IllustrationDRIVERS OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR HAS BECOME DISCOLORED AND IS NOW VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE IMAGES PARTICULARLY AT NIGHT. DEALER QUOTED $800 FOR MIRROR GLASS ONLY! *TR
2002 Mercedes Benz C230
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Mercedes Benz C230 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 39.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all C230 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
90–25K
825–50K
750–75K
575–100K
3100–150K
2150K+
34 reports with mileage · 20 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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports4 fire reports2 injury reports
Visibility complaints
5 reportsTHE SUN ROOF WILL NOT OPERATE. CAR HAS 55,000 MILES ON IT, AND I ONLY USED IT OCCASIONALLY. BEING TOLD THAT IT WASS OVER $2000 TO REPAIR. I GOOGLED THIS PROBLEM ,AND FOUND OVER 1000 ENTRIES OF MERCEDES OWNERS COMPLAINING OF THE SAME ISSUE. OBVIOUSLY, IT WAS AN INHERRENT PROBLEM WITH THIS C230. COULD YOU DO ANYTHING TO HELP?*…
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THE SUN ROOF WILL NOT OPERATE. CAR HAS 55,000 MILES ON IT, AND I ONLY USED IT OCCASIONALLY. BEING TOLD THAT IT WASS OVER $2000 TO REPAIR. I GOOGLED THIS PROBLEM ,AND FOUND OVER 1000 ENTRIES OF MERCEDES OWNERS COMPLAINING OF THE SAME ISSUE. OBVIOUSLY, IT WAS AN INHERRENT PROBLEM WITH THIS C230. COULD YOU DO ANYTHING TO HELP?*AK
I LEASED A MERCEDES BENZ C230 COMPRESSOR FOR MY DAUGHTER IN 2001. THE SUN ROOF DIDN'T SLIDE BACK ON THE EXTERIOR OR THE INTERIOR. THE DEALER DISMANTLED THE SUN ROOF. MERCEDES REFUNDED THE FIRST MONTH'S LEASE PAYMENT SINCE SHE DID NOT HAVE USE OF THE VEHICLE FOR THE FIRST MONTH. AFTER ONE YEAR THE SUN ROOF NEEDED ADDITIONAL…
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I LEASED A MERCEDES BENZ C230 COMPRESSOR FOR MY DAUGHTER IN 2001. THE SUN ROOF DIDN'T SLIDE BACK ON THE EXTERIOR OR THE INTERIOR. THE DEALER DISMANTLED THE SUN ROOF. MERCEDES REFUNDED THE FIRST MONTH'S LEASE PAYMENT SINCE SHE DID NOT HAVE USE OF THE VEHICLE FOR THE FIRST MONTH. AFTER ONE YEAR THE SUN ROOF NEEDED ADDITIONAL REPAIR. AT 31,000 MILES - THE POWER STEERING FAILED THE BRAKES FAILED AND WERE REPLACED THE DIFFERENTIAL BROKE THE SUN ROOF ONCE AGAIN WASN'T WORKING... THE INTERIOR SLIDING MECHANISM FAILED FOR THE THIRD TIME IN 2 AND 1/2 YEARS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON BECAUSE THE COOLANT SENSOR FAILED, THE CAR OVERHEATED BUT THE SENSOR REGISTERED COOL. CURRENTLY AT 37,000 MILES - THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE TAKEN APART BECAUSE IT WASN'T SHIFTING GEARS. THE MOTOR ON THE DRIVER'S POWER WINDOW BROKE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE LEFT TURN HARNESS HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE FLASHER BROKE. WHILE THEY WERE FIXING THE TRANSMISSION THEY SOMEHOW DAMAGED THE REAR WINDOW AND THE REAR WINDSHIELD IS NOW BEING REPLACED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL COMING ON OCCASIONALLY. MERCEDES CEASED TO MANUFACTURE THIS VEHICLE IN 2005. MY DAUGHTER SPOKE TO THE REGIONAL REP., HE WAS UNRESPONSIVE, RUDE AND HUNG UP ON HER. I HAVE LOST CONFIDENCE IN THIS VEHICLE AND I HAVE EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO BREAK DOWN AND JEOPARDIZE MY DAUGHTER'S SAFETY. THE ENGINE COULD BREAK DOWN BECAUSE OF A DEFECTIVE SENSOR THAT THEY CANNOT SEEM TO FIX. THE INCIDENT DATE THAT FOLLOWS IS THE DATE OF THE MOST RECENT PROBLEM .. THE TRANSMISSION AND THE REAR WINDOW. *NM
VEHICLE STALLS AND HESITATES AT ANY SPEED. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES, DEALER REPLACED FUEL PUMP. BUT, IT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM.*AK WHEN THE PROBLEM FIRST REVEALED ITSELF IT WOULD ONLY STALL WHEN PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC. IT PROGRESSED TO THE ENGINE STOPPING COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING SPEEDS OF 25 MPH OR …
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VEHICLE STALLS AND HESITATES AT ANY SPEED. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES, DEALER REPLACED FUEL PUMP. BUT, IT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM.*AK WHEN THE PROBLEM FIRST REVEALED ITSELF IT WOULD ONLY STALL WHEN PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC. IT PROGRESSED TO THE ENGINE STOPPING COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING SPEEDS OF 25 MPH OR MORE. THE FUEL PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. THE SUNROOF SHADE IS NOT OPENING PROPERLY. THE TRIM WAS REPAIRED. *JG
THERE IS A BLIND SPOT IN REARVIEW MIRROR. WHEN BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE BLIND SPOT HAS NEARLY CAUSED A COLLISION. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
Official recalls
224V874000 · Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly
Nov 19, 2024
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2001-2011 C-Class, CLK, E-Class, and CLS vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models and model years. The glass sunroof panel may not be properly secured and can detach.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A detached sunroof panel can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the sunroof panel as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2025. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall number 22V-954. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2024120001/2/3.
22V954000 · Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly
Dec 23, 2022
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2001-2011 C-Class, CLK, E-Class, and CLS vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle model details. The glass sunroof panel may not be properly secured and may detach.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A detached sunroof panel may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the sunroof panel as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 3, 2023. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. This recall expands NHTSA recall number 19V-918. MBUSA's numbers for this recall are 2023010004, 2023010005, and 2023010006.
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.