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CarsLore / Mercedes-Benz / E-Class / 1998

1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

24 owner complaints — #5 of 15 E-Class model years. 0 recalls, 6 service bulletins.

24complaints · 1 crashes, 0 fires
0recalls
6manufacturer bulletins
98,000 mimedian mileage at failure

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

  • Suspension7
  • Electrical system4
  • Power train4
  • Engine and engine cooling4
  • Visibility1
  • Air bags1
  • Steering1
  • Service brakes, hydraulic1
  • Equipment1
  • Fuel system, gasoline1

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

Compared with other years

’92’94’96’98’00’02’04’0624’92’95’98’01’04’0824
199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062008

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

Fatal crashes in the US

From 2020 to 2023, 7 1998 E-Class vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 9 people died inside them, and 2 of the vehicles rolled over. 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 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class failed the safety check 1.73% of the time — 1% more often than the average 1998 passenger car (1.71%). Median odometer at inspection: 138,256 miles.

1,332first inspections
1.73%failed on safety
138,256 mimedian odometer
0.0%0.8%1.5%’94’96’98’00’02’04’06’08’10’12’14’16’18’20’22’24’26’271.7%0.0%0.8%1.5%’94’97’98’00’03’06’09’12’15’18’21’24’271.7%

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

Engines

The most common engines in 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class cars on Dutch roads are the 2.4 petrol (125 kW, 168 hp), 3.0 diesel (130 kW, 174 hp) and 3.2 petrol (165 kW, 221 hp), out of 7 versions with at least 20 cars.

EnginePowerCarsShare
2.4 petrol125 kW 168 hp10428%
3.0 diesel130 kW 174 hp6919%
3.2 petrol165 kW 221 hp5214%
2.0 petrol100 kW 134 hp4713%
2.8 petrol150 kW 201 hp359%
4.3 petrol205 kW 275 hp349%
5.4 petrol260 kW 349 hp288%

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

459 first registered in 1998 are on Dutch roads; 41% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €71,087.

58.6%had an APK defect recorded since June 2022
90.1%logical odometer history
0.0%with a recall still open

Most common APK defects

Colours

Grey 35%Black 27%Blue 19%Green 13%Red 2%Purple 2%

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

In the United Kingdom

344 cars built in 1998 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 1,488 more were declared off the road (SORN).

344licensed, end of 2025
19%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

In Finland

178 of these cars first registered in 1998 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 322,000 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

34 1998 cars are on the New Zealand register; 100% arrived as used imports, 0% were sold new in New Zealand.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

Recalls

No recall campaigns cover the 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

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

Service bulletins

What Mercedes-Benz told its dealers about the 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class: known faults, fixes and updates.

BulletinSummary
602112SOME VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE A ENGINE RATTLE NOISE.
601449UPDATED INFORMATION TO REFLECT ADDITON OF APPROVED TIRES. *YC
10136029SENTEX gate operator with Clik Card Remote not compatible with Homelink
10015377REVISED REPAIR PROCEDURE AND ADDITIONAL APPLICABLE MODELS. MODEL 170, 202, 208 AND 210 MODELS. FRONT FOG LAMP(S) INOPERATIVE. MERCEDES-BENZ. *TT MODEL YEARS: 1994-2004. UPDATED 09/09/08. *PE
10015071TRUNK LID OPENS OR CLOSES TOO QUICKLY WHILE OPERATING WITH REMOTE TRUNK LID CONTROL BUTTON. *TT
10010822CONSUMER SHUTOFF DISPLAYED IN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WHILE DRIVING. *TT

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)

NHTSA investigations

PE07021 · Suspension:front:springs:coil springsopened 19 Apr 2007 · closed 9 Aug 2007

FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRING EJECTION

PE03058 · Engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline:belts and associated pulleysopened 17 Dec 2003 · closed 22 Apr 2004

ENGINE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY FAILURE

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation