1998 Mercedes-Benz C280 Recalls
No NHTSA recalls on record for the 1998 Mercedes-Benz C280. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 21 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Complaints by component
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Without any warning attempting to make a turn around the corner car just made a very loud sound coming from under driver's side in the front. Car came down on driver side very close to tire. When I existed the vehicle is when I realized the front driver side coil suspension was on the ground…”
“While traveling on the interstate at 70 mph, the spring perch supporting the left, front coil spring broke. Instantly, the left front suspension totally collapsed leaving the left front wheel without any suspension or wheel clearance inside the fender. This in turn caused the left front bumper to…”
“The following is a letter sent to mercedes whidh describes the issue. Dear mercedes: I recently had an almost tragic incident in my mercedes. I was with my daughter who was driving my car, under her learners permit, along the highway on a clear, smooth, and dry pavement at 55 mph, the speed limit.…”
“On may 22, 2005, the right front suspension coil spring popped out of vehicle from driving over rough road. Information entered by state farm. On july 20, 2005, the left front suspension coil spring was damaged from driving over rough roads.”
“Fuel hose (part no.a[REDACTED]) abruptly burst when car was started, resulting in huge fuel leak (like a spigot), with fuel immediately pooling under the car and streaking away. If there had been a lit cigarette butt on the parking lot pavement we would have exploded, killing all 4 occupants as we…”
“No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak”
“No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak”
“While husband was moving objects in trunk. Touched battery and explode at his face, injuring parts on face and body.*ak the consumer suffered eye damage, nasal fracture and facial lacerations as the result of battey explosion. The vehicle had been repaired at the consumer's expense. *yh”
Defect investigations
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 1998 Mercedes-Benz C280 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.