Buyer Research

2016 Mercedes-Benz E-Class — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $13,000–$19,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 15 Mercedes-Benz E-Class years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

The last of this generation of saloon and wagon before the 2017 redesign, and the 89 complaints on file are dominated by the Takata airbag campaign — 30 of them, almost all about parts that took years to arrive. Under that, the record thins out into small clusters: nine steering complaints where power assist drops out and a malfunction message appears, ten scattered electrical faults, and eight structure filings that are the familiar rear-end corrosion of this generation. A newer car than the 2013 and 2014 with the same underside, so the same lift inspection applies; the difference is that fewer of these have spent a decade in road salt.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 89 owner complaints for the 2016 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and 5 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 34% of them are about one thing — airbags. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

5 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2016 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Takata inflator campaign — a third of this year's complaintsHigh — wallet impact

Thirty of the 89 filings are airbags, and they are overwhelmingly owners saying a passenger-side airbag module notice arrived and the dealer still had no remedy two years later. The defect is an inflator that can rupture and throw fragments when the bag fires. The replacement is free, which makes the only real question whether this particular car ever had it done. Run the VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup before you make the trip to see it.

Repair cost: Not yet priced — a safety matter first, a repair bill second

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (30).

Power steering malfunction message and a sudden loss of assistHigh — wallet impact

Nine steering complaints, three of which mention a crash. Owners describe a Power Steering Malfunction warning at startup with the assist gone, and one who had to drive three blocks at 5 mph with hazard lights on because the wheel had gone so heavy. Some were fixed by a software update at the dealer; others needed hardware. Start the car from cold, read the display all the way through its startup checks, and turn the wheel fully both ways before you move.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$400 for the software update; $1,500–$3,200 for a steering rack

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (9).

Gear selector refuses to change gear, and assist systems drop offlineMedium

The electrical cluster is small and mixed, but two filings stand out: a car stuck in Drive or Reverse with the selector refusing to move it to Park, and a car flashing Frontal Collision Avoidance System Inoperable and Traction Control System Inoperable while braking for an intersection. A third needed an ignition coil for a shake at 30 mph. Cycle the selector through every position several times on the test drive and note any warning that appears and then quietly clears.

Repair cost (estimate): $300–$1,400 depending on whether it is the selector, a coil or a module

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (10).

Passenger seat occupancy sensor faults and the passenger airbag stays offMedium

One owner reports a passenger seat capacity sensor fault confirmed with an OBD scanner, meaning the car will not arm the passenger airbag. It is a separate problem from the inflator campaign and it is not free to fix. You can check it in the car park: have someone adult-sized sit in the passenger seat with the ignition on and confirm the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light goes out.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$1,200 for the seat occupancy mat or sensor

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (30).

Rear-end corrosion on the subframe and brake lines, same as earlier yearsMedium

Eight structure complaints on a car that shares its rear crossmember and brake-line routing with the 2013 and 2014, where that corrosion is the defining fault. Fewer filings here is mostly the car being two to four years younger, so treat the risk as live rather than solved. An hour on a lift with a torch, looking at the boxed sections of the rear subframe and the hard lines that run over them, settles it.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,400–$4,300 for the rear brake lines; more if the subframe goes with them — about 27% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (8).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗A Power Steering Malfunction message during the startup sequence
✗The gear selector refusing to move the car into Park on the first try
✗PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF staying lit with an adult in the seat
✗Flaking rust on the rear brake lines or the rear crossmember
✗Collision-avoidance or traction warnings that appear and clear on their own

Good Signs

✓Airbag inflator replacement showing complete on NHTSA's VIN lookup
✓Consistent power steering effort from a cold start through full lock
✓The passenger airbag arming reliably when someone sits down
✓A clean, dry rear subframe in lift photos
✓A dealer or specialist service history with dates and mileages