2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 Complaints

TAIL LIGHT PROBLEMS. WE STARTED RECEIVING WARNING MESSAGES REGARDING A DRIVER'S TAIL LIGHT MALFUNCTION. WE CHECKED THE LIGHTS BUT THEY WERE FINE. FINALLY IN NOVEMBER THE LIGHT WENT OUT. WE PURCHASED NEW BULBS FOR THE TAIL LIGHT BUT DISCOVERED IT WASN'T THE BULBS. THE TAIL LIGHT UNIT WAS DAMAGED, BURNED, MELTED ETC. WE ARE NOW RECEIVING THE SAME WARNINGS REGARDING THE RIGHT TAIL LIGHT. *TR

EA13-008: DURING MID-SUMMER THE DASH WARNING MESSAGE STATING "CHECK CENTER BRAKE LIGHT" BEGAN TO APPEAR INTERMITTENTLY. SOMETIMES IT WOULD REMAIN ON;OTHER TIMES IT WOULD NOT. OVER TIME, IT HAPPENED WITH LESS FREQUENCY, THEN WOULD BE MORE FREQUENT A WEEK OR TWO LATER. AT SOME POINT IN TIME I SAW AN ITEM ABOUT A POTENTIAL RECALL FOR MERCEDES RELATED TO WIRING IN THE TRUNK (WHICH IS WHERE THIS LIGHT IS LOCATED). I STOPPED BY THE MERCEDES DEALER AND INQUIRED ABOUT THIS. I AM UNSURE OF THE DATE, BUT THINK IT WAS IN AUGUST 2013. I HAVE ENTERED A DATE IN THAT TIME-FRAME AND CORRESPONDING MILEAGE ON THE CAR. (BUT BOTH COULD BE DIFFERENT.) THE DEALER'S SERVICE ADVISOR STATED THAT HE HAD SEEN NOTHING ON THIS TOPIC. HE CHECKED THE CAR AND, OF COURSE, AT THAT TIME THE MESSAGE WAS NOT DISPLAYING ON THE DASH AND THE CENTER BRAKE LIGHT WAS WORKING WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. OVER THE INTERVENING MONTHS, THE MESSAGE DISPLAYED SOMETIMES AND NOT OTHERS. WHENEVER IT DISPLAYED AND WE WERE ABLE TO DO SO SAFELY, WE WOULD CHECK THE BRAKE LIGHT ITSELF. WHENEVER THE MESSAGE DISPLAYED THE LIGHT WAS NOT FUNCTIONING. IN DECEMBER 2013, THE FREQUENCY OF THE MESSAGE APPEARING (AND LIGHT NOT OPERATING) INCREASED. ON DECEMBER 30, 2013, I HAD AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE MERCEDES DEALER AND AGAIN REPORTED THE PROBLEM. OF COURSE, AGAIN, THE MESSAGE WAS NOT DISPLAYING AND THE CENTER BRAKE LIGHT WAS WORKING. LATER THAT SAME DATE, THE DEALER REPORTED THAT THEY HAD FULLY TESTED THE LIGHT AND THE WIRING AND IT WAS WORKING OKAY. HOWEVER, ANOTHER ISSUE WE HAD RAISED WITH THEM NEEDED ADDITIONAL TIME TO RESOLVE. SO, WE LEFT THE CAR WITH THEM FOR A FEW DAYS (NEW YEAR'S WEEK). WHEN THE DEALER PHONED (ON 1/3/14) TO REPORT THE CAR WAS READY TO PICK UP WE WERE TOLD THAT WHEN THE CAR WAS TEST DRIVEN THE MESSAGE HAD DISPLAYED AND THE LIGHT DID NOT WORK. EVER SINCE, THIS IS NOW A CONTINUING PROBLEM. *TR

WARNING INDICATOR CAME UP ON INSTRUMENT PANEL TO "CHECK REAR TAIL AND BRAKE LAMPS" THE REAR TAIL, TURN, AND BRAKE LAMPS HAVE FAILED IN MY CAR. THE WIRING HARNESS HAS BURNED AND EMITS EXCESSIVE HEAT TO THE TOUCH. I'M UNSURE OF HOW LONG I WAS DRIVING WITH MY TAILLIGHTS OUT. *TR

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2009 MERCEDES C300 THAT HAS ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKE LIGHT MALFUNCTIONING. THIS FIRST HAPPENED IN 2011 WHEN THE DUMMY LIGHT TOLD ME THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT WAS OUT. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO A LOCAL AUTO SHOP TO HAVE THE LIGHT REPAIRED AND WAS TOLD BY THE SHOP THAT THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO CHANGE THE BULB BECAUSE THE PANEL WITH THE LIGHT WAS MELTED AND SMOKING ' THEY SUSPECTED THAT THE BULB WAS SHORTED OUT. THEY RECOMMENDED TAKING IT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT REPAIRED, AS THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I DID THIS AND WAS TOLD BY MERCEDES BENZ OF ST. CHARLES IL THAT THE ELECTRICAL WIRES WERE MELTED'AND THAT THE PANEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS WORK WAS DONE AT THE ST. CHARLES IL DEALER AROUND NOVEMBER OF 2011 AND WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE NAPERVILLE IL MERCEDES DEALER ABOUT A MONTH AGO BECAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHT WAS OUT. I WAS EXPECTING TO HAVE A QUICK LIGHT CHANGE AND PAY AROUND $20. I WAS INSTEAD TOLD THAT THE ELECTRICAL WIRES LEADING TO THE BRAKE LIGHT HAD MALFUNCTIONED AND THAT THE WIRES WERE MELTED. I WAS TOLD THAT IF A NEW BULB WERE PUT IT, IT WOULD JUST SHORT OUT AGAIN. I WAS THEN GIVEN AN ESTIMATE FOR OVER $500 FOR THIS REPAIR, AS MY CAR HAD RUN OFF THE WARRANTY A WEEK EARLIER. I HAVE NOT YET HAD THIS REPAIR DONE, AS IT IS COSTLY. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT IS A CONCERN WITH THE 2009 MERCEDES C300. THIS PROBLEM, WHICH HAS NOW OCCURRED TWO TIMES IN MY MERCEDES, IS UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE NHTSA (NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: EA13008). *TR

ON 6/10/2013 I HAD ERROR CODE AND PASSENGER SIDE PINS & CARRIER ASSEMBLY FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED DEALER CHARGED ME $393.90 FOR THE JOB. ON 6/10/2013. ON 12/28/2013 I GET AN ERROR MESSAGE THAT THE LEFT SIDE TAIL LIGHT IS OUT. *TR

TAIL LIGHT PASSENGER SIDE - GROUND WIRE ISSUES - PLATE MELTED - TAIL LIGHT ERRORS - NOT WORKING - NO TURN SIGNAL OR BRAKE SIGNAL DUE TO FAULTY TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY (HEATING ISSUES) 1 204-820-09-77 LAMP CARRIER 1 211-545-03-28 PLUG 1 014-545-82-26 PIN BUSHING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, HE HEARD A POPPING NOISE. UPON INVESTIGATION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE PASSENGER TAILLIGHT BULB FAILED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE DRIVER'S FRONT INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE DETACHED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS CONFIRMED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 47,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2009 MERCEDES C300. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SERVICE WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED ON THE VEHICLE ADVISING HER TO SERVICE THE REAR LIGHTING. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER LIGHT WIRING WAS BURNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51400. UPDATED 2/11/14*CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CHECK TAIL LIGHT WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS OR REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT BEEN MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000.

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 55 MPH MY PANEL ALERTED ME TO CHECK MY RIGHT REAR TAIL LAMP ,TURN SIGNAL , FOG LAMP AND PARKING LIGHT. I CHECK THE RIGHT TAIL LAMP AND ALL OF THE RIGHT REAR TAIL LIGHT WERE NOT WORKING. I WENT TO REPLACE ALL OF THE RIGHT REAR LIGHT BULBS AND FOUND THAT THE PLASTIC CONNECTOR AT THE END OF THE WIRING WAS COMPLETELY MELTED TO THE LAMP CARRIER. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD I AM VERY CONCERNED THIS COULD HAPPEN TO BOTH REAR TAIL LAMPS AT SAME TIME WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY IT CAN CREATE A ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE TAIL LAMPS ARE NOT WORKING. IT ALSO CAN BE A FIRE HAZARD. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE FIXED BY MERCEDES-BENZ BEFORE THERE IS DEATH. *TR