The 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 128,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 38 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
DUE TO HEAT EFFECTS, THE THROTTLE BUSHING LOCATED ON THE ACCELERATOR CONTROL CABLE, CAN FATIGUE AND BREAK, CAUSING THE THROTTLE LINKAGE TO SEPARATE.
IF THE THROTTLE LINKAGE SEPARATES, THE ENGINE WILL RETURNTO IDLE SPEED, AND REMAIN AT IDLE, WITH NO ACCELERATION ABILITY. LOSS OF ENGINESPEED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING COULD LEAD TO LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND ANACCIDENT.
REPLACE THE THROTTLE BUSHING WITH A NEW BUSHING MADE FROM MORE HEAT-RESISTANT MATERIALS.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“I was driving home from work (it's a ten mile drive one way) when the car started to go faster and faster until it reached about 110 mph. I couldn't get it to stop. I forced it to slow down enough to exit the freeway, leaving skid marks in the road, and was able to turn the car off. I waited for a…”
“After being hit from the front passenger side, the throttle stuck in a full throttle mode. The ignition switch did not stop the vehicle, which remained in full throttle mode after turning to the off position, and the brakes were impaired to the point that I could not overpower the acceleration,…”
“After being hit from the front passenger side, the throttle stuck in a full throttle mode. The ignition switch did not stop the vehicle, which remained in full throttle mode after turning to the off position, and the brakes were impaired to the point that I could not overpower the acceleration,…”
“After being hit from the front passenger side, the throttle stuck in a full throttle mode. The ignition switch did not stop the vehicle, which remained in full throttle mode after turning to the off position, and the brakes were impaired to the point that I could not overpower the acceleration,…”
“The right rear tire of my mercedes benz 300 sdl (year 1987) had a blow out at a speed of approx. 40 mph. The origin of the blow out is the inner side wall of the tire. The tire is a michelin mxv4. I was traveling on telephone road by houston's hobby airport when the incident occurred. The road was…”
“Cracks in the rear sub-frame the necessitated a $3,000 repair that mercedes-benz would not cover. It was recommended that I not drive the car until the repair was made. The piece in question was above the rear axle and supported the suspension and rear springs. From research I have done it…”
“I was driving my 1987 mercedes 300e on the interstate, when suddenly the air bag deployed for no reason, injuring my left arm, burns and bruises from the airbag. Would like to know what I can do to settle this matter. *jb”
“Driving on interstate...airbag deployed, seat belts locked, caused injuries to left arm, pain up through arm and neck, bruises, and burns. Drove to mb on 5/30/06. They checked car out. Mb stated it was the front flex disc that broke and hit the senser to cause airbag and all safety features to…”
STATUS:THIS INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.===
There is no summary currently available
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.