2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 Complaints

MY CAR LEFT ME STRANDED AT WORK. WHEN I WAS LEAVING WORK MY CAR WOULD NOT START THE STEERING WAS COMPLETELY LOCKED . THE CAR WOULD NOT EVEN START THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD TURN ON WAS THE RADIO AND A MESSAGE OF NOT TO FORGET TO REMOVE YOUR KEY. I COULD NOT EVEN GET THE CAR OUT OF GEAR. I WOULD CRANK IT AND NOTHING, IT WAS COMPLETELY DEAD. I NEVER RECEIVED A MESSAGE TO WARN ME THAT SOMETHING WAS FAULTY.. BEFORE TAKING CAR INTO DEALERSHIP I DID MY RESEARCH ONLINE AND SPOKE WITH A SERVICE TECH AT MERCEDES AND SAID THAT IT WAS POSSIBLY EIS FAILURE AND STEERING LOCK. AFTER SO MANY COMPLAINS LIKE MINE ONLINE I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE IS NOT A RECALL ON THIS. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. WHAT IF THIS WOULD OF HAPPENED WHEN I WAS DRIVING AND MY STEERING LOCKED? WHO KNOWS?...IS MERCEDES WAITING FOR SERIOUS ACCIDENTS TO HAPPEN? THESE FAILURES ARE REALLY A CALL FOR A RECALL..IF THERE ARE ANYMORE MERCEDES OWNERS OUT THERE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM FILE YOUR COMPLAINTS MAYBE IF MORE OF US COMPLAIN THEY WILL DO A RECALL. THIS IS NOT CHEAP TO FIX IT COST FROM $1200 TO $1700. I BOUGHT A MERCEDES BELIEVING I WAS BUYING A DEPENDABLE VEHICLE NOW I AM HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS AFTER ALL I HAVE READ... *TR

PRIOR TO PULLING INTO MY GARAGE, I SMELLED BURNING ELECTRICAL WIRING. ALL WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH PANEL FOR THE LEFT REAR LIGHTS CAME ON. I OPENED THE TRUNK TO SEE IF A LIGHT BULB BURNED OUT, AND SMELLED THE BURNING WIRES. OPENING THE PANEL COVERING THE LEFT REAR LIGHTS, I SAW A BURN THROUGH SCORCHED CIRCUIT BOARD. ON CLOSER EXAMINATION, I NOTICED THE GROUND WIRE WAS THIN AND THE CAUSE OF THE SEVERALLY OVERHEATED AND PARTIALLY MELTED AREA ON THE LEFT REAR LAMP ASSEMBLY. SINCE THEN, THE MERCEDES DEALER REPLACED THE CIRCUIT AT MY EXPENSE. ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO, THE SAME THING HAPPENED ON THE RIGHT REAR TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY. IT WAS ALSO A THIN GROUND WIRE THAT HAD OVERHEATED AND PARTIALLY MELTED THE CIRCUIT BOARD. *TR

I DROVE MY CAR TO WORK AND PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT. I EXITED THE CAR AND LOCKED THE DOORS WHEN I REMEMBERED THAT ON THIS DAY, THE TREE CUTTING CREW WILL BE SERVICING THE PARKING LOT. I RETURNED TO THE CAR TO MOVE IT BUT WHEN I TURNED THE KEY MY IGNITION WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND THE CAR WOULDN'T START. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY EVEN THOUGH ALL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE REMOTE DOOR LOCKS AND RADIO WERE WORKING FINE. I JUMP STARTED THE VEHICLE WITH ANOTHER CAR NONETHELESS TO MAKE SURE IT WASN'T A DEAD BATTERY. THE CAR WOULDN'T START. I'VE OWNED THE CAR FOR MANY YEARS BUT NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED. TO COME OUT TO A CAR WITH A WORKING BATTERY AND NOT STARTING. I HAD TO GET MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO CHECKED ALL FUSES AND WIRING ONLY TO DETERMINE THAT IT WAS THE EIS OR ESL UNIT. THIS IS THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK MECHANISM THAT MALFUNCTIONED. I ENDED UP SPENDING OVER $1000 TO GET THIS FIXED. *TR

I RECEIVED A WARNING ON MY DASHBOARD THAT MY RIGHT REAR TAIL LIGHT, RIGHT TURN SIGNAL AND BACK LIGHT NEEDED TO BE CHECKED AND MALFUNCTIONING. THE MESSAGE CAME AND WENT FOR SEVERAL DAYS. WHEN I OPENED THE COMPARTMENT WHERE THE TAIL BULB CARRIERS AND ASSEMBLY WERE, I SAW THAT SOME OF THE LIGHTS WERE VERY DIM. THE CARRIER ITSELF WAS PIPING HOT. SO MY FIRST REACTION WAS TO REPLACE THE BULBS. I DID. SAME PROBLEMS, NOTHING WAS FIXED. THE NEXT DAY, EVERYTHING CLEARED UP...SO I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE FINE. A WEEK LATER, IT CAME BACK. WHEN I OPENED UP THE COMPARTMENT AGAIN, IT WAS SUPER HOT, AND I NOTICED THAT THE WIRING WAS BROWNING AND IT BURNT MY FINGER. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED DRIVING THE CAR. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WILL COST HUNDREDS TO REPLACE AND NOT COVERED. *TR

I RECEIVED A MESSAGE TO CHECK THE REAR RIGHT (PASSENGER) LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNAL. I JUST PURCHASED THE CAR USED ON MAY 20, 2014, AND BEGAN GETTING THE DASHBOARD WARNING A FEW DAYS LATER, BUT IT WAS INTERMITTENT. ON MAY 26, 2014, I INSPECTED OF THE BULB CARRIER AND PIN CONNECTOR AND NOTICED THAT THE CONNECTION INVOLVING THE BROWN WIRE ON THE PIN CONNECTOR WAS BURNED AND THE CORRESPONDING CONNECTION ON THE BULB CARRIER WAS ALSO BURNED/DISINTEGRATED AND THE AREA AROUND THE BROWN WIRE WAS VERY HOT. IT IS DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHEN THE FAILURE ACTUALLY HAPPENED. *TR

DEFECTIVE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK (ESL): HI, MY STEERING LOCK JUST WENT ON ME AS WELL AND WAS LEFT STRANDED WITH NO CAR THIS PAST WEEKEND! MY 2009 C300 4MATIC SPORT HAS APPROX. 56,000 MILES ON IT AND I AM OUT OF WARRANTY. I CALLED MB USA AND BEGGED FOR WARRANTY ASSISTANCE BUT WAS BASICALLY TOLD NO BECAUSE AS A SECOND OWNER I DID NOT HAVE THE VEHICLE SERVICED ENOUGH TIMES AT THE LOCAL MB DEALERSHIP! I GUESS I HAVEN'T SPENT ENOUGH MONEY TO DATE ON UNWARRANTED REPAIRS AT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP?? AFTER EXTENSIVE ONLINE RESEARCH I TOO FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2008 AND 2009 MB C300, AND MOST LIKELY LATER MODELS AS WELL!. I ALSO FOUND OUT THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK (ESL) FAILURE TYPICALLY HAPPENS RIGHT AFTER EXPIRATION OF THE BASIC WARRANTY. JUST LIKE THE THOUSANDS OF MB C300 OWNERS STUCK IN THIS SITUATION, I NEED MY VEHICLE AND HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SHELL OUT THE MONEY FOR THIS REPAIR! (OVER $1,000). I AM SCARED TO DEATH TO DRIVE THIS CAR ANYWHERE FAR IN FEAR THAT ANOTHER TECHNICAL/MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN WILL OCCUR. IN ADDITION TO ESL FAILURE, ANOTHER CONCERN OF MINE IS FINDING OUT THAT ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM (EIS) FAILURE IS ANOTHER COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 08-09 MB C300'S. SHAME ON MERCEDES FOR NOT ISSUING A RECALL ON THE ESL & EIS ISSUES AND STICKING IT TO THE CONSUMERS. I TOO PLAN ON CONTACTING MY ATTORNEY REGARDING THIS ISSUE. *TR

MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A FAILURE OF ITS STARTING AND STEERING LOCK FUNCTIONS. THE UNDERLINE PROBLEM AND AREAS OF CONCERN IS THE FREQUENCY OF THIS FAILURE AND THE DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH HAVING THE VEHICLE IMMOBILIZED WHEN THE ASSOCIATED PARTS FAIL. MERCEDES BENZ HAS NOT TAKEN ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ISSUE YET IT CAN'T BE FIXED WITHOUT DEALERSHIP INTERVENTION. THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE BESIDES HAVING YOUR CAR TOWED IS IN THE EXCESS OF $1,000.00. IN MY CASE I HAVE BEEN QUOTED &1700.00! ALTHOUGH MY PARTICULAR INSTANCE HAPPENED WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED, THERE IS NO EXCEPTION THAT IT CAN OCCUR WHEN THE VEHICLE IS MOTION CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SHUT OFF AND THE STEERING WHEEL TO LOCK IN ANY POSITION. UPDATED 11/24/2014 *JS

A SMOKE CONDITION CAME FROM THE TRUNK, UPON INSPECTION TAILLIGHT BULB HOUSING WAS FOUND MELTED, ALL BULBS WERE NONE WORKING AS A RESULT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND A MESSAGE LIGHT CAME ON SAYING CHECK REAR RIGHT BRAKE LAMP, TURN LAMP ,AND TAIL LAMP SO I STOPPED BY THE AUTO PART STORE TO HAVE THEM REPLACE THE BULBS AND THEY FOUND THE LIGHT HOLDER AND THE WIRING HARNESS TO THE LIGHTS HAD MELTED. *TR

RIGHT REAR PASSENGER LIGHTING ASSEMBLY CAUGHT FIRE. WIRING HARNESS AND LIGHT BULB CARRIER WERE BURNED. RIGHT REAR TURN AND BRAKE LIGHTS ARE INOPERABLE. *TR