Mercedes Benz 215 problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
3 owner complaints analyzed
0 distinct recall campaigns
80,105 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2001 to 2002 model years. Data updated: . 2 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 3 complaints (33.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Steering behavior | 2 | 66.7% |
| Braking behavior | 1 | 33.3% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | 1 |
| Engine | 1 |
| Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft | 1 |
Electrical System: 1; Engine: 1; Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 2 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 2; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
75,000 to 99,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (2). 1 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
2002: 1; 2013: 1; 2014: 1
Pattern summary
Electrical System leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 2 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 756723 · 2002-01-11 (January 11, 2002)
INTERMITTANT VIBRATION, (CHIMY) STEERING WHEEL & CAR AT 60 KM/HR. - DEALER CHANGED FRONT TIRES, ADJUSTED DRIVE SHAFT & CHANGED DRIVE SHAFT, PROBLEMS PERSISTS.*AK
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 756723 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10569239 · 2014-03-14 (March 14, 2014)
ELECTRONIC KEY FAILED TO TURN IN IGNITION. DEALER SERVICE MANAGER SAID IT MAY BE IGNITION SWITCH PRONE TO FAILURE. THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER : PB805711 FOR THE IGNITION SYSTEM. IN THE LIGHT OF SERIOUS GM RECALL CONTROVERSY I AM CONCERNED THAT IF IGNITION FAILURE IS OCCURRING AT START TIME, IT MAY ALSO FAIL AT RUNNING SPEED CAUSING ENGINE, AIRBAGS, BRAKES AND STEERING TO STOP WORKING. GM FAILURE SEEMS TO BE MECHANICAL AND WHILE MERCEDES SEEMS TO BE ELECTRONIC, THE EFFECT COULD BE JUST AS DISASTROUS WITH RESULTING ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS. …
Owner-reported narrative. 85,209 miles reported. Look up ODI 10569239 at NHTSA ↗
Recalls by model year
All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.
Recall campaigns
Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 |
2001: 0; 2002: 0
Year-by-year records
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
3 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 10569239 · 85,209 miELECTRONIC KEY FAILED TO TURN IN IGNITION. DEALER SERVICE MANAGER SAID IT MAY BE IGNITION SWITCH PRONE TO FAILURE. THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER : PB805711 FOR THE IGNITION SYSTEM. IN THE LIGHT OF SERIOUS GM RECALL CONTROVERSY I AM CONCERNED THAT IF IGNITION FAILURE IS OCCURRING AT START TIME, IT MAY ALSO FAIL AT RUNNING SPEED CAUSING ENGINE, AIRBAGS, BRAKES AND STEERING TO STOP WORKING. GM FAILURE SEEMS TO BE MECHANICAL AND WHILE MERCEDES SEEMS TO BE ELECTRONIC, THE EFFECT COULD BE JUST AS DISASTROUS WITH RESULTING ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS. … |
| Engine | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 10514497 · 75,000 miBOTH COIL PACKS DEFECTIVE, THE GARAGE TOLD ME THAT THE ONE DISINTEGRATED, AND THE OTHER COIL PACK, I SMELLED WHAT SMELLED LIKE A FIRE DURING TEST DRIVE AFTER THE FIRST COIL PACK WAS REPLACED. THE SECOND ONE WENT BAD, THEY SAID IT WAS ARCING, AND WOULD HAVE CAUSED A FIRE. ALTHOUGH, IT WAS AT A MERCEDES DEALER IN ROCHESTER NY, THEY DIDN'T OFFER TO PAY FOR THE DEFECTIVE PART. THROUGH RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET I FIND THAT THESE COIL PACKS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR GOING BAD WITH LOW MILEAGE. ONE DISINTEGRATED AND CAUSED MISFIRE, AND THE OTHER APPARENTLY CAU… |
| Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft | 1100.0%ODI 756723INTERMITTANT VIBRATION, (CHIMY) STEERING WHEEL & CAR AT 60 KM/HR. - DEALER CHANGED FRONT TIRES, ADJUSTED DRIVE SHAFT & CHANGED DRIVE SHAFT, PROBLEMS PERSISTS.*AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | Too few reports for a range | 85,209 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 10569239 · 85,209 miELECTRONIC KEY FAILED TO TURN IN IGNITION. DEALER SERVICE MANAGER SAID IT MAY BE IGNITION SWITCH PRONE TO FAILURE. THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER : PB805711 FOR THE IGNITION SYSTEM. IN THE LIGHT OF SERIOUS GM RECALL CONTROVERSY I AM CONCERNED THAT IF IGNITION FAILURE IS OCCURRING AT START TIME, IT MAY ALSO FAIL AT RUNNING SPEED CAUSING ENGINE, AIRBAGS, BRAKES AND STEERING TO STOP WORKING. GM FAILURE SEEMS TO BE MECHANICAL AND WHILE MERCEDES SEEMS TO BE ELECTRONIC, THE EFFECT COULD BE JUST AS DISASTROUS WITH RESULTING ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS. … |
| Engine | Too few reports for a range | 75,000 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 10514497 · 75,000 miBOTH COIL PACKS DEFECTIVE, THE GARAGE TOLD ME THAT THE ONE DISINTEGRATED, AND THE OTHER COIL PACK, I SMELLED WHAT SMELLED LIKE A FIRE DURING TEST DRIVE AFTER THE FIRST COIL PACK WAS REPLACED. THE SECOND ONE WENT BAD, THEY SAID IT WAS ARCING, AND WOULD HAVE CAUSED A FIRE. ALTHOUGH, IT WAS AT A MERCEDES DEALER IN ROCHESTER NY, THEY DIDN'T OFFER TO PAY FOR THE DEFECTIVE PART. THROUGH RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET I FIND THAT THESE COIL PACKS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR GOING BAD WITH LOW MILEAGE. ONE DISINTEGRATED AND CAUSED MISFIRE, AND THE OTHER APPARENTLY CAU… |
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
2001: 1 complaints · 2002: 0 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Electrical System | Engine | Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | — | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 0 | — | 0 |
| Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft | 0 | 0 | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.