2010 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 Complaints

I GOT COUPLE WARNING MESSAGES ON MY 2010 MB C-300 THAT THE TAILLIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT THINKING IT WAS THE LIGHTBULBS THAT NEEDED TO BE CHANGED, I FOUND OUT THAT THE TAILLIGHT WIRES AND CONNECTORS HAVE OVERHEATED AND MELTED. IN MY CASE, THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND MERCEDES CUSTOMER CARE DID TAKE THE INITIATIVE AND REPLACED THE WIRES AND CONNECTORS WITH NO COST TO ME, AFTER I DISCUSSED WITH THEM ABOUT THE FACT THAT THIS PROBLEM IS CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION BY NHTSA. I DO APPRECIATE MB DEALER AND CUSTOMER CARE'S HELP TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE AND TAKE CARE OF MY CAR. HOWEVER, I WANT TO REPORT MY CASE TO NHTSA TO HELP YOUR AGENCY IN DATA COLLECTION TO DETERMINE HOW WIDE SPREAD THE PROBLEM IS AND WHETHER A RECALL SHOULD BE WARRANTED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MERCEDES BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE LIGHT FAILED DUE TO A MELTED ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

REAR TAIL LIGHTS HAVE PROGRESSIVELY DIMMED OVER TIME. WIRING HARNESS WAS MELTING. CONNECTOR TO LIGHT CARRIER AND TAILLIGHT WIRING WAS CORRODED. REPAIR OF CORRODED WIRING, CONNECTOR, AND LIGHT CARRIER WAS REQUIRED. *TR

ALL BULBS ON THE RIGHT SIDE TAIL LIGHT ARE NOT WORKING, THAT INCLUDES BRAKE LIGHT, REVERSE LIGHT, AND SIGNAL LIGHT. I THOUGHT THE BULBS WERE OUT BUT WHEN I WENT TO CHANGE THE BULBS THEY WERE ALL FINE. WHAT I DID NOTICED WAS THE BROWN WIRE WAS BURNT AND SO WAS THE PLASTIC THAT HOLDS THE WIRES TOGETHER, IT SEEMED LIKE THAT ENTIRE SIDE WAS BURNT AND EVEN MELTED. THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM AND IT ALSO SEEMS TO BE A SAFETY HAZARD. I SPOKE TO ONE OF MY MECHANIC FRIENDS WHO SUGGESTED I BRING THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER TO TRY AND RESOLVE THE PROBLEM AND HE ALSO ADVISED ME TO DISCONNECT THE WIRES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AS THIS COULD CAUSE A POTENTIAL FIRE. SINCE I'M PAST THE WARRANTY PERIOD (50,000 MILES) I'M NOT SURE HOW I'M GOING TO FIX THIS PROBLEM, IT MAY BE PRETTY COSTLY AND I'M NOT SURE WHERE TO START. I THOUGHT I SHOULD REPORT THIS TO THE NHTSA SINCE THIS CAN POSSIBLY CAUSE MAJOR SAFETY HAZARDS AND EVEN FIRES. *TR

CONNECTOR FOR THE TAILLIGHTS MELTING ONTO THE HOUSING. POSSIBLE GROUND WIRE ISSUE. FIRE HAZARD. *TR

WARNING LIGHT ON MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PROMPTED "CHECK LEFT TAIL AND BRAKE LIGHT". I CHECKED ALL THE BULBS, THEY WERE ALL FUNCTIONING EXCEPT FOR 1 OR TWO DIM BULBS IN THE LEFT TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY. I UNPLUGGED THE CONNECTOR/HARNESS TO THE ASSEMBLY AND FOUND ONE OF THE WIRE INSERT CONNECTORS TO BE MELTED IN THE PLASTIC CONNECTOR, THE MELTING AFFECTED THE PLASTIC AS WELL. I AM WORRIED FOR A POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD IN MY TRUNK COMPARTMENT. CONTACTED MERCEDES FOR A SERVICE APPOINTMENT. *TR

ALL DRIVER SIDE REAR LIGHTS WENT OUT. THERE IS SIGN OF POSSIBLE BURNT RESIDUE ON WIRE AND LIGHT CASING. *TR

APPROXIMATELY ONCE EVERY 2 MONTHS WHILE PARKED WITH THE ENGINE OFF, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT WILL COME ON WITH THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE PARKING/BRAKE LIGHT. WHEN THIS OCCURS, I HAVE TO TURN THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON THEN BACK OFF, TO TURN OFF THE LIGHTS. ON ONE OCCASION, I OBSERVED THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT AND THE REAR PASSENGER LIGHT FLICKERING LIKE A STROBE LIGHT, BEFORE I TURNED THE SWITCH ON THEN OFF. *TR

SIMILAR TO OTHER COMPLAINTS THAT HAVE BEEN FILED AGAINST MERCEDES, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION TO MY REAR RIGHT LIGHT (BRAKE LIGHT, RUNNING LIGHT, TURN SIGNAL, ETC.) HAS MELTED AND IS NO LONGER OPERATIONAL. THE ENTIRE LIGHT IS OUT AND I GET WARNING MESSAGES ON THE DASH ABOUT THE PROBLEM. IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM THAT EVERYONE ELSE WITH THE SAME MAKE/MODEL AS ME ARE HAVING. HOPEFULLY MERCEDES RECOGNIZES THE SCALE OF THIS FLAW IN THEIR ENGINEERING AND SENDS OUT A RECALL SOONER THAN LATER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MERCEDES BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THE THE DRIVER'S SIDE FOG LIGHT COVER WAS FRACTURED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.