IllustrationVEHICLE BREAKDOWNS. *JB
2001 Mercedes Benz C Class
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 C Class 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
Limited mileage data: 10 of 14 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 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Equipment. Review the 2 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 reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
14 reportsAFTER LEAVING MY 2001 CLK320 MERCEDES AT THE DEALERSHIP I WAS NOTIFIED THAT MY BRAKE SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE REQUIRING PADS/ROTORS AND OTHER RELATED ITEMS ALONG WITH THE FACT THAT EVERY 1000 MILES OR SO, A LIGHT BULB OR SOMETHING ELECTRICAL WILL FAIL AND I USUALLY FIND THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP AND GET THE PROBLEM FIXED. THE BRAKE SYS…
Read full complaint
AFTER LEAVING MY 2001 CLK320 MERCEDES AT THE DEALERSHIP I WAS NOTIFIED THAT MY BRAKE SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE REQUIRING PADS/ROTORS AND OTHER RELATED ITEMS ALONG WITH THE FACT THAT EVERY 1000 MILES OR SO, A LIGHT BULB OR SOMETHING ELECTRICAL WILL FAIL AND I USUALLY FIND THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP AND GET THE PROBLEM FIXED. THE BRAKE SYSTEM (WHICH IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY) WAS THE LAST STRAW! WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A 50,000 DOLLAR AUTOMOBILE WITH ONLY A LITTLE OVER 17,000 MILES ON IT.
VEHICLE HAS STOPPED ON THE HIGHWAY TWICE. ONCE HE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A GROUNDING PROBLEM. THE SECOND TIME HE HAD IT TOWED, HE WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. THEN HE BEGUN TO HAVE PROBLEMS OPENING THE VEHICLE WITH THE KEY, THEN ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS OPEN THEN IT WOULD NOT ENTER T…
Read full complaint
VEHICLE HAS STOPPED ON THE HIGHWAY TWICE. ONCE HE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A GROUNDING PROBLEM. THE SECOND TIME HE HAD IT TOWED, HE WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. THEN HE BEGUN TO HAVE PROBLEMS OPENING THE VEHICLE WITH THE KEY, THEN ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS OPEN THEN IT WOULD NOT ENTER THE IGNITION TO START THE AUTO. HE THINKS THIS CAR IS A LEMON. VEHICLE IS A MERCEDES C20, 2001. TS
C240 MODEL. THERE IS VIBRATION AND A SLAPPING NOISE WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 35-70 MPH. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES EXCESSIVELY AS WELL. TIRES WERE REPLACED, WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS PERFORMED AND CAMBER / CASTER WERE ADJUSTED HOWEVER PROBLEM STILL EXIST. CONSUMER WAS THEN TOLD THAT HIS DRIVING HABITS AND THE VARIABLE WEATHER CHAN…
Read full complaint
C240 MODEL. THERE IS VIBRATION AND A SLAPPING NOISE WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 35-70 MPH. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES EXCESSIVELY AS WELL. TIRES WERE REPLACED, WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS PERFORMED AND CAMBER / CASTER WERE ADJUSTED HOWEVER PROBLEM STILL EXIST. CONSUMER WAS THEN TOLD THAT HIS DRIVING HABITS AND THE VARIABLE WEATHER CHANGES CAUSED THE PROBLEM. *TT
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
2DP05007 · Transmission Malfunction
Opened Nov 7, 2005 · Closed Mar 27, 2006
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train:automatic Transmission; Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
THE PETITIONER ALLEGES THAT COFFEE FROM A CUP, PLACED IN THE CUP HOLDER, SPILLED ONTO THE GEAR SHIFTER AND SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE?S ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THE CONCERN RAISED BY THE PETITIONER WAS INVESTIGATED (SQ01-010) AND WAS CLOSED AFTER ODI CONCLUDED THAT THE FACTS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT.ODI HAS SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED NINE MORE COMPLAINTS ALLEGING FLUID CONTAMINATION OF THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER SINCE THE INVESTIGATION WAS CLOSED, NONE OF WHICH REPORT CRASHES OR INJURIES.THESE NINE COMPLAINANTS MAINLY EXPRESSED DISSATISFACTION WITH THE DESIGN OF THE CUP HOLDER AND THE COST OF REPLACING THE CONTAMINATED ELECTRONIC SELECTOR MODULE.SIMILARLY, IN PETITIONER?S CASE SHE WAS ABLE TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE TO A PLACE WHERE IT COULD BE SAFETY STOPPED AFTER THE LIQUID SPILLAGE.THE PETITIONER HAS NOT PROVIDED ANY EVIDENCE OF A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT.IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING AND THE NEED TO ALLOCATE AND PRIORITIZE NHTSA'S LIMITED RESOURCES TO BEST ACCOMPLISH THE AGENCY'S SAFETY MISSION, THE PETITION IS DENIED.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
THE PETITIONER ALLEGES THAT COFFEE FROM A CUP, PLACED IN THE CUP HOLDER, SPILLED ONTO THE GEAR SHIFTER AND SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE?S ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THE CONCERN RAISED BY THE PETITIONER WAS INVESTIGATED (SQ01-010) AND WAS CLOSED AFTER ODI CONCLUDED THAT THE FACTS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT.ODI HAS SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED NINE MORE COMPLAINTS ALLEGING FLUID CONTAMINATION OF THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER SINCE THE INVESTIGATION WAS CLOSED, NONE OF WHICH REPORT CRASHES OR INJURIES.THESE NINE COMPLAINANTS MAINLY EXPRESSED DISSATISFACTION WITH THE DESIGN OF THE CUP HOLDER AND THE COST OF REPLACING THE CONTAMINATED ELECTRONIC SELECTOR MODULE.SIMILARLY, IN PETITIONER?S CASE SHE WAS ABLE TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE TO A PLACE WHERE IT COULD BE SAFETY STOPPED AFTER THE LIQUID SPILLAGE.THE PETITIONER HAS NOT PROVIDED ANY EVIDENCE OF A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT.IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING AND THE NEED TO ALLOCATE AND PRIORITIZE NHTSA'S LIMITED RESOURCES TO BEST ACCOMPLISH THE AGENCY'S SAFETY MISSION, THE PETITION IS DENIED.
Power Train:automatic Transmission
THE PETITIONER ALLEGES THAT COFFEE FROM A CUP, PLACED IN THE CUP HOLDER, SPILLED ONTO THE GEAR SHIFTER AND SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE?S ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THE CONCERN RAISED BY THE PETITIONER WAS INVESTIGATED (SQ01-010) AND WAS CLOSED AFTER ODI CONCLUDED THAT THE FACTS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT.ODI HAS SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED NINE MORE COMPLAINTS ALLEGING FLUID CONTAMINATION OF THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER SINCE THE INVESTIGATION WAS CLOSED, NONE OF WHICH REPORT CRASHES OR INJURIES.THESE NINE COMPLAINANTS MAINLY EXPRESSED DISSATISFACTION WITH THE DESIGN OF THE CUP HOLDER AND THE COST OF REPLACING THE CONTAMINATED ELECTRONIC SELECTOR MODULE.SIMILARLY, IN PETITIONER?S CASE SHE WAS ABLE TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE TO A PLACE WHERE IT COULD BE SAFETY STOPPED AFTER THE LIQUID SPILLAGE.THE PETITIONER HAS NOT PROVIDED ANY EVIDENCE OF A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT.IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING AND THE NEED TO ALLOCATE AND PRIORITIZE NHTSA'S LIMITED RESOURCES TO BEST ACCOMPLISH THE AGENCY'S SAFETY MISSION, THE PETITION IS DENIED.
SQ01010 · Sudden Engine Shut Down
Opened Sep 25, 2001 · Closed Feb 4, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
No summary supplied.