IllustrationWHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH AND WHEN MAKING A SUDDEN STOP AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT ANY INDICATION, CAUSING INJURY TO CONSUMER'S FACE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
1998 Mercedes Benz 400
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 400 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 0 of 2 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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.
- Air Bags. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
What owners actually said
2 reportsI HAVE A MERCEDES S420 AND HAVE HAD A CONTINUING PROBLEM WITH BAD FUMES IN THE CAR THAT ARE MAKING MY WHOLE FAMILY REALLY SICK. THE PROBLEM STARTED WHEN WE FIRST GOT THE CAR AND RECENTLY HAS BECOME SO BAD THAT I HAVE HAD TO GET AN INHAILER FROM MY DOCTOR TO BREATHE. WE HAD IT AT THE DEALER WHEN WE FIRST GOT IT AND 3 TIMES FOR …
Read full complaint
I HAVE A MERCEDES S420 AND HAVE HAD A CONTINUING PROBLEM WITH BAD FUMES IN THE CAR THAT ARE MAKING MY WHOLE FAMILY REALLY SICK. THE PROBLEM STARTED WHEN WE FIRST GOT THE CAR AND RECENTLY HAS BECOME SO BAD THAT I HAVE HAD TO GET AN INHAILER FROM MY DOCTOR TO BREATHE. WE HAD IT AT THE DEALER WHEN WE FIRST GOT IT AND 3 TIMES FOR MANY DAYS AT A TIME RECENTLY AND COMPLAINED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS COMING ON BUT THEY SAID THEY DID NOT THINK THERE WAS A PROBLEM. WE ARE GETTING REALLY SICK WITH OUR EYES BURNING SO WE HAD THE CAR LOOKED AT BCERTIFIED MECHANICS WHO SAID THE "HEAT COIL" IS BAD AND LOOKS LIKE IT MAY BE DEFECTIVE CAUSING COOLANT DRIP OUT AND BURN AND CAUSING FUMES IN THE CAR THAT COULD BE MAKING US SICK. THIS MAY BE A PROBLEM FROM WHEN WE FIRST GOT THE CAR. THE "HEAT SHIELD" ON THE FLOOR OF THE CAR MAY BE DEFECTIVE ALSO SO HEAT AND FUMES FROM THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER MAY BE COMING IN THE CAR TOO. MY LUNGS HAVE BEEN SEVERELY DAMAGED AND WE ARE HAVING GREAT DIFFICULTY WITH THE MERCEDES DEALER GETTING THEM TO HELP US. I JUST WANT HELP FIXING THE CAR AND DO NOT CARE ABOUT COST AND FEEL THEY DON'T WANT TO FIX IT BECAUSE IT IS UNDER WARRANTY BUT MY LUNGS HAVE BEEN SEVERELY DAMAGED AND I JUST DON'T WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO BE HARMED FROM FUMES EITHER AND THOUGHT IT MAY BE HELPFUL FOR YOU TO KNOW IN CASE THERE ARE REAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS MERCEDES MODEL. I HAVE ALWAYS HAD TROUBLE BREATHING IN IT AND RECENTLY IT BECAME SO BAD MY DOCTOR TOLD ME NOT TO RIDE IN THE CAR. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THERE IS ANY WAY TO GET THE CAR TESTED FOR DANGEROUS FUMES OR ANYTHING YOU MAY RECOMMEND IF THIS MERCEDES MODEL HAS HAD PROBLEMS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP AND I REALLY WANT TO HELP PREVENT OTHER PEOPLE FROM GETTING SICK IF IT IS A DEFECT THAT CAN HURT PEOPLE'S LUNGS AND BREATHING. THANK YOU. PATRICIA BORLAND. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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.