2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C350 Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO FUNCTION. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE WIRES HAD MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEARER WHO STATED THAT THE HEAD LAMP BOARD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000.

AN ERROR MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED AFTER DRIVING A SHORT DISTANCE. THE ERROR INDICATED A FAILURE IN THE LEFT TAIL LIGHT AND A BURNING SMELL. ON INVESTIGATION I FOUND A BURNED AREA OF THE TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY GROUND WIRE CONNECTOR. I REPLACED THE BULB HOLDER AND WIRING CONNECTOR. THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. ON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I FOUND THAT THE SAME ISSUE WAS PRESENT ON THE RIGHT SIDE TAIL LIGHT. I ALSO FOUND THAT MOST OF THE LIGHT BULBS ON EACH SIDE WERE VERY DIM. THIS CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE IN ITS CURRENT CONDITION. THE LOCAL MERCEDES DEALER STATED THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF ANY KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE TAIL LIGHTS AT THE TIME I BOUGHT THE REPLACEMENT PARTS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ C350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, A BURNING ODOR EMITTED INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT LATER NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE INTERIOR TRUNK AREA. THERE WERE NO FLAMES PRESENT HOWEVER, THE WIRING HARNESSES FOR BOTH TAILLIGHTS WAS FOUND TO BE BURNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

THE BRAKE LIGHT (DRIVER SIDE) WAS MALFUNCTIONING AND GIVING MULTIPLE INDICATOR WARNINGS ON THE DASH COMPUTER. AFTER CHECKING TO SEE IF IT WAS A FAULTY BULB... THE HARNESS CONNECTING TO THE TAILLIGHT HOUSING WAS BURNT AND MELTED. THE TAILLIGHT BULB HOUSING WAS BRITTLE AND WAS BURNT AS WELL. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY KNOW OF NO SUCH RECALLS AND ARE REPLACING THE TAILLIGHT BULB HOUSING AND REPLACING THE BURNT HARNESS. (435.00) THEY ALSO SAID THAT THE COMPUTER MODULE IS BAD BECAUSE IT IS TELLING THE BRAKE LIGHT TO STAY ON. THEY ARE NOT SURE WHICH OCCURRED FIRST. THIS IS ANOTHER 1000.00 REPAIR. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE ONLINE AND THERE ARE MANY OTHER MERCEDES C-SERIES VEHICLES HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. MOST EXPERTS THINK THE GAUGE OF THE WIRING IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO THE LOAD OF CURRENT. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND IS NOT LOOKING LIKE AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT ON THIS MATTER. *TR

RIGHT REAR BRAKE LIGHT BURNED AT CONNECTOR CAUSING BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE AND POSSIBLY CAUSED SMALL FIRE. *TR

WHEN THE KEY WAS PLACED IN THE IGNITION, THE KEY WAS NOT RECOGNIZED. THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND THE STEERING WHEEL REMAINED LOCKED. A MESSAGE ON THE DASH ADVISED TO REMOVE THE KEY. THIS WAS NOT A BATTERY ISSUE. THE LIGHTS, RADIO AND CAR LOCKS WORKED FINE. THE CAR HAS BEEN TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND I AM WAITING FOR THE OUTCOME. IT IS INTERESTING THAT THE TOW COMPANY THAT PICKED UP MY VEHICLE ADVISED ME THAT THEY HAD TOWED APPROXIMATELY 30 MERCEDES IN THE LAST 2 WEEK AND THAT APPROXIMATELY 20 OF THEM WERE EXPERIENCING THE SAME COMPLAINTS. PRIOR TO THIS OCCURRENCE, THE WEATHER HAD BEEN UNUSUALLY COLD, DOWN TO THE SINGLE DIGITS. ON THE MORNING OF THE INCIDENT, THE WEATHER HAD WARMED UP. I HAVE BEEN READING THAT THE TROUBLE MAY BE CAUSED BY THE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH. *TR

AFTER PARKING MY C350 I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE TRUNK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. I OPENED THE TRUNK TO DISCOVER THE SOURCE OF THE SMOKE WAS THE TRUNK FUSE BOX PANEL. I REMOVED THE PANEL AND FOUND THAT THE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY WAS SMOKING. FOLLOWING THE REMOVAL DIRECTIONS IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL, I REMOVED THE MULTI-PIN CONNECTOR AND NOTICED THAT THE HOUSING AROUND THE BROWN CONDUCTOR WAS COMPLETELY MELTED AND CORRODED. THERE WAS A DISTINCT SMELL OF BURNING PLASTIC. I THEN DROVE HOME WITH THE PASSENGER TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY DISCONNECTED FOR FEAR OF FURTHER DAMAGE OR AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. LUCKILY I WAS NOT PULLED OVER NOR DID I CAUSE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO INACTIVE BRAKE/REVERSE LIGHTS. ONCE HOME, I DETERMINED THAT THE BURNED AND CORRODED CONDUCTOR MUST BE THE GROUND CONNECTION. I BELIEVE THAT THE GROUND CABLE IN THE TAIL LIGHT HARNESS IS NOT OF HEAVY ENOUGH GAUGE TO HANDLE THE CURRENT THAT PASSES THROUGH IT UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. HERE IS THE MATH: EACH BULB IS 21W. IF YOU ARE AT A STOPLIGHT AT NIGHT WITH YOUR HEADLIGHTS ON AND YOU'RE TURNING RIGHT, THERE WILL BE 5 BULBS ACTIVE (PER SIDE). THIS IS A TOTAL OF 105W. AT 12V, 105W TRANSLATES TO ABOUT 9A. THE RECOMMENDED WIRE GAUGE IS 16-18 AT THIS LEVEL OF CURRENT. THE BROWN WIRE IN THE TAIL LIGHT HARNESS IS AN 18 GAUGE WIRE I BELIEVE. THIS WIRE IS RIGHT AT ITS LIMIT FOR CURRENT HANDLING. WE KNOW THAT IN THE REAL-WORLD, CURRENT CAN EASILY EXCEED THEORETICAL LIMITS, SO ENGINEERS OFTEN OVER-SPEC WIRE TO BE TOTALLY SURE THAT A CIRCUIT WILL NOT FAIL. IN THIS CASE, THE MERCEDES-BENZ ENGINEERS DID NOT OVER-SPEC THE WIRE...THEY UNDER-SPEC'D THE WIRE, AND IT FAILED! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND A RECALL, SINCE THIS IS POTENTIALLY A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. A CAR COULD EASILY GO UP IN FLAMES DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. OR AN ACCIDENT COULD HAPPEN DUE TO BRAKE/REVERSE/TURNING LIGHTS THAT HAVE BURNED UP AND FAILED. *TR

THE ONBOARD COMPUTER INDICATED THAT THE R REAR TURN SIGNAL HAD FAILED. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE WIRING INSIDE THE TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY SHOWED THAT THE CONNECTOR FOR THE ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESS WHICH DELIVERS POWER TO THE TAIL LIGHTS HAD MELTED. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE BULB, CARRIER, PLUG AND SOCKET PARTS. ALL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE ON THE C CLASS MERCEDES FOR THIS MODEL YEAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ C350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR TAILLIGHT FAILURE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 73,000.

IN THE C300 AND C350 MODELS, THERE HAS BEEN AN ON-GOING ISSUE WITH STEERING WHEEL LOCKS. MERCEDES BENZ HAS DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THIS OR CHANGE THE PART THAT HAVE BEEN FAULTY, DUE TO THIS PROBLEM THIS CAN LEAVE AN INDIVIDUAL STRANDED WITH OUT ANY WARNING AS IT JUST HAPPENS OUT OF NO WHERE. MY VEHICLE IS UP TO DATE ON ALL IT'S MAINTENANCE, AND OUT OF NO WHERE IT JUST WOULDN'T START AND IT WASN'T THE BATTERY IT WAS THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK (PART #2019005912). THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AS IT'S BEEN A PROBLEM FOR MANY YEARS ONT EH C300 AND C350 MODELS. *TR