THE ENGINE HARNESS WAS ALSO REPLACED ONCE IN 1998, AFTER IT FAILED ON A 500 MILE ROUND TRIP. *TR
A/C AND ELECTRICAL FAILURES DUE TO WIRE INSULATION CRACKING. A KNOWN DEFECT. *JB
Official recalls
196V175000 · Visibility
Sep 19, 1996
IF ONE OF THE HEADLAMP WIPER ARMS BECOMES MISALIGNED, THE WIPER BALDE CAN LODGE IN THE GROOVE UNDER THE HEADLAMP. IF THE WASHERS ARE ACTIVATED WITH THE WIPER BLADE IN THE MISALIGNED AND LODGED POSITION, THE WASHER PUMP WILL RUN CONTINUOUSLY EXPELLING ALL AVAILABLE FLUID.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: PUMP OPERATION IN THE ABSENCE OF FLUID CAN CAUSE THE PUMP TO OVERHEAT AND CAUSE A VEHICLE FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HEADLAMP WASHER PUMP ON THESE VEHICLES.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.