MERCEDES-BENZ Complaints

I WAS DRIVING AT 40-45 MPH WHEN I NOTICED AN ORANGE GLOW UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR. WITHIN A FEW SECONDS THE LIGHT TURNED YELLOW, AND SUDDENLY I NOTICED FLAMES ARE SHOOTING OUT OF THE SIDE MIRROR ALONG WITH THICK BLACK SMOKE. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED INTO A GAS STATION AND PUT OFF THE FIRE WITH WATER HOSE. I WAS AFRAID OF THE FIRE TO GET INSIDE THE CAR. *TR

I HAVE 2002 MERCEDES ML-500 AND MY CLIMATE CONTROL DOES NOT WORKS AND BLOWING COOLED AIR ALL THE TIME EVEN WHEN I SELECTED TO FULL HOT. I DID BUY MERCEDES SHOP MANUAL AND AS I WAS READING THE SERVICE BULLETINS ISSUED BY MERCEDES MANUFACTURER I FOUND THAT THE FACTORY IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE THE A/C SYSTEM SOMETIMES DOES NOT PRODUCE HEAT OR COOLED AIR. MERCEDES CONFORMED THAT CERTAIN CONTROL UNITS PART NUMBERS HAVE LOW VOLTAGE PROBLEMS WHICH CAUSES THIS AND THE WANT THE CAR OWNER TO REPLACE THE A/C CONTROL UNIT WITH THE UPDATED PART NUMBER 163 829 57 89 AT THE CAR OWNER EXPENSE BECAUSE AS THEY SAY IT IS NOT SAFETY ISSUE? WELL CAN THAT BE WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE HEAT IN THE VERY COLD / SNOW WEATHER AS WE HAVE HERE IN BOSTON? AS FAR AS I AM CONCERN THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN IT COMES TO HEATING THE WINDSHIELD IN THE BAD WINTER STATES. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF MY COMPLAIN MAKES CORRECT. *TR

I HAVE 2008 MERCEDES S550. THE CAR SUDDENLY STARTED MAKING NOISE IN THE FRONT AND I CALLED DEALERSHIP. THEY TOLD ME THE BRAKES ARE GONE AND EVEN ROTORS ARE DAMAGED. I HAD NO INDICATION ALL THIS TIME I WAS DRIVING THAT THE CAR HAD NO BRAKES AS NO BRAKELIGHTS CAME ON. TILL THE TIME I WENT TO DEALERSHIP NO INDICATION CAME AS SENSORS ARE NOT WORKING. IS IT NOT UNSAFE TO BE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY 60 TO 70 MILES /HR WITH NO BREAK SENSORS . I CALLED MERC AND THE TOP TWO PEOPLE ROBYN AND TIM IN ESCALATION DEPT TELL ME AT FIRST THEY ARE PICKING UP THE. REPAIR AND THEN TOTALLY TURNED THEIR BACKS AND YEARS AND SAID TO ME IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE WHERE THE CARS BREAKS ARE COMPLETELY GONE TO THE POINT THE ROTORS ARE DAMAGED AND THERE IS MO INDICATION. WITH A 100K CAR WHICH HAS ALL THESE FANCY FEATURES BUT BRAKES ARE NOT IMO. *TR

ENGINE RUNS ROUGH, IDLES LIKE IT IS GOING TO DIE, CAR SURGES FORWARD WHILE MOVING OR STOPPED, DASH WARNING LIGHTS ON/OFF, ROUGH GEAR SHIFTING OR WON'T SHIFT, ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, GAS TANK/GAUGE PROBLEMS, LOCK/WINDOWS POWERED WHEN CAR OFF, DASH LIGHTING GOES IN/OUT, HEADLIGHT/BRAKE LIGHTS BURN OUT QUICKLY, ELECTRICAL, STARTING CAR ISSUES. THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN/OUT OF THE DEALERSHIP FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS. I BOUGHT IT USED WITH A "CERTIFIED PRE OWNED WARRANTY", CODES GO OFF AND THEY SIMPLY RESET THEM. THERE HAS BEEN A NEW CONVERTER, WINDOW REPAIR, WORK ON GAS TANK, SPARK PLUGS, AND NUMEROUS OTHER "ATTEMPTS". NOW THE WARRANTY IS GONE AND MY PROBLEMS HAVE WORSENED. I DRIVE IT OUT OF THE DEALERSHIP AND THE WARNING LIGHTS COME RIGHT BACK ON. THEY ARE USING PROCESS OF ELIMINATION AND I'M PAYING FOR ALL THE GUESS WORK! THE OIL MONITOR IS ALWAYS OFF, GET THE OIL CHANGED AND IT GIVES ME SERVICE IS NEEDED CODES WITH -OIL READING? HELP. *TR

AIR BAG BLEW UP WITH OUT CRASH ABOUT MARCH 2008, MY CAR WAS PARKED IN MY HOUSE DRIVEWAY OVERNIGHT NEXT DAY I WAS GETTING READY TO GO TO WORK WHEN I STEPPED OUT SIDE MY HOUSE AND I FOUND MY AIR BAGS HAD BLOWN UP. MERCEDEZ BENZ DEALER AT LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA SEND A MECHANIC TECHNICIAN AND HE WORK ON THE VEHICLE TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE SO I CAN DRIVE TO THE DEALER AND HE COULD NOT START THE VEHICLE, SO THEY TOWED THE VEHICLE AWAY TO THE DEALER, THEY BEEN FIGURING OUT WHAT WAS THE REASON FOR THE AIR BAG TO BLEW UP, UJP TODAY DATE JUNE 11, 2008 THEY SAID THAT IT'S MY PROBLEM AND I SHOULD PAY FOR THE DAMAGE, AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURING MALFUNCTIONS. PLEASE HELP ME I DO NOT WHAT TO DO. *TR

1994 MERCEDES E320 WAS INVOLVED IN THE ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESS FAILURE - INSULATION WAS CRACKING AND PEELING OFF AND SHORTED OUT - THIS CAUSED THE THROTTLE BODY AND TRACTION CONTROL TO SHORT OUT THE MAIN COMPUTER OF THE CAR. I HAVE READ OTHER COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER MERCEDES OWNERS TELLING ME THAT MERCEDES DOES NOT HAVE A RECALL. THIS COST ME OVER $3,000 DOLLARS IN REPAIRS AND USAGE LOSS. NOW, I AM STILL CHASING MORE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS FROM THE WIRING HARNESS DEFECTS. *TR

I HAVE A 2000 MERCEDES E430. INSTRUMENT CLUSTER SHOWS SCRAMBLED TIME DISPLAY AND OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE DISPLAY. THE CLUSTER WAS REPLACED BY MERCEDES UNDER WARRANTY FOR THE SAME PROBLEM IN 2003 AND THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM RE-APPEARED AGAIN IN 2006 ON THE NEW CLUSTER. *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR MERCEDES 2001 S430 AND THE FRONT SUSPENSION DROPPED ALL OF A SUDDEN ON A BACK ROAD IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. FIRST IT HAD DROPPED SO LOW IT PREVENTED STEERING AND WAS DIFFICULT TO PUT VEHICLE ON THE SHOULDER WITHOUT DAMAGING CAR. THEN WE HAD THREE TOWING COMPANIES WHICH WOULD NOT TOW THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF LIABILITY TO FRONT END DAMAGE. I CHANGED THE RELAY THROUGH RESEARCH AND WAS ABLE TO GET IT UP ENOUGH TO BE TOWED. TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THIS WAS TAKEN FOUR DAYS TO EXECUTE. THEN I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY TO HAVE A VEHICLE TOWED IN MY LIFE. THEN BY THAT TIME I NEW THE STRUT TOPS HAVE BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH THE W220 MB. I HAD CONVEYED THAT TO THE NEWMARKET, ONTARIO. CANADA DEALERSHIP. BUT THEY STILL HAD TO DO DIAGNOSTICS AND FOR THAT FEE THEY CAME UP WITH REPLACING THE FRONT TOP STRUTS. WHICH THEY HAVE A NEW REBUILD KIT FOR. THE TOTAL SO FAR 760.00 THEN THEY CALL ME BACK AND THEY COULD NOT ADJUST THE LEVEL AND HAD TO DIAGNOSE THAT. ANOTHER CHARGE AND ENDED UP WITH A CORRODED WIRE. OUT THE DOOR BOXING DAY 1290.00. TWO WEEKS LATER SAME PROBLEM. THEY HAD TOLD ME IT WAS COMMON FOR THE SUSPENSION TO DROP IN COLD WEATHER. AND IT HAS BEEN A PROBLEM ON AND OFF SINCE THEN. I AM AFRAID TO TAKE THIS IN BUT I AM EVEN MORE AFRAID TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN AT 120KM HR. *TR

CRACK IN THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS,WITH THIS PROBLEM IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE FIRE IN THE ENGINE ZONE. *TR

I PURCHASED BOTH L & R OUTER TIE ROD ENDS (KARLYN IND INC.) FROM AUTOHAUZ AZ RECENTLY FOR MY WIFE'S W210 MERCEDES E320. I NOTICED WHILE INSTALLING THE PARTS THAT THE THREADED END OF THE CENTRE TIE ROD, WHEN ASSEMBLED TO THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS SLOPPY AND APPEARED TO BE FAR FROM A COMPATIBLE SPECIFICATION. IT WAS AS IF ONE WAS METRIC THREAD AND THE OTHER WAS IMPERIAL. IT DID SNUG WITH THE LOCKING NUT...WHICH IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF THAT NUT HOWEVER, AND I DID RELUCTANTLY INSTALL THEM.....THEY HAVEN'T EVEN LASTED A WEEK BEFORE ONE HAS FAILED AT THE BALL JOINT. THE SALE OF SUCH INFERIOR QUALITY MERCHANDISE PUT'S AT RISK INNOCENT CONSUMERS. IF THE BALL JOINT WAS TO FAIL OR THE TIE ROD SEPERATE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THERE WOULD BE AN EVENT THST COULD EASILY LEAK TO A LOSS OF LIFE. PART WAS PURCHASED FROM AUTOHAUS AZ ON INVOICE #176606 AND MANUFACTURED BY KARYLYN INDUSTRIES INC, SOUTHFIELDS, NY 10975. *TR