The 1999 Mercedes-Benz C-Class has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 65,731 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HOPPECKE BATTERIES. THE BATTERY MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE COULD BE LESS THAN NEEDED TO MAINTAIN PROPER ELECTROLYTE LEVELS.
Consequence
THE LOW ELECTROLYTE LEVELS RESULT IN ACCELERATED BATTERY GRID GROWTH, INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR INTER-CELL RUPTURE AND SPARKING, AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A BATTERY EXPLOSION.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BATTERIES, INCLUDING FLUID LEVELS. SOME BATTERIES MAY BE REPLACED IF NECESSARY, ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. IN ADDITION TO THE BATTERY INSPECTION, THE ADDITION OF LABELS IN THE VEHICLE OWNER'S MANUAL AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT WILL BE INCLUDED TO CONSPICUOUSLY REMIND OWNERS AS WELL AS DEALER AND…
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
3
AIR BAGS
1
1crashes2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
1
SUSPENSION:FRONT
1
Total complaints7
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Spring perch (mount) for the front spring on driver's side failed due to corrosion causing spring to be ejected under the car and fender to drop onto tire. Corrosion is undetectable by normal inspection because manufacturer uses a heavy, rubberized coating on underbody parts. Car was traveling at…”
“Merc. Benz 1999 c230 compressor, the car rolled over three times but none of the air bags deployed. *nm”
“I own a 1999 mercedes c43, I like many others have a high failure rate of the crankshaft position sensors on our vehicles. This part when faulty will not allow the car to start when the car is warm. When the car sits for an extended period of time to "cool down" the car will start. I was at the…”
“Mfr# [REDACTED] & nhtsa# 01 v 366 000/battery: consumer states dealer (park place motors;houston,tx; phone# 713/986-6400) not honoring recall, no parts available. Feel free to provide any further information.*jb”
“The consumer recieved a recall notice from the manufacturer. The recall number is #[REDACTED]. Nlm”
“Had the vehicle in reverse when brakes failed to function while on an incline. Had little braking power on straight away. Manufacturer knows of brake problem. The dealer/mechanic are aware of problem, but nothing was being done. *ak”
“The consumer took his vehicle in for a recall# 20012004 for his battery. He took the vehicle to brown mercedes benz route 250 east pantops charlottesville virginia [REDACTED]). Mr jackson experience problem with his vehicle shutting down without prior warning. Nlm”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE01029 Opened 2001-07-31 · closed 2001-12-13
BATTERY EXPLOSION
InvestigationPE03058 Opened 2003-12-17 · closed 2004-04-22
ENGINE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY FAILURE
THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY HARMONIC BALANCER FAILURE THAT COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF POWER-STEERING ASSIST.ODI HAS RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 546 NON-DUPLICATIVE REPORTS THAT ALLEGE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY HARMONIC…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1999 Mercedes-Benz C-Class as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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