1991 Mercedes-Benz 300 problems & reliability
19 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300 vehicles were involved in 3 fatal crashes with 2 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 4 | 21% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 21% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 16% |
| Power Train | 2 | 11% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 11% |
| Steering | 2 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 11% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 5% |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 5% |
| Seats | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 12 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My 1991 300sl benz has had to have the engine wiring harness replaced per mb dealer because it's going bad and decomposing causing a potential fire problem. This after a no start problem and a month in the shop. And they not being able to find the cause. Now , after replacing the harness , they are still not able to…”
Electrical System · filed Oct 4, 2009
“The drive train on the consumers 1991 mercedes benz 300 locked up. *jb the problem had been totally isolated to the control unit. The total lock up occurred intermittently or the problem may be elsewhere caused by a certain set of conditions. *sc”
Power Train · filed Jun 29, 2005
“While traveling at approximately 65 mph in 1991, mercedes benz, 300d 2.5 turbo, right rear goodyear road handler voyager lx tire size p195/60r15, dot pjunyblr319 experienced a blowout in sidewall of tire. There was approximately 10,000 miles on the tires, and they were not original equipment on vehicle. *ak *slc”
Tires · filed Jun 27, 2001
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300 in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.