2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 Complaints

MY MERCEDES WAS HIT IN THE FRONT IN DECEMBER AND AFTER PARTIAL REPAIRS WERE DONE, WE PICKED UP THE CAR AND ON 2ND DAY OF HAVING IT, IT WOULD NOT START. THOUGHT IT WAS BATTERY BUT OF COURSE IT WASN'T . HOOKED UP TO OUR SCANNER AND ALL KINDS OF CODES WERE DISPLAYED SO WE HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED BACK TO WHERE REPAIRS WERE DONE AND THEY DETERMINED IT WAS ESL MODULE AND THEIR OPINION IT WAS CAUSED BY ACCIDENT. $2700.00 LATER OUT OF MY OWN POCKET WE HAVE CAR BACK AND FIXED. SO WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS, NOT US. I BELIEVE THAT MERCEDES SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS AND THE OTHER INSURANCE SHOULD PAY FOR THIS ALSO. I SEE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THIS BUT MINE I BELIEVE WAS CAUSED BY ACCIDENT.

I EXPERIENCED THE INFAMOUS STEERING LOCK PROBLEM 5 DAYS AGO IN MY (NOW FORMER) 2009 MERCEDES C300. PRIOR TO THIS PROBLEM OCCURRING MY CAR SEEMED TO BE WORKING FINE. I'VE ALWAYS HAD ALL OF THE RECOMMENDED SERVICES PERFORMED ON TIME BY THE DEALER. THEN LAST SATURDAY I WAS RUNNING ERRANDS AND AFTER MY THIRD STOP MY CAR WOULDN'T START. I ASSUMED IT WAS THE BATTERY (EVEN THOUGH IT HAD BEEN REPLACED LESS THAN 2 YEARS AGO) AND I CALLED MERCEDES ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THE ROADSIDE TECHNICIAN TESTED THE BATTERY AND SAID IT WAS FINE AND HE IMMEDIATELY SUSPECTED IT WAS THE STEERING LOCK PROBLEM. AFTER A BIT MORE TESTING HE CONFIRMED IT WAS AND HE SAID THE CAR WOULD NEED TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER ON A FLATBED. IT WAS SATURDAY AND THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS CLOSING BUT I GOT THERE JUST IN TIME TO GET A LOANER CAR. ONCE I GOT HOME I STARTED DOING INTERNET RESEARCH ON THE PROBLEM AND I FOUND THIS WEBSITE. I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO THE DEALER ON SUNDAY WHEN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS CLOSED AND ASK IF I COULD TRADE IN THE CAR. I PRINTED OUT ALL OF THE REPORTS ON THIS SITE AND TOOK THEM WITH ME. THE SALESPEOPLE CLAIMED THEY HAD NOT HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BUT THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT IT. I WAITING UNTIL YESTERDAY WHEN I HAD THE REPAIR QUOTE BEFORE I TRADED IT IN. THE COST WOULD HAVE BEEN $1,800 BUT THEY SAID I COULD USE A 15% OFF SERVICE COUPON. I ALSO TRIED TO SHOW THE REPORTS FROM THIS SITE TO THE SERVICE ADVISOR BUT HE WASN'T INTERESTED IN SEEING THEM EITHER. I DECIDED I REALLY NEEDED A CAR THAT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY SO I TRADED IT IN LAST NIGHT. THEY SUBTRACTED $1,500 OFF THE TRADE IN VALUE FOR THIS REPAIR. I TRIED TO GET THEM TO DOCUMENT IT SO I WOULD HAVE SOME EVIDENCE IF THERE IS REPAIR REFUND OFFERED IN THE FUTURE BUT THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO DO SO.

STATIONARY WHILE AT THE REST AREA DURING A HOT SUMMER DAY ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE STEERING COLUMN OR ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK (ESL) FAILED AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START.CAR WON'T START AND STEERING WON'T UNLOCK... I STOPPED AND CUT THE ENGINE OF AND TRIED RESTARTING THE CAR IT WON'T DO ANYTHING. THIS PARTICULAR PART IS FAULTY ON MOST 2008-2009 MERCEDES C300. SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSANDS ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH THIS PARTICULAR PART AND AT MOMENTS THEY GET IT WORKING AND AT OTHER TIMES NOT SO MUCH. THIS PART NEEDS TO BE RECALLED SINCE IT IS A DEALER ONLY REPLACEMENT PART AND NO ONE CAN TOUCH IS BESIDES THE DEALER DUE TO THEFT AND SECURITY MEASURES. MERCEDES HAS THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE CORNERED AND IS NOT DOING ANYTHING TO WORK WITH THE CUSTOMER.

TAKATA RECALL.. MY AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINS ON AND I FEAR THAT THEY ARE NOT WORKING. ALSO, MY CAR WILL NOT RESTART AFTER STOPPING AT A STORE. IN READING THE COMMENTS IN A RECENT FORUM, I AM NOT THE ONLY MERCEDES BENZ OWNER HAVING THIS PROBLEM. BASED ON THE COMMENTS THE ISSUE IS WITH THE STEERING COLUMN (EIS/ELS) AND IT IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE DEALER ALSO VERIFIED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MERCEDES AND THE COST TO REPAIR IT IS $2100.00 UPWARD.

CAR WON'T START AND STEERING WON'T UNLOCK...WHENEVER I STOP AND CUT THE ENGINE OF AND TRY STARTING G THE CAR IT WON'T DO ANYTHING. THEN AFTER A GOOD HOUR IT WILL START...THEN I DRIVE HOME AND STOP IT WON'T START. EVERYDAY TWICE A DAY... WHEN J GO TO WORK OR WHEN I COME HOME.

CAR WILL NOT CRANK NOR WILL IT RELEASE STERING WHEEL. IT STATES TO REMOVE KEY. HAD IT TOWED AND DEALER REVIEWED IT AND IT IS ALSO THE EIS. HAD TO PAY TO ORDER PART AND ALSO HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED. JUST GLAD THIS HAPPENED WHERE I WORK AT AND NOT WHILE TRAVELING.

TROUBLE WITH SUN ROOF ASSEMBLY. MECHANIC WARNED ME NOT TO USE IT AS IT IS DEFECTIVE AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED BUT MUST BE REPLACED WHICH WOULD COST TOO MUCH MONEY. THE CAR WAS PURCHSED USED AND THIS WAS NOT INDICATED AT THAT TIME. HE WARNED ME AFTER I BOUGHT IT.

STATIONARY WHILE AT THE REST AREA DURING A HOT SUMMER DAY ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE STEERING COLUMN OR ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK (ESL) FAILED AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. THIS PARTICULAR PART IS FAULTY ON MOST 2008-2009 MERCEDES C300. SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSANDS ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH THIS PARTICULAR PART AND AT MOMENTS THEY GET IT WORKING AND AT OTHER TIMES NOT SO MUCH. THIS PART NEEDS TO BE RECALLED SINCE IT IS A DEALER ONLY REPLACEMENT PART AND NO ONE CAN TOUCH IS BESIDES THE DEALER DUE TO THEFT AND SECURITY MEASURES. MERCEDES HAS THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE CORNERED AND IS NOT DOING ANYTHING TO WORK WITH THE CUSTOMER. IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN STUCK ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY WITH CHILDREN THAT'S A SAFETY RISK AND I BELIEVE MERCEDES SHOULD RECALL THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE AND BE LOYAL TO ITS CUSTOMERS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH WITH THE SEAT BELT LATCHED, THE SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

WENT TO START MY CAR YESTERDAY MORNING AND WOULD NOT START. VERY ODD MESSAGE ON THE DISPLAY I HAD NOT SEEN BEFORE LIKE "REMOVE KEY FROM IGNITION". STEERING WHEEL LOCKED BUT SOME LIGHTS WORKED AND NEW BATTERY REPLACE LAST WEEK. TOWED IT TO "GRANNY'S GARAGE" WHO TOLD ME ONLY THE DEALER CAN REPAIR THIS. NOW BEING TOWED TO DEALER IN SANTA BARBARA. SOUNDS EXACTLY WHAT OTHER 2009 C300 OWNERS HAVE STATED ESP/EIS FAILURE. I WILL KNOW TOMORROW. THIS IS SUCH A WELL DOCUMENTED AND CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THE 2009 C300 AND MERCEDES REALLY SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS AND RECALL. PERFECT FOR A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, IN MY OPINION., ESPECIALLY SINCE THE "DEALER" IS THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO REPAIR.