What are the most common problems on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz E-Class?

NHTSA has 20 owner complaint(s) on record for the 2020 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Engine is the most-reported problem area on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, cited in 6 of 20 filed complaints (30%).

Problems › Mercedes-Benz › 2020 E-Class

2020 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Problems & Owner Complaints

20 NHTSA owner complaints

2 fire 4 injury

Age-normalised, this year draws ~2.9 complaints per year on the road — ranking 15 of 15 Mercedes-Benz E-Class years we track (1 = most complaints per year).

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What owners report

Engine is the most-reported problem area on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, cited in 6 of 20 filed complaints (30%).

Back Over Prevention is next (3 complaints, 15%), followed by Electrical System (3), Structure (3), Power Train (2).

Across all complaints, 2 report a fire, 4 report injuries.

The most safety-critical cluster is Visibility: 2 injury report(s).

Complaints by vehicle system

Owner complaints filed with the U.S. NHTSA for the 2020 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, grouped by the vehicle system each cites. A single complaint can name more than one system, so the group totals can add up to more than 20.

Engine 6 2 fire

“There was smoke coming from from the engine compartment and spontaneous fire started while the car was at a stop light. The car was totally damaged. The car has less than 15000 miles driven. It is still under warranty. Information was sent to Mercedes-Benz USA with a certified mail and immediately via email from the dealership. Also was reported where the vehicle was stored if they wanted to investigate the engine. Benz USA just wanted me to fill out their standard report form. The towing company also told me that they had to tow another Benz not long ago from engine fire.”
NHTSA complaint #11616110, 2024 · fire

“On October 2, 2021, car caught fire in the engine compartment while car was turned off under carport of home. Car mileage was 18,000. The car was serviced by Mercedes of Marin and driven approximately 25 miles after the service when incident occurred. No warning lamps or messages appeared. Fire damage to carport and garage of house and fence and gate. Allstate, the insurance carrier is performing a fire inspection of the vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #11437940, 2021 · fire

“The AC compressor failed in traffic causing the engine to lock up and not restart.”
NHTSA complaint #11720104, 2026

Unknown Or Other 5 1 injury

“PLEASE SEE ATTACHED PDF. IT CONCERNS THE TRUNK OPENING AND CLOSING MECHANISM WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO SIGNAL WHEN SOMETHING IS IN THE WAY BEFORE IT CLOSES. THE TRUNK CLOSED WITHOUT WARNING ON MY HEAD. MERCEDES REFUSES TO DISCONNECT THE TRUNK LATCH FEATURE BECAUSE I WILL NOT SIGN A RELEASE, WHICH I WILL NOT DO. SEE ATTACHED INCIDENT REPORT FILED WITH MB.”
NHTSA complaint #11374322, 2020 · 1 injury(ies)

“Rear glass window on convertible soft top is prematurely separating/delaminating from top assembly on 2020 Mercedes-Benz E350 convertible with under 8,000 miles. Glass is integrated into the convertible top and failure may lead to reduced rear visibility, possible glass detachment, water intrusion, and safety hazard while driving. This appears premature and inconsistent with expected vehicle life.”
NHTSA complaint #11738921, 2026

“Over the last couple of days, my car has displayed the "Engine Warning" message intermittently. I took this to the dealership for inspection and received the following fault code: P06DA00 - Inoperative Oil Pump Valve. For a car with low mileage, this could potentially be a car issue. The estimated total cost for labor and parts is over $5k. I think there are more cars affected.”
NHTSA complaint #11666806, 2025

Back Over Prevention 3

“The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz E-450. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperative. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was frozen. The contact also expressed concerns that the emblem located on the rear of the vehicle was intermittently blocking the rearview image. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11694082, 2025

“The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz E450. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera image failed to display. An image indicating that the rearview camera was inoperable was displayed on the infotainment system screen. The local dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the manufacturer was in the process of issuing a related recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer transferred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report t…”
NHTSA complaint #11635911, 2024

“The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz E450. The contact stated that while shifted into reverse, the back over prevention camera displayed the rear view of the vehicle for approximately 10-seconds before going black. The back over prevention camera remained open despite failing to display an image of the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V232000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the VIN was not included. The back over prevention camera was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of t…”
NHTSA complaint #11601554, 2024

Electrical System 3 1 fire 1 injury

“The Engine Electrical harness is completely corroded after only 50,000 miles requiring a 4k+ repair. Oil leaking from the camshaft sensor pushed it way all throughout harness. There are no warnings as it will only be noticeable after doing routine maintenance OUTSIDE of the manufactures warranty. While driving you may lose complete power or slight power loss due to engine misfiring and low system voltage. Warranty company has denied my claim saying that it looks as if the car was in an accident with water damage but the car is pristine and accident free. This is happening to all Mercedes with…”
NHTSA complaint #11672020, 2025

Structure 3 1 injury

“THE DOOR HINGES ARE DEFECTIVE. WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED, IT CLOSES TOO QUICKLY. THE DETENTS DO NOT WORK. THEY DO NOT HOLD THE DOOR AJAR. THIS IS A LONG, HEAVY DOOR AND WHEN IT SLAMS SHUT ON YOUR LEG, ANKLE OR FOOT IT REALLY HURTS! THE ONLY WAY TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE SAFELY IS TO PUT YOUR FOOT AGAINST THE DOOR TO HOLD IT OPEN WHILE YOU EXIT. I BROUGHT THIS PROBLEM TO THE ATTENTION OF MB, WHO AGREED TO REPLACE THE HINGES ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR. ONCE THIS WAS DONE, THE DOOR WORKED FINE... FOR A MONTH. AND THEN IT SUFFERED THE SAME PROBLEM OF SLAMMING SHUT OR NOT STAYING OPEN. MB SUBSEQUENTLY REPL…”
NHTSA complaint #11385595, 2020 · 1 injury(ies)

“I was operating my car on a 4-lane highway early in the morning, conditions were sunny and weather was approximately 50 degrees. Without warning the panoramic sunroof on my E63S exploded with a loud pop and showered the interior of my car with glass. This was sudden and unprovoked by any outside object or force. Mercedes Benz USA has denied any responsibility via both dealership and choosing to be non-responsive to my MBUSA incident claim on the matter. In searching, this seems to be a common problem.”
NHTSA complaint #11527288, 2023

Power Train 2

“The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated while his wife was driving and stopped at a traffic signal, the gasoline saving START/STOP feature turned off the vehicle however, upon depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that the failure caused the vehicle to roll into the intersection at approximately 3 MPH. The contact's wife was able to stop the vehicle and shift into park(P). The contact stated that his wife was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure…”
NHTSA complaint #11561351, 2023

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Tires 2

“The driver front tire was found to have failed at the time of an oil change at approximately 15,000 miles. The tire was torn at the junction of the sidewall and tread in several areas. This tire is no longer available. No incident occurred. The passenger front tire was found to have the same defect when I performed a seasonal tire change but the conditions were worse at approximately 17,000 miles. No incident occurred. The tire will be taken to the dealer for inspection. Photos of this tire attached. 245/35 R20 95Y”
NHTSA complaint #11494227, 2022

“The side wall split on the outside of the tire and the tire deflated. I pulled to the side of the road. I have no spare because the tires are run flats. I tried to drive and within about 3 miles the tire shredded. The tread separated from the tire and made the car undriveable because the tire tread was hitting the wheel well. I was stranded with no spare. The rubber began melting and I was told by the tire shop fixing my car it fused to the rim. This tire was not made properly.”
NHTSA complaint #11465827, 2022

Fuel System 1

“The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact detected an abnormally strong fuel odor inside the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer, who determined that the fuel injector in cylinder #3 needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V961000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised t…”
NHTSA complaint #11649244, 2025

Fuel/Propulsion System 1

Latches/Locks/Linkages 1

“The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz E450. The contact stated while attempting to open and close the door, the door failed to remain open. Additionally, on several occasions, the door closed independently. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact was awaiting a callback. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11419360, 2020

Visibility 1 2 injury

“The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes Benz E350. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, she heard a loud abnormal sound emit from the vehicle as glass shattered from the vehicle's panoramic sunroof. The contact immediately pulled over as she, her husband, and her dog suffered minor injuries from the glass shard from the sunroof. The contact managed to clean out the vehicle, used cardboard to tape up the sunroof, and drove the vehicle to her destination. The contact then drove the vehicle to the dealer where she was given an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer had yet to be notified…”
NHTSA complaint #11493675, 2022 · 2 injury(ies)

How we read this (methodology)

How to read this: raw complaint totals are not a clean reliability score — a model year with more cars sold, or simply more years on the road, accumulates more complaints regardless of how good it is. So this page leans on two signals that are not distorted by sales volume: the share of complaints falling on each vehicle system (the breakdown above) and NHTSA's own crash / fire / injury / death flags. When we compare model years of the same model, we normalise by years on the road (complaints ÷ vehicle age) rather than comparing raw totals. Age-normalised, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz E-Class draws about 2.9 complaints per year on the road, ranking 15 of 15 among the Mercedes-Benz E-Class model years we have ingested (1 = most complaints per year on road).

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Data source: U.S. NHTSA (nhtsa.gov). SaveVIN surfaces public recall data and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA.