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CarsLore / Mercedes-Benz / 300 / 1991

1991 Mercedes-Benz 300

19 owner complaints — #4 of 19 300 model years, 3.2× the typical year. 2 recalls, 0 service bulletins.

19complaints · 2 crashes, 2 fires
2recalls
0manufacturer bulletins
119,000 mimedian mileage at failure

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

  • Air bags4
  • Engine and engine cooling4
  • Electrical system3
  • Vehicle speed control2
  • Power train2
  • Service brakes, hydraulic2
  • Steering2
  • Seat belts1
  • Tires1
  • Structure1

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported

Compared with other years

’82’85’88’91’94’97’0219’82’85’88’91’94’97’0219
198219831984198519861987198819891990199119921993

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

Fatal crashes in the US

From 2020 to 2023, 3 1991 300 vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 2 people died inside them. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.

NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)

New York safety inspections

At its first New York inspection the 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300 failed the safety check 0.69% of the time — 39% less often than the average 1991 passenger car (1.13%). Median odometer at inspection: 123,575 miles.

867first inspections
0.69%failed on safety
123,575 mimedian odometer
0.0%1.0%2.0%’81’83’85’87’89’91’930.7%0.0%1.0%2.0%’81’84’87’90’91’930.7%

NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count

Engines

The most common engines in 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300 cars on Dutch roads are the 3.0 petrol (170 kW, 228 hp), 3.0 petrol (140 kW, 188 hp) and 3.0 petrol (132 kW, 177 hp), out of 4 versions with at least 20 cars.

EnginePowerCarsShare
3.0 petrol170 kW 228 hp5532%
3.0 petrol140 kW 188 hp4828%
3.0 petrol132 kW 177 hp4526%
3.0 petrol162 kW 217 hp2514%

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

222 first registered in 1991 are on Dutch roads; 67% arrived later as imports.

30.2%had an APK defect recorded since June 2022
77.3%logical odometer history
0.0%with a recall still open

Most common APK defects

Colours

Grey 34%Black 27%Red 11%Blue 11%Purple 6%Green 5%

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording

In the United Kingdom

295 cars built in 1991 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 891 more were declared off the road (SORN).

295licensed, end of 2025
25%of those still registered are on the road

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, 403 of these cars first registered in 1991 took their annual MOT test. 73% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1991 the figure was 70%.

73%passed first time
70%all cars from 1991
133,000 miaverage mileage at the test (all cars 102,200 mi)
Failed onThese carsAll cars from 1991
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment11.2%16.2%
Brakes9.2%10.6%
Body, chassis, structure7.7%8.7%
Suspension7.4%8.7%
Visibility5.5%6.4%
Steering4.5%3.8%

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

18 of these cars first registered in 1991 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 278,000 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

53 1991 cars are on the New Zealand register; 77% arrived as used imports, 17% 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 1991 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

96V175000 · Visibility19 Sept 1996 · 28,874 vehicles

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.

93V095000 · Vehicle speed control27 May 1993 · 128,000 vehicles

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