Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Vehicle speed control2
- Air bags1
- Seat belts1
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
- Engine and engine cooling1
- Fuel system, gasoline1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300 failed the safety check 0.93% of the time — 14% more often than the average 1989 passenger car (0.81%). Median odometer at inspection: 125,448 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Engines
The most common engines in 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300 cars on Dutch roads are the 3.0 petrol (132 kW, 177 hp), 3.0 petrol (170 kW, 228 hp) and 3.0 petrol (138 kW, 185 hp), out of 4 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 3.0 petrol | 132 kW 177 hp | 47 |
| 3.0 petrol | 170 kW 228 hp | 27 |
| 3.0 petrol | 138 kW 185 hp | 24 |
| 3.0 petrol | 140 kW 188 hp | 21 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
141 first registered in 1989 are on Dutch roads; 77% arrived later as imports.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde15
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen11
- Band beschadigd10
- Stofhoes stuurinrichting beschadigd, dicht niet af7
- Stofhoes fuseekogel beschadigd en dicht niet af6
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld6
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm6
- Remslang beschadigd, wapeningsmateriaal zichtbaar6
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
466 cars built in 1989 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 854 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 535 of these cars first registered in 1989 took their annual MOT test. 80% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1989 the figure was 72%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 1989 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.9% | 15.4% |
| Suspension | 5.6% | 8.6% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 4.7% | 8.1% |
| Visibility | 4.3% | 6.5% |
| Brakes | 4.1% | 9.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.7% | 5.1% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
26 of these cars first registered in 1989 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 298,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
41 1989 cars are on the New Zealand register; 88% arrived as used imports, 5% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300.
| 1993076 31 May 1993 | Engine THE THROTTLE BUSHING ON THE ACCELERATOR CONTROL BOWDEN CABLE COULD FATIGUE AND BREAK DUE TO HEAT EFFECTS. IF THIS OCCURS, THE ENGINE WILL RETURN TO IDLE AND A… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
DUE TO HEAT EFFECTS, THE THROTTLE BUSHING LOCATED ON THE ACCELERATOR CONTROL CABLE, CAN FATIGUE AND BREAK, CAUSING THE THROTTLE LINKAGE TO SEPARATE.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words