1997 Mercedes-Benz 280 Recalls

No recalls on record Updated July 2026

No NHTSA recalls on record for the 1997 Mercedes-Benz 280. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the child seat. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Complaints by component

CHILD SEAT
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
1
1crashes
STEERING:LINKAGES
1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1
1crashes
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
1
Total complaints6

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Transmission failed.”

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION · reported 1998-06-04

“Windshield wipers constantly bang when in use. Mercedes can't fix. On 2 occasions the windshield wipers froze and so did the fluid. *ak”

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER · reported 1997-12-01

“While in reverse position, the vehicle took off in reverse about 20 mph, causing $3200 damages on the vehicle. *ak”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 1997-08-07

“While in reverse position, the vehicle took off in reverse about 20 mph, causing $3200 damages on the vehicle. *ak”

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) · reported 1997-08-07

“The mercedes benz 280 can not have a child car seat tether installed. The tethers are required to be sold with car seats after sept 99, but merceded will not install these. In canada, the tether attachments are factory installed or there is a retrofit kit because cars are not allowed to be driven…”

CHILD SEAT

“Linkage bushings failed. Yh”

STEERING:LINKAGES
Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Mercedes-Benz 280 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.