2014 Mercedes Benz E250: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2014 Mercedes Benz E250
On the 2014 Mercedes Benz E250, the failure owners report most often is other engine problem, with 2 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 10,000 miles.
The failures owners actually file about
Owners have reported 9 named failure modes on the 2014 Mercedes Benz E250, and the three most-reported carry 42% of everything filed.
Other engine problem leads with 2 reports and about 0.7 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other body or interior problem follows with 2 reports, median 85,000 miles.
Fuel pump failure follows with 1 report.
By system, the reports fall mostly into engine (2), body (2) and suspension (2).
The mileage the reports cluster at
10 of the reports on the 2014 Mercedes Benz E250 came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 10,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 90% by 50,000 miles, 90% by 100,000 miles and 90% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 50% of the dated reports.
60% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
How bad it is when it goes
Across the named modes, 2 mention a crash. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 4.25, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other engine problem at $300–$4,000, other body or interior problem at $200–$2,000, fuel pump failure at $600–$2,600 and control arm, ball joint or bushing failure at $400–$2,200. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
25% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other engine problem | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 19k | — | 0.7 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 2 | 2 | — | 87k | — | 0.7 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.4 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure | suspension | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.4 | $400–$2,200 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 1 | 1 | — | 50 | — | 0.4 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 1 | 1 | — | 20k | — | 0.4 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 1 | 1 | — | 50 | — | 0.4 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 38k | — | 0.4 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 4k | — | 0.4 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Unclassified problem | other | 1 | 1 | — | 38k | — | 0.4 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2014 Mercedes Benz E250 draws about 4.3 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 83rd percentile of complaint rates among 2014 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 2,814 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2014 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other engine problem
The car has a eco system which makes the engine stop when you come at complete stop to save fuel. When the incident happened, the car started with a huge jerk as if the gear box is broken. Now it is giving two difference messages: 1. Auxiliary battery malfunction 2. Pre-safe functions limited (see operator's manual) the car is jurking heavily. I took it to mercedes dealer in pleasanton, ca. The service agent asked me if I bought the vehicle from them. I told that I did by an s550 from them but not this one since they didn't have the specific feature which I needed hence I went to san jose mercedes benz who had the vehicle which had all the features of my choice. She then told me that it is pretty safe to drive and that they don't have time and slot to check the vehicle and I have to make an appointment to get it checked. I told them that "as long as it is safe to drive, I am not worried, however, to me it is quite unsafe". Due to this issue, I was parking the car in a parking lot of 76 gas station, the car engine stopped when I applied the break in the parking lot. I wanted to park it right so as I pull my feet from the break, the…
I have a 2014 mercedes benz e250 diesel, I complained that the engine hesitates when trying to accelerate, I was told that the trans and engine has to get used to my driving habits,,,lol....it's still doing it, also the suspension on the 2014 is horrible u can feel every bump, crack, pot hole, I took it back to the dealer they said there is nothing wrong with the suspension, I was driving on I-95 hit a pot hole for the cost of this car and the benz reputation, it sound like I crashed into a wall and almost lost control of the vehicle, it felt like the front of the car fell off I had a 2006 eclass, and the 2014 is nothing like it, it's cheap, drives like a 50 year old car, don't buy it. *tr
Other body or interior problem
My wife was at the final stage of parking the car ,means,slowing the car by pushing the break the car in the parking slot.when she was in position to stop the car suddenly got acceleration uncontrolled.to avoid hitting the car in front of her she turn wheel to the right and with max. Speed car jumped through the edges of the island with the tree .tree stopped the car and car and tree was destroy .she was distress.shock and till now has a nightmares.
Recalls on the 2014 model year
NHTSA has issued 3 recall campaigns covering the 2014 Mercedes Benz E250, affecting an estimated 3,374 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover communication, air bags:frontal and engine and engine cooling:engine:diesel. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
COMMUNICATION
24,226 vehicles 2019-11-01- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2013-2017 vehicles due to a software fault that may cause the date and time for the emergency call system (eCall) to differ from the actual date and time, potentially relaying an inaccurate vehicle location. For a full list of the affected models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2019/RMISC-19V787-4620.pdf
- Consequence
- An inaccurate vehicle location may delay emergency responders, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- MBUSA has initiated an Over the Air (OTA) remote update. MBUSA will also notify owners, and dealers will check software for a successful OTA or update the communication module software as needed, free of charge. The recall began December 23, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2019120008.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
495,290 vehicles 2017-10-06- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling these vehicles: 2014-2018 CLA250, CLA250 4Matic, CLA45 AMG 4Matic, 2015-2018 GLA250, GLA250 4Matic, GLA45 AMG 4Matic, C300 4Matic, C63S AMG, 2012-2014 C250, C350, C300 4Matic, E550 4Matic, 2013-2014 C63 AMG, 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2013-2015 C350 4Matic Coupe, GLK250 4Matic BlueTec, GLK350, GLK350 4Matic, 2016-2017 C350e, C43 AMG, 2015 C400 4Matic, 2016-2018 C63 AMG, GLC300, GLC300 4Matic, 2017-2018 C300 Coupe, C300 4Matic Coupe, C43 AMG, C63 AMG Coupe, C63S AMG Coupe, C300 Cabriolet, C300 4Matic…
- Consequence
- If the driver air bag inadvertently deploys, it can increase the risk of injury and a crash.
- Remedy
- MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will add sufficient grounding to the steering components, free of charge. The recall began in December 6, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL
4,871 vehicles 2014-12-01- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (Mercedes) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 E250 BlueTec, E250 BlueTec 4Matic, GLK250 4Matic BlueTec, and 2015 ML250 4Matic BlueTec vehicles manufactured February 28, 2014, to November 10, 2014. In the affected vehicles, oil may leak from around the chain tensioner gasket area.
- Consequence
- Leaking oil may drip onto a hot engine surface, increasing the risk of a fire. Additionally, the leaking oil may be a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Mercedes will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chain tensioner gasket, free of charge. The recall began on December 19, 2014. Owners may contact Mercedes customer service at 1-800-367-6372. Mercedes' number for this recall is 2014120002.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
Every year of the Mercedes Benz E250
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
What this page cannot tell you
12 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 12 reports, 10 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 83% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2014 Mercedes Benz E250?
The most-reported failures are other engine problem (2 reports, median 20,000 miles), other body or interior problem (2 reports, median 85,000 miles) and fuel pump failure (1 report). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed