1989 Mercedes Benz 420

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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2Owner complaints

Model-year median: 3

0Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Engine And Engine Cooling

1 Vehicle Speed Control

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.

Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Vehicle Speed Control. 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.

1 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

1 reports

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Mileage unknown · Oct 11, 2000

Engine And Engine Cooling

PLASTIC FOLLOWER APPARENTLY AGES INDEPENDENT OF MILEAGE. PIECE ON LEFT HEAD BREAKS OFF, FOLLOWS TIMING CHAIN OVER CAM GEAR, LEFT HEAD THEN OUT OF TIME FAILS CATASTOPHICALLY BENDING OR BREAKING ALL VALVES AND SOMETIMES PISTONS. ENGINE HALTS IMMEDIATELY. PROCESS IS DOCUMENTED WITH PICTURES AT WEB SITE HTTP://WWW.IMPORT-CAR.COM/…

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PLASTIC FOLLOWER APPARENTLY AGES INDEPENDENT OF MILEAGE. PIECE ON LEFT HEAD BREAKS OFF, FOLLOWS TIMING CHAIN OVER CAM GEAR, LEFT HEAD THEN OUT OF TIME FAILS CATASTOPHICALLY BENDING OR BREAKING ALL VALVES AND SOMETIMES PISTONS. ENGINE HALTS IMMEDIATELY. PROCESS IS DOCUMENTED WITH PICTURES AT WEB SITE HTTP://WWW.IMPORT-CAR.COM/IC/IC40024.HTM.*AK

NHTSA ODI #734026

Official recalls

0

No 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.