IllustrationCAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER, DROVE HOME AT VERY REDUCED SPEED. MECHANIC DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS, A COMMON DEFECT ON THIS MODEL CAR 1992 MERCEDES BENZ 500E. *JB
1992 Mercedes Benz 500
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 500 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: 10 of 15 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Equipment. 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 reports1 fire reports0 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
13 reportsFAULTY WIRING IN THE ENGINE BAY. THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS IS DISENTIGRATING FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN AGE. AS A RESULT, THE ENGINE IS STARTING TO EXIBIT STALLING ISSUES AND ROUGH RUNNING, ALSO FAULT CODES ARE PRODUCED ON THE CAR COMPUTER.
INTERMITTENT STALLING. *AK
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.