2013 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 Complaints

Subframe cracked while driving vehicle and began to sway in the rear very badly.

My rear sub frame is rusted and unsafe to drive.. There seems to be a recall in Canada (I think) but not in the US. this is an unsafe issue that needs to be fixed. All local repair shops are aware of these and have several that need repaired as well.

Started noticing strange chassis behavior when braking. Braking hard would result in car leaning left, then leaning right when foot taken off the brake. Car appeared to "sway" on braking. Hard to control direction of vehicle on braking. Consulted local mechanic who put the car up on a lift. Discovered rotten rear subframe on left side. No substantial rust or rot on any other structural components. Looked into this issue online; no recall discovered. Found multiple instances of this rear subframe rot occurring to other owners of similar-year C300s who were then also quoted thousands of dollars in repairs. Car is not safe to drive until the subframe is replaced. The wrong pothole could cause the rotten rear subframe to snap and potentially cause more damage to the vehicle and injury to the driver and others. No warning lamps or other system messages to warn of this problem. A safety inspection performed at an authorized Mercedes-Benz service center on February 22, 2021 found no issues with the vehicle.

2013 Mercedes Benz C300 4dr AWD. Corrosion of Rear Sub-Frame (aka "Rear Axle Carrier" or "Suspension Cross Member") (New Part #: 207-350-97-02. Old Part #: 204-350-01-41 + other numbers). Car experienced erratic behavior under all braking scenarios. Extremely dangerous behavior under heavy breaking (65 mph to 25 mph). Life threatening severity of issue. 2 personal experiences. 1: Stopping at a yellow light in a quick fashion (55-0 mph, no abs required), car pulled hard to left and almost pulled me into curbing on left hand side. It felt like the rear end was on ice and was going to do a 180 partial spin. 2: Pulling off a highway into a turning lane and braked hard to slow down for right hand turn (65-15 mph). Car pulled about 8 feet left and almost put me back into full speed traffic. Same uncontrollable "on ice" feeling. I was on a road trip and had car towed to independent mechanic in the town I was visiting. He found holes throughout rear sub-frame member on drivers side and passenger side. Mounting points for suspension components were not structurally sound. He said I was lucky the control arm didn't break loose and puncture the gas tank. Corrosion was limited to sub-frame. The rest of car was "Nearly Perfect" in the words of the mechanic. Called Mercedes Corporate and they advised towing car to local MB dealer for inspection. MB Lancaster determined car was unsafe to drive. I am currently pursuing a good will repair case that has been initially denied. Parts are back ordered for 10+ weeks. I've called several dealers to source the part and nearly dealers have orders placed to Germany for these sub frames. Repair + alignment is approximately 4k USD. In 2018, Mercedes has issued Official Service Information Supplemental Notes (SI35.00-P0009A) to technicians to look for premature corrosion issues. This is free of charge replacement in UK and Germany already and a recall in Canada. US needs to catch up quick before death occurs.

Rusting subframe to point of hole thru rust be leaf rear wheel/tire area. Garaged daily since purchased 2013. Reside in Ohio. Approx 80k miles.

I have a 2013 Mercedes Benz C 300 sport, and I felt my car shaking if I drive above speed of 35-40. Took it to Mercedes Benz dealership is Rockville center NY, they told me it is my subframe, which cost parts $2496 and labor $3704, Total $6196. Sad part is that my car is in excellent condition and Mercedes refuse from even helping to reduce cost.

Vehicle was taken in for standard maintenance and I was informed that the rear sub-frame had a rusted through hole on one side and was rusting on the other. This vehicle is well maintained, garaged, and has normal annual maintenance with the dealership. There was no prior warning that this was an issue or "normal wear and tear" was causing this problem. The repair is quoted to be over 5k and I was told it is/will be essential because of a safety issue. Through some brief internet research, it appears like this is a larger problem and could have catastrophic problems if it is not caught before it fails.

While driving normal highway speed and braking suddenly the car violently pulls to left. Same occurs when driving normal city traffic . Good afternoon I am following up on a major safety issue #11453988 concerning a 2013 C300 Mercedes. I reported this a few weeks ago as this safety defect can cause personnel injury when the defective part fails . As noted earlier during normal braking the car pulls hard to left or right . With normal highway speed driving and emergency braking the car will violently pull left or right possibility into oncoming traffic and or fixed objects . Please reply with update into this major safety defect concern . PS the part number in question has been changed from number 2043500141 with new number 2073509702. This part is not available in the US currently and has a lead time of 30 days from Germany. With the long lead time and the need to travel to work it is a major safety issue that can be avoided. Thanks George

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The rear subframe rusted off at where the lower control is connected due to corrosion =. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? When the control arm rusted off the frame I lost control of the car due fish tailing and car extremally pulling the to the left while hitting the brakes Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no warning lamps for the frame, it finally appears and almost caused me to crash after the control are finally rusted off the subframe completely.

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. Upon taking the vehicle to the dealer, they discovered corrosion underneath the rear subframe. The corrosion caused 2-inch sized holes to be formed on the passenger’s side of the rear subframe. The dealer also discovered corrosion on the wire of one of the seats which resulted in the air bag warning light being illuminated. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and agreed to cover 50% of the cost for repair of the vehicle. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.