Home · 2013 Mercedes-benz E-class Wagon · Complaints

What 185 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Mercedes-benz E-class Wagon

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (185)Crash / fire / injury (19)Airbags (56)Brakes (34)Body & structure (22)Engine (17)Suspension (16)Electrical system (15)Fuel system (11)Steering (11)Speed control (9)Wheels (9)

Newest first · 185 complaints · page 1 of 8

Apr 8, 2026Engine

Last April, during our routine oil change our mechanic pointed out that our Cam sensors were wicking oil into the harness and making its way to the ECM. This is the first we had ever heard of this issue and the repair was $2400 or so. After researching the problem we wrote to MB USA and never got any response until we filed a lawsuit in sessions court. Turns out we cant do that locally. Mercedes has never contacted us since we registered the car in 2016 and never even acknowledged us until after we filed the attempt to collect the cost of repair. THE problem is endemic and well known. MB put a poorly designed part on their 270 engines and it could have had a worse outcome had the ECM failed while my wife was driving on the interstate Please let me know what has already been done about this problem and if they are required to notify owners. MB is silent on the issue to the point I feel as though they are hiding something.

NHTSA ODI 11729841

Feb 17, 2026Electrical systemSpeed controlBrakesCrash2 injuries

1: The accelerator was sticking and i could not get the car to stop even when i was pressing on the brakes . Unfortunately, due to this scary event i hit the car in front of me injuring the the gentleman. the vehicle has not been inspected by the insurance as it was a total loss withn damages more than 14k

NHTSA ODI 11718391

Jan 30, 2026Visibility & wipers

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that after taking the vehicle through a car wash, water started leaking into the vehicle from around the sunroof frame. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V874000 (Visibility); however, neither the VIN nor the model year was included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

NHTSA ODI 11714458

Oct 13, 2025WheelsBrakes

The rear subframe needs fixing. And they are putting my car on hold for 3 weeks, denied a loaner car, and I have to get back to work.

NHTSA ODI 11693224

Sep 24, 2025Body & structureBrakes

I took car to dealer to have subframe repaired due to rust and the brake lines are rusted as well due to this issue and i am being charged for the brake lines.

NHTSA ODI 11689488

Sep 18, 2025SteeringEngine

Car difficult to control found to have corroded sub frame and rear break lines. Very unsafe to drive brought to independent dealer who had car towed back to Mercedes. No warning lamps, or other symptoms prior to failure. Scary situation.

NHTSA ODI 11688243

Aug 7, 2025Brakes

rear brake lines corroded and leaking, making the car disabled

NHTSA ODI 11679144

Jul 16, 2025Fuel system

I am the owner of a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350 and am writing to formally express my concern regarding a persistent fuel leak issue I have experienced with my vehicle. Over the past months, I have spent more than $4,000 attempting to address this problem. Repairs have included the replacement of the fuel canister and the fuel pump. Despite these efforts, the vehicle continues to leak fuel from the area near the rear right tire, both when the vehicle is in motion and when it is parked. This issue presents a significant safety risk, not only to myself but to others on the road. I am aware that there is an existing recall for the 2014 E350 model related to similar fuel leakage problems. Given the similarities in design and the nature of the defect, I strongly urge Mercedes-Benz to investigate this matter and consider extending the recall to include the 2013 E350 models as well. I believe this is a critical safety matter that warrants immediate attention to prevent any potential accidents or hazards. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response and to a resolution that prioritizes customer safety.

NHTSA ODI 11674131

Jul 14, 2025Fuel system

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal fuel odor entering the cabin of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel line needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11673272

May 30, 2025Brakes

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that when the vehicle was taken for a routine inspection, the dealer diagnosed that the rear brake lines were rusted through. The contact was informed that the rear brake lines needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

NHTSA ODI 11663952

Mar 27, 2025Brakes

Excessive corrosion on rear brake lines. I've never had to replace brake lines on car before. The cost is almost $5,000 out of pocket and I believe this due to low quality products used to manufacture the original brake lines. I believe there should be an investigation into the brake lines as there could be serious injury if they fail.

NHTSA ODI 11651111

Mar 19, 2025Brakes

Rear subframe recall and brake lines. I am very disappointed and frustrated right now. 2013 e350 has completely corroded brake lines on an otherwise relatively rust free car. The vehicle is due to get the rear subframe replaced as part of the warranty extension. The brake lines are not covered and are 4,000 dollar additional fee to replace. I can’t get the work done anywhere else for cheaper because the rear subframe needs to be dropped in order to do the brake lines, making it cost prohibitive to have the subframe and brake lines done at different shops. Something is wrong with the brake lines they used when building this car. I’ve owned cars with 10x more rust and perfectly in tact brake lines. Frames rot away before I see brake lines this bad. They should have extended the warranty to the brake lines and I hope they do so I can get reimbursed in the future.

NHTSA ODI 11649321

Mar 11, 2025Electrical systemDriver assistance

my car has always had an issue with the extension of the steering column. On [XXX] I had the experience of my entire steering wheel locking up totally. once I reached the repair center of Mercedes Benz I was informed that the anti theft system was no longer working. I was also informed there were several cars in the dealership with the identical same problem.. this was a very dangerous experience and has and will cost me a lot of money, as well as a safety issue as I was traveling from Atlanta to tx, 4 hrs out managed to pull off the hwy and that's where my car was towed from, leaving me in the middle of no where for 10 hrs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11647784

Feb 25, 2025SuspensionBrakes

There was already a recall for my rear subframe that I am now getting done due to rust corroding the metal structure. However, upon the dealers inspection the corrosion is also present on the rear brake lines which cause a safety concern and are charging $4000 to replace the brake lines aside from the warranty repair. It poses a safety hazard if the lines were to fail and have heard of others having the same issue along with rotted rear subframes.

NHTSA ODI 11644847

Feb 5, 2025Brakes

Was informed about the extended warranty for the rusting rear sub-frame issues on this make and year. Upon speaking with the dealership and further research online the rear hard brake lines are rusted as well and not covered by Mercedes. Upon further research this a common issue and danager to my safety and others as well. Upon work required to fix rear sub-frame would make it easier job to also replace rusted brakes lines. But Mercedes does not cover that and wants to charge customers a extra 3500$ to fix something that should not be happen as well. With the sub-frame out for replacement would make sense to replace other rusted parts with the extended warranty. It's a major safety issues already with rusted sub-frame and also added rusted brakes lines. This should be investigated further into to keep everyone safe. There are lot of owners unaware of this issues that could lead to brake failure. We use our brakes to stop and most new cars should not be having this issue so early.

NHTSA ODI 11640861

Dec 30, 2024Visibility & wipersBody & structure

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the front end of the panoramic sunroof allowed water to leak into the vehicle during inclement weather. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further research, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V918000 (Visibility) and 21V197000 (Structure); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11633084

Dec 18, 2024SuspensionSeatsBrakes

1. brake lines corroded and broke. i see there were numerous reports sent to you and nothing was done. 2. both driver and passenger seat broke in the same spot...mercedes recognized the issue in their internal bulletins. nothing was done 3. both rear springs broke on their own. no accident. car was really unstable in highway speeds

NHTSA ODI 11631348

Dec 10, 2024Brakes

Rusted brake lines after Sunframe rust. All E350 models are experiencing this issue with the rear brake lines and the dealership is charging upwards of $4300 to replace even when the subframe is already removed from the vehicle due to subframe issues

NHTSA ODI 11629978

Nov 5, 2024Body & structureBrakes

The brake lines leaked fluid brakes started failing. Brought to a repair garage. Advised that subframe is cracked and completely corroded. Mercedes is covering the subframe but not the inferior brake lines which are failing.

NHTSA ODI 11623609

Nov 5, 2024Body & structureBrakes

Brake line corrosion and rear subframe corrosion

NHTSA ODI 11623729

Nov 2, 2024Suspension

REAR SUBFRAME RUSTED,

NHTSA ODI 11623287

Oct 14, 2024

I don’t know why your system is stating that there is not a recall there definitely is a recall in 2023. They recalled the subframe with the extended warranty covering it because it’s been corroded and nearly dropped out of the bottom of my car. I only found out that it was so rusted and corroded by taking it to an auto mechanic because my brakes spongy and my brake light came on, so I took it in automatically to get looked at, and the mechanic said that I needed two rear brake lines, and then proceeded to tell me about the corrosion all around my subframe which needed to be replaced, which is under warranty however, my question is why is the brake lines not covered when I’ve been reading numerous complaints about the corrosion of it and yet they still have not put an extended warranty to cover that Which they should do now before a definite recall is set in place with all of the complaints coming in. I’m very upset because now Mercedes is telling me that another $3000 job. I do not have an additional $3000 for this to get fixed so I ask you, how can I get some help here?

NHTSA ODI 11619645

Sep 10, 2024Airbags

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V017000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the recall notification stated mobile repair service was available however, the contact was declined the mobile repair service. The contact stated that she had been attempting to have the recall repair completed for almost a year. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11613811

Aug 15, 2024Brakes

Rear brake lines rusted and replaced. Had taken to dealer to replace rusted rear subframe for which Mercedes had covered under an extended warranty. During this repair dealer noted that the brake lines were rusted and should be replaced. This was not covered by Mercedes.

NHTSA ODI 11608761

Jul 13, 2024Brakes

Rear brake line failure, loss of brake fluid, caused loss of braking

NHTSA ODI 11601763

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Working with the data? Download all 185 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Mercedes-benz E-class Wagon verdict →