The 1993 Mercedes-Benz E-Class has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 50,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE FRONT PASSENGER METAL FOOT REST CAN, OVER TIME, ABRADE THROUGH THE WIRING HARNESS UNDER THE FOOT REST CAUSING THE WIRING HARNESS TO SHORT CIRCUIT.
A SHORT CIRCUIT CAN CAUSE THE WIRES TO OVERHEAT, STALL THE ENGINE, OR INADVERTENTLY DEPLOY AN AIRBAG, ANY OF THESE INCREASES THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE CRASH.
DEALERS WILL INSTALL ADDITIONAL WIRING HARNESS CABLE FASTENER TIES AND EDGE PROTECTIVE COVERING FOR SHARP EDGES OF THE METAL FOOT REST.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Recently my 53k mile (very low mileage) 1993 mercedes 300e 2.8 suddenly stalled (without any warning) on a local expressway, which almost caused a serious car accident (the car from behind almost hit me). After I hired a mechanic to take a look, he found that the engine stall was caused by…”
“Wiring harness defect / failure, leading to inoperable and fire. *tr”
“Wiring harness defect / failure, leading to inoperable and fire. *tr”
“The insulation on the enginine wireing harness has disentigrated. This is the engine / fuel injection wiring harness and is a major problem with 1991-1996 mercedes-benz m104 engines. This is a major fire risk as well as an accident hazard as it will cause the engine (and power steering, brakes,…”
“Dt*: the contact stated while driving 20 mph, the vehicle hesitated when the accelerator was depressed. Intense pressure on the accelerator pedal was required to accelerate the vehicle. After being taken to a private repair shop, the mechanic determined that the wiring harness was deteriorated.…”
“Dt*: the contact stated while driving 20 mph, the vehicle hesitated when the accelerator was depressed. Intense pressure on the accelerator pedal was required to accelerate the vehicle. After being taken to a private repair shop, the mechanic determined that the wiring harness was deteriorated.…”
“The ignition module (also known as an ezl) in my 500e shorted out, causing me to lose spark to 4 out of 8 engine cylinders (one-half of my engine), and thru my car into "limp-home" mode, nearly causing an accident. This happened while I was beginning to merge onto the #405 freeway in los angeles.…”
“Wiring harness: under hood top of motor failed. Sheathing has become brittle and individual wiring strands have melted together. Vehicle quit running and would not restart. Burnt wire could be smelled when hood was raised.*ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1993 Mercedes-Benz E-Class as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.