1997 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Recalls
No NHTSA recalls on record for the 1997 Mercedes-Benz C-Class. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 5 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.
“Was driving vehicle down the highway traveling at normal speeds. All of a sudden car began backfiring and speed dropped from 65 mph to 30 mph. The car would not accelerate and began to backfire more. Temp went up and car started smoking. Pulled over to check on car and it never restarted again.…”
“Was driving vehicle down the highway traveling at normal speeds. All of a sudden car began backfiring and speed dropped from 65 mph to 30 mph. The car would not accelerate and began to backfire more. Temp went up and car started smoking. Pulled over to check on car and it never restarted again.…”
“Was driving vehicle down the highway traveling at normal speeds. All of a sudden car began backfiring and speed dropped from 65 mph to 30 mph. The car would not accelerate and began to backfire more. Temp went up and car started smoking. Pulled over to check on car and it never restarted again.…”
“My mercedes 1997 c-280, purchased from the mercedes dealer, has exhibited several inherent design issues. The issue that is the greatest safety issue is the constant deterioration/destruction under normal use of the upper control arm bushings, every 50,000 miles or so, which is not normal for any…”
“While driving vehicle abruptly shuts down without warning, causing vehicle to lose all power. Dealer cannot identify the cause. Transmission locked up after 80000 miles. *ak *ts”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Mercedes-Benz C-Class as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.