2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 61,404 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seats. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 08V303000 2008-07-07 404 affected
Defect

MERCEDES-BENZ IS RECALLING MY 2006-2008 M-CLASS, R-CLASS, MY 2005-2009 SLK-CLASS, MY 2005-2008 C-CLASS, MY 2003-2004 AND 2006-2008 CLK-CLASS, MY 2003-2008 E-CLASS, MY 2004 AND 2008 CL-CLASS, MY 2008 CLS-CLASS, MY 2004 AND 2007-2008 S-CLASS, MY 2003 G-CLASS, AND MY 2003-2004, 2006 AND 2009 SL-CLASS VEHICLES. A…

Consequence

IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE ELECTRICAL FUEL PUMP MAY NOT RECEIVE A CRASH SIGNAL THAT IS REQUIRED FOR THE FUEL PUMP TO DISCONNECT AND PREVENT FUTURE FUEL DELIVERY AS DESIGNED.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL RECODE THE SCN FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 30, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.

AIR BAGS 05V560000 2005-12-20 61,000 affected
Defect

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH SPORT MODEL STEERING WHEELS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, "OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION." IN CERTAIN LOW RISK AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT TESTS CONDUCTED BY NHTSA, USING AN OUT-OF-POSITION UNBELTED 5TH PERCENTILE FEMALE CRASH TEST…

Consequence

IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, AN OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED WHICH COULD RESULT IN INJURIES.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW AIR BAG INFLATOR MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 15, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.

Complaints by component

SEATS
2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
1
POWER TRAIN
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1
Total complaints8

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Driver's side seat back, left bolster, started to smoke and burned a dime size hole in the leather seat cover. Driver's seat heat was on at the time. Turning the seat heat off seems to have solved the problem temporarily. Suspect short in seat heat wiring. Potential fire hazard! *tr”

SEATS · reported 2014-02-27

“While driving experienced sudden loss of power. Engine would rev normally but vehicle acted as if in neutral. I was able to move over to side of freeway safely. Placed car in park and then shifted back into drive, and car behaved normally. After doing research, I have discovered that this is a…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2012-06-03

“While driving experienced sudden loss of power. Engine would rev normally but vehicle acted as if in neutral. I was able to move over to side of freeway safely. Placed car in park and then shifted back into drive, and car behaved normally. After doing research, I have discovered that this is a…”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2012-06-03

“Seat control module failure. 2 modules per car, 1 for passenger seat, and 1 for driver seat fail. The defective seat control module unit will deplete the cars battery overnight resulting in a no-start condition the following day. A new battery, or a jump start, will get the car going again. The…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2012-01-01

“Seat control module failure. 2 modules per car, 1 for passenger seat, and 1 for driver seat fail. The defective seat control module unit will deplete the cars battery overnight resulting in a no-start condition the following day. A new battery, or a jump start, will get the car going again. The…”

SEATS · reported 2012-01-01

“Seat control module failure. 2 modules per car, 1 for passenger seat, and 1 for driver seat fail. The defective seat control module unit will deplete the cars battery overnight resulting in a no-start condition the following day. A new battery, or a jump start, will get the car going again. The…”

EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY · reported 2012-01-01

“A o-ring connected to the transmission started leaking out transmission fluid after my wife drove the car in the snow, the back tires had some traction problem due to the wet snow earlier. Once the car reached home, transmission oil was dripping onto the garage floor. The car has less than 25k on…”

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION · reported 2009-11-28

“I received a notice in april that my car was recalled because of air bag safety issues. Mercedes has not rectified the situation. *jb”

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL · reported 2006-04-18
Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2005 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.