2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 Complaints

CPSC: I1470034. 2009 MERCEDES BENZ C300. CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE CAR WHEELS LOCKED AND THE CAR WENT TO A FULL STOP FROM 45 TO 0 IN VERY FEW SECONDS. *LN

MY CAR WILL NOT START. BATTERY WAS TESTED AND IS IN GOOD CONDITION. WHEN KEY IS INSERTED THE PANEL SHOWS A MESSAGE SAYING "PLEASE REMOVE KEY". I HAD TO TOW MY CAR TO SERVICE CENTER AND I AM STILL WAITING FOR TECH INFO ON CAUSE OF PROBLEM. I HAVE READ IN NHTSA WEBSITE MANY COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME NATURE. SEEMS THERE IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT ON THE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM ON THIS MODELS. TO ME THIS IS A SERIOUS SECURITY ISSUE TO OWNERS. IMAGINE HAVING IT HAPPEN WHILE CAR IS RUNNING... THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS AND CANNOT BE UNLOCKED IN ANY WAY. CAR DOES NOT EVEN CRANK. WITH STEERING WHEEL LOCKED TOWERS NEED TO HAVE SPECIAL TOOLS TO HANDLE CAR, NOT ALWAYS AVAILABLE. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT WITH SO MANY COMPLAINTS ALREADY FILED NHTSA HAS NOT ORDERED A RECALL ON THIS MATTER. ARE THE COMPUTERS ON THIS MODEL PREPROGRAMMED BY MANUFACTURER TO STOP WORKING AFTER CERTAIN TIME? *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES BENZ C300. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V177000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED INDICATED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND MADE AWARE OF THE DELAY HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE A SPECIFIC DATE OF WHEN THE PARTS WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT WAS WAITING TO SCHEDULE THE APPOINTMENT AND REMEDY THE PROBLEM SPECIFIED ON THE RECALL. UPDATED 08/19/14*LJ

I WENT OUT TO MY CAR THIS MORNING TO DRIVE TO WORK AND MY CAR WOULD NOT START. THE LIGHTS CAME ON I COULD LOCK AND UNLOCK MY CAR HOWEVER WHEN I PUT THE KEY IN, IT TURN ALL THE WAY BUT IT WOULD NOT CRANK. I CALL MERCEDES BENZ 24 HOUR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT MY BATTERY WAS NOT THE PROBLEM. THE TECHNICIAN EVEN TOLD ME HE NOTICED THAT THIS HAPPENED TO OTHER OWNERS AND THEY DID NOT KNOW WHY IT WAS HAPPENING WITHOUT WARNING. THIS IS SO UNACCEPTABLE. *TR

TOTAL 4 WHEELS LOCK AT HIGHWAY SPEED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. RECENTLY, A VERY UNSAFE INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED TO ME WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS DRIVING ON 202 SOUTH HEADING TOWARDS WEST CHESTER, PA NORTH OF EXIT 29; MY SPEED WAS ABOUT 50 MPH. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR WENT FROM 50 MPH TO A COMPLETELY UNCONTROLLED FULL STOP WITH 1 TO 2 SECONDS. THE TIRES LEFT SKID MARKS ON THE ROAD. THE SEAT BELTS AVOID ME FROM BEING THROWN OUT OF THE CAR. I TRIED TO MOVE THE CAR IN ORDER TO AVOID TRAFFIC COMING AT ME AT 50 MPH BUT I COULD NOT. THE WHEELS OF THE CAR SUDDENLY LOCKED UP AND THE CAR COULD NOT BE MOVED. LUCKILY, THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS ABLE TO STOP WITHOUT ANYONE GETTING HEART. ALSO ALL THE INCOMING CAR AT THE HIGHWAY SPEED WERE ABLE TO SUDDENLY AVOID HITTING ME. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED WITHOUT ANY WARNING OR ANY INDICATION THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A MULTI CAR ACCIDENT WITH POSSIBLE MAJOR INJURIES OR POSSIBLE FATALITIES. THE POLICE COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS CAN HAPPEN AND THEY HAVE NEVER ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE MERCEDES DEALER. THE DEALER CALLED ME BACK TELLING ME THAT IT WAS THE SUDDEN FAILURE OF THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL WITHOUT ANY WARNING. I CALLED MERCEDES AND THEY RESPONDED BY SAYING THAT THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE TRANSFER CASE. I INDICATED THAT THE CAR IS PARKED IN A GARAGE AND I WOULD HAVE SEEN THE LEAK FROM THE TRANSFER CASE. I WOULD LIKE THIS INCIDENT BE SERIOUSLY REVIEWED BY MERCEDES IN ORDER TO AVOID THIS FROM OCCURRING ON THE ROAD AGAIN AND BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OR OTHER GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES. AGAIN, LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT. *TR

MY 2009 C300 WAS JUST TOWED TO THE BENZ DEALER FOR THE "TECHNICAL SVS BULLETIN" KNOWN AS LI80-57-P051521. (THE KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED INTERNAL ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK CAUSING CRANK FAILURE THAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THE NHTSA.) I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY BENZ IS NOT ASSISTING WITH THIS MATTER. LAST YEAR I JUST REPLACED THE BACK LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE THAT WAS SMOKING AND BURNING; CAUSING MY BRAKE LIGHTS TO GO OUT AND CAUSING DAMAGE TO ITEMS IN MY TRUNK. NOW FINALLY, THAT PART IS NOW BEING RECALLED! WHY IS BENZ AWAITING FOR SOMETHING BAD TO HAPPEN BEFORE THEY TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR PARTS. WITH ALL OF THE DOCUMENTED COMPLAINTS OF THE C300 CAR NOT CRANKING DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK, WHY IS BENZ BEING ALLOWED TO GO FORWARD WITHOUT A RECALL OF THIS FAULTY PART THEIR INSTALLING IN THESE CARS? IT SEEMS VERY EVIDENT THAT THOUGH BENZ HAS DOCUMENTATION OF "CONSISTENT FAILURE" OF THE EIS/ESL ON THE C300S, THEY'RE REFUSING TO RECALL THE CARS FOR THESE ISSUES IN AN ATTEMPT TO GENERATE CONSTANT BUSINESS FOR THE BENZ DEALERSHIPS. (FOR INSTANCE, WHEN I WALKED INTO THE DEALERSHIP, MY SERVICER WAS ABLE TO QUOTE ME A PRICE ON THE REPAIR OF MY CAR WITHIN SECONDS AS HE STATED THAT HE JUST COMPLETED THE SAME REPAIR ON A CAR SAME MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR AS MINE THE DAY BEFORE....UUMM...WHAT A COINCIDENCE!) THIS RACKET THAT BENZ IS RUNNING HAS COST ME $1,000.00. THIS HAS TO BE AGAINST THE LAW. I'LL HAVE TO LOOK UP THE TEXAS DECEPTIVE TRADE ACT AND/OR REPORT THIS TO THE TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH AND THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 98,000. UPDATED 09-15-14 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THAT PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE KEY BECAME DIFFICULT TO REMOVE FROM THE IGNITION. UPDATED 2/23/2015 8JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING WITHOUT WARNING. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE OF THE EXACT PARTS NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000.

WITHOUT ANY WARNING, MY CAR WILL NOT START. THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY, BUT NO LUCK. THE KEY OPEN THE DOOR, THE LIGHTS INSIDE OF THE CARE COME ON, AND THE SCREEN STILL POPS UP ON THE DASHBOARD. THE STEERING WHEEL IS LOCKED AND YOU CAN NOT CHANGE THE GEAR. I HAD TO GET MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. CAR HAS ALMOST 70 K MILES ON IT. VERY DISSAPOINTED TO READ THE OTHER COMPLAINTS AND THE PROJECTED COST TO FIX. ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO I ALSO PAID OUT OF POCKET FOR THE REAR LIGHT PANEL DUE TO IT NOT WORKING. I RECENTLY LEARNED THAT THE REAR LIGHTING ISSUE IS AN OFFICIAL RECALL. NOW THE HURDLE BEGIN FOR ME TO GET REFUNDED FOR NEARLY $500. :( *JS

IN 2010 I PURCHASE 2009 MERCEDES BENZ C300 FROM A DEALER. CAR WAS NICE AND PERFECT UNTIL A YEAR LATER I HAVE TO CHANGE THE LOW BEAM AND EYES LIDS LIGHT BULB. EVERYTHING WAS CHANGE MY CAR ELECTRICAL WAS BAD MY HEADLIGHTS KEEP GETTING DAMAGE. I CHANGED LIGHT BULBS ABOUT 4 TIMES A YEAR. AND TODAY ON MY WAY HOME FREON WORK MY CAR TAIL LIGHTS MSG STARTING TO SHOW. I TAKE A LOOK THE BULB WAS FINE UNTIL I SMELL THE BURNING CAME OUT OF MY TAIL LIGHTS HARNESS I SAW A BURN WIRE START SPARKING SO I STOP THE CAR AND PULL IT OUT BECAUSE I'M AFRAID IT WILL SPARKING TO THE FUEL TANK. I LOOK UP ONLINE WHAT IS THE COST. IT SEEM LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAS THE SAME ISSUE AS ME. NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO BESIDE LOOKING ON INTERNET AND FIND THE WAY TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. HTTP://M.MBWORLD.ORG/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=465331&STYLEID=20 THIS LINK WILL SHOW EVERYBODY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AND I DON'T KNOW WHY MERCEDES NEVER RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM. WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I KEEP ON DRIVING AND THE WIRE SPARK TO THE FUEL. PLEASE HELP I'M NOT ASKING THIS JUST FOR MYSELF BUT FOR OTHER PEOPLE WHO DOESN'T KNOW. THANK YOU. *JS