2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Aug 31, 2026 · 68 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other E550 years
Far more complaints than other years 1st of 13 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 68 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550. That is the most of any E550 model year in the database (13 years). The most reported problem area is air bags (30 complaints, 44%), typically at around 84,990 miles. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Air Bags30 · ~84,990 mi
Suspension27 · ~68,000 mi
Structure4 · ~149,200 mi
Unknown or Other4 · ~89,500 mi
Electrical System3 · ~125,000 mi
Power Train2 · ~71,000 mi
Steering2 · ~49,000 mi
Visibility2 · ~63,000 mi
Electronic Stability Control (esc)1 · ~30,000 mi
Engine1
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Air Bags3044%84,990——
Suspension2740%68,000——
Structure46%149,200——
Unknown or Other46%89,500——
Electrical System34%125,000——
Power Train23%71,000——
Steering23%49,000——
Visibility23%63,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)11%30,000——
Engine11%———
Fuel/propulsion System11%29,000——
Service Brakes11%105,000——
Traction Control System11%30,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2017, with 17 complaints
2010: 1201012012: 2201222015: 7201572016: 4201642017: 172017172018: 152018152019: 8201982020: 2202022021: 4202142022: 5202252023: 1202312024: 1202412026: 120261

n = 68 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 recalls (3)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleJan 9, 2019 · NHTSA campaign 19V010000 · 288,779 vehicles

Problem: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2014 C250, C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 4Matic Coupe, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio, SLS AMG Coupe, 2014-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, GLK 350, GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, 2015-2017 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2014-2017 E550 Cabrio, and 2014-2016 E550 Coupe vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally, MBUSA is recalling certain 2012-2014 C250, E350 4Matic Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio, 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2011 C300, 2011-2014 C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, SLS AMG Coupe, 2015-2016 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2011-2016 E550 Cabrio, E550 Coupe, 2011-2015 GLK350 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, and 2013-2015 GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." MBUSA is also recalling certain 2012-2014 C250, E350 4Matic Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2010-2011 C300, 2010-2014 C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 Coupe, 2011-2014 E350 Cabrio, SLS AMG Coupe, 2015-2016 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2016-2017 E550 Cabrio, 2010-2016 E550 Coupe, 2010-2015 GLK350 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, and 2013-2015 GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began March 29, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleJan 10, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V043000 · 132,167 vehicles

Problem: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2013 C250, C250 Coupe, C350 Coupe 4Matic, C300 4Matic, C350, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG, C63 Coupe, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, E550 Cabrio, E350 Coupe 4Matic, E550 Coupe, GLK350 4Matic, GLK250 Bluetec 4Matic, GLK350, SLS Coupe, SLS AMG GT Coupe, and SLS Roadster vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, MBUSA is recalling certain 2010 C300, C300 4Matic, C63 AMG, E350 Coupe, E550 Coupe, GLK350, and GLK350 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." MBUSA is also recalling certain 2009 C300, C300 4Matic, C63 AMG, and C350 vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI and WY or "Zone C." In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. Mercedes issued an interim notification to owners on February 23, 2018. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleFeb 11, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V081000 · 711,159 vehicles

Problem: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 ML320 BlueTec 4Matic, GL320 BlueTec 4Matic and R320 CDI 4Matic, 2011 E350 Cabriolet and E550 Cabriolet, 2009-2011 ML350, ML350 4Matic, ML550 4Matic, ML63 AMG, and C63 AMG, 2010-2011 ML450 4Matic Hybrid, E350 Coupe, E350 4Matic, E550 Coupe, E550 4Matic, and E63 AMG, 2011-2012 GL350 BlueTec 4Matic and R350 BlueTec 4Matic, 2009-2012 GL450 4Matic, GL550 4Matic and R350 4Matic, 2007-2008 SLK280, SLK350, and SLK55 AMG, 2011-2014 SLS AMG Coupe, 2012 SLS AMG Cabriolet, 2013-2014 SLS AMG GT and SLS AMG GT Cabriolet, 2005 C230 Kompressor and C320, 2006-2007 C230, 2006-2011 C350, 2008-2011 C300 and C300 4Matic, 2010-2012 GLK350 and GLK350 4Matic and 2007-2008 Chrysler Crossfire vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: MBUSA will their notify owners, and Fiat Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler owners. Dealers for the respective brands will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. This recall began November 2016. Mercedes-Benz owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372 and Chrysler owners may contact Fiat Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
  • Rear brake line failure (DP20004) — opened Apr 24, 2020, closed Oct 9, 2020.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

UNKNOWN. I was vacuuming the car and it went dark. Then in the instrument cluster was a PRE-safe warning light, then a PRE-Safe functionality message. Then the car would not start or crank nothing. The car wakes up when I put the key in and after a few seconds goes dark. I saw a recall campaign…

Unknown or Other · received Aug 31, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11760829

The manufacturer refuses to provide me with the main fuse box chart.

Electrical System · received Sep 3, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11612340

There is an ongoing issue with the front and rear air shocks. They don't inflate properly. Sometimes they inflate and sometimes they don't. This is a risk because my suspension system is not stable. The problem has been confirmed by Astorg Mercedes-Benz. Yes, the problem has been inspected by an…

Suspension · received Feb 24, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11508974

The subframe on the back of the car starts to rust and potentially just breaks without warning which can cause loss of control of vehicle. This is an ongoing issue for all w212 Mercedes models.

Structure · received Dec 13, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11497224

Rear control arm attachment to subframe snapped off at the weld during breaking

Structure · received Sep 14, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11484385

Other Mercedes-Benz E550 years

← 2009 E550 · 2011 E550 →

See all Mercedes-Benz E550 problems by year, every Mercedes-Benz model, or the Mercedes-Benz VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550?

Owners most often report air bags, suspension, structure problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 30 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550?

Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other E550 model years, the 2010 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.