2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C350 Complaints

AFTER RECEIVING SEVERAL DASHBOARD WARNING MESSAGES AND, I WENT INTO HIGGENBOTHOM MERCEDES IN JACKSON, MS ON 10/12/12 MY VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AS NEEDING A RIGHT REAR CONTACT PLATE AND HARNESS IS SHORTED OUT. ABOUT A WEEK IN A HALF AGO MY LIGHTS ON RIGHT SIDE (BOTH FRONT AND BACK TAIL LIGHTS) WILL FLASH ON AND OFF PERIODICALLY WHEN MY LIGHTS ARE IN THE AUTO POSITION AND THE ENGINE IS OFF. MY DAUGHTER EMAILED ME AN ARTICLE MENTIONING A POSIBLE DEFECT SO I CALLED MERCEDES AND WAS TOLD TO CONTACT MY DEALERSHIP TO GET AN ESTIMATE AND THEN CALL THEM BACK AND A CASE MANAGER WOULD CONTACT ME IN 24 HOURS. I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN 07/24/13 THEY DIAGNOSED THE CAR WITH NEEDING RIGHT TAILAMP BULB HOLDER PLATE. I CONTACTED MERCEDES AGAIN YESTERDAY AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE DIAGNOSIS AND SPOKE TO A CASE MANAGER AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE ARE NO RECALLS AT THIS TIME AND THEY ARE STILL IN NEGOTIATION WITH NHTSA AND I CAN HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED BUT MY VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY, BUT AFTER FINDING MY PREVIOUS INVOICE I'M CONFUSSED AS TO WHAT REALLY NEED TO BE REPAIRED BECAUSE THAT IS CLEARLY 2 DIFFERENT DIAGNOSIS, BUT AT BOTH TIMES I WAS TOLD THE PARTS HAD BURNED OUT. I THINK MERCEDES SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND SOON BEFORE THERE ARE INJURIES OR FATALITIES SINCE THEY SAY NON HAS BEEN REPORTED AS OF NOW. *TR

DRIVER SIDE BULB BURNED OUT. REPLACED BULB. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION NOTICED THE PASSENGER SIDE LIGHTS DIMMER THAN RIGHT SIDE. REPLACED THE PASSENGER SIDE BULB WITH NEW ONE BUT REMAINED DIM. NOTICED THAT BULB ASSEMBLY GETS VERY HOT AND ALSO NOTICED A DARK SPOT THAT APPEARS TO BE INDICATION OF BURNING LIKE A SHORT CIRCUIT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ C350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE RADIO AND THE WIRING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 109,000. *TR

REAR DRIVERS SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE TAIL LIGHTS (BRAKE LIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS, AND RUNNING LIGHTS) ARE NO LONGER FUNCTIONING. UPON INSPECTION, LIGHTS ARE BARELY FUNCTIONING OR NOT FUNCTIONING AT ALL WITH NO INDICATION OF FAULTY BULBS OR FUSES, AND WIRING HARNESS CONNECTING THE TAIL LIGHTS TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS EXTREMELY HOT. *TR

MY RIGHT TAIL LIGHT HAD BEEN DIM FOR AWHILE.I DO REMEMBER FROM TIME TO TIME SMELLING A FAINT ELECTRICAL BURN SMELL BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHERE IS WAS COMING FROM. FINALLY WHEN IT WENT OUT, I PULLED THE LAMP ASSEMBLY WHICH HAS WHAT LOOKS LIKE A CIRCUIT BOARD WHERE THE BULB MOUNTS. THE COPPER "TRACES" WERE FRIED. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID "SORRY, IT'S OUT OF WARRANTY, BUT WE WILL BE HAPPY TO SELL YOU ONE". I SAID "NO THANKS, IT WILL JUST FAIL THE SAME WAY". SO I TOOK IT HOME AND REPAIRED IT PROPERLY. NOW WORRIED THE OTHER ONE WILL DO THE SAME. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE TAIL LIGHT IS CONSIDERABLY DIMMER THAN THE DRIVER SIDE. AFTER EXAMINING THE PASSENGER TAIL LIGHT, I NOTICED THAT THE CONNECTOR OF THE WIRE HARNESS CONNECTED TO THE HOUSING THAT IS HOUSING ALL THE BULBS IS PARTIALLY MELTED AND IT IS EXTREMELY HOT WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ON. I ALSO CHECKED THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE EXACT SAME THING IS HAPPENING ON THERE, TOO, BUT SO FAR TO A LITTLE LESSER EXTENT. LOOKS A LOT LIKE A FIRE HAZARD! *TR

JUST SAW ON THE INTERNET THE INVESTIGATION ON 2008 C350 AND FAULTY BRAKE LIGHTS. EVER SINCE ABOUT 2009-2010 WE'VE BEEN PLAGUED WITH ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR, BUT ALWAYS WE GET WARNINGS ABOUT THE TAIL BRAKE LIGHTS. WE'VE HAD THE CAR TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES, AND HAVE HAD SEVERAL EXPENSIVE REPAIRS CHANGING OUT BOARDS. STILL....EVERY TIME YOU START THE VEHICLE YOU HAVE TO CLEAR THE TAILLIGHT ERROR MESSAGES. TO BE FAIR WE'VE NOT HAD ANY BURNING OR MELTED PARTS, MAYBE WE'VE JUST GOTTEN LUCKY. BUT THERE IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE DESIGN/MANUFACTURE OF THE SYSTEM. PLEASE INVESTIGATE FURTHER AND IF WARRANTED START A RECALL!!!! *TR

MERCEDES C350 2008 52,000 MILES.CAR SUDDENLY WOULD NOT START. LIGHTS WORKED, CONSOLE SCREEN CAME ON, NAVIGATION SCREEN POPPED UP. IT WASN'T BATTERY,NOT BOTH CAR KEYS.CANNOT GET OUT OF PARK,STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. HAD TO TOW TO NEAREST DEALERSHIP 70 MILES AWAY. BAD STEERING WHEEL LOCK (ICM)IGNITION CONTROL REPLACEMENT COST $1500. MECHANIC PRIOR LOOKED AND TRIED ORDERING PART. WOULDN'T SELL IT TO HIM BECAUSE IT WAS SUPPOSABLE A RECALLED PART!? DEALERSHIP SAID NO RECALL OR WARRANTY, OUT OF POCKET. THEN WHEN INFORMED REPAIR DONE, I WAS TOLD COMMAND CONTROL NOT WORKING $500 TO FIX. I BOUGHT MERCEDES BECAUSE ITS SUPPOSE TO BE RELIABLE.VERY DISAPPOINTED. GOING BACK TO BMW ACCORDING TO MB BLOGS IT IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH 2088 C CLASS. THERE'S A BULLETIN NOTICE ON THIS ISSUE ALSO CALLED EIS !! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ C350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRAME WAS SEVERELY RUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C 350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO REVERSE BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE CONTACT THEN SHIFTED INTO DRIVE BUT STILL, NO RESPONSE. THE CONTACT HAD TO RESTART THE VEHICLE TO IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT THE DEALER DID NOT PERFORM A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.