2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C350 Complaints

PASSENGER SEATBELT IS CLICKED ON, BUT IT KEPT ON BEEPING SHOWING THAT ITS NOT CLICK ON WHILE DRIVING. IT DOES THAT VERY OFTEN SINCE I GOT THE CAR BACK IN 2011. THE SAME AS THE PASSENGER AIRBAG, THE LIGHT SENSOR KEEPS ON POPPING ON AND OFF WHILE DRIVING TOO. I DONT KNOW IF THIS A PROBLEM I SHOULD TAKE CARE OF MYSELF BECAUSE OF MY DAILY DRIVING.

MY VEHICLE WENT COMPLETELY OUT OF SERVICE AND WAS UNABLE TO START DUE TO A FAULTY ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK (ESL). MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 69,000 MILES ON IT AND THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH PLENTY OF OTHER C-CLASS MERCEDES BENZ OWNERS WHO HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE SAME ISSUE. MERCEDES BENZ IS FAILING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY WHILE ALSO MY EXTENEDED WARRANTY THAT I PAID $2000 FOR HAS ALSO SAID THEY WILL NOT COVER THIS. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND NOT EVER BUYING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM PRIVILEGE PROTECTION CARE. THEY PLACE GENERIC TERMS IN PARTS OF WHAT THEY COVER AND IF THE DEALER OR SHOP HAS A SPECIFIC NAME FOR YOUR PART, ALTHOUGH IT IS THE PRODUCT OR PART OF THE SAME PART THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, THEY WILL HONOR THE WARRANTY. ALSO THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS RUDE AND NOT VERY HELPFUL AT ALL.

I HAD JUST STOPPED TO PUT GAS IN THE VEHICLE AND UPON COMPLETION I GOT BACK IN THE CAR TO START IT. WHEN I TURNED THE KEY, THE CAR WOULDN'T START. I HAD HEADLIGHTS AND MY DASHBOARD WAS PARTIALLY LIT UP, BUT NOTHING ELSE WOULD WORK. I THEN CALLED THE MB ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE AND A TECHNICIAN CAME OUT AND DETERMINED IT WAS NOT A BATTERY OR STARTER PROBLEM. THE TECHNICIAN SAID THAT IT WAS PROBABLY THE EIS SINCE HE HAD SEEN THE SAME SITUATION BEFORE. AN HOUR LATER THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND DROPPED OFF WITH MUCH TROUBLE SINCE THE STEERING COLUMN DIDN'T FUNCTION. SEVERAL DAYS LATER I GOT A CALL FROM MY SERVICE CONSULTANT, INFORMING ME THAT THE CAR NEEDED THE IGNITION STARTER SWITCH AS WELL AS THE EIS UNIT AND TWO NEW KEYS NEEDED TO BE PROGRAMMED. THE TOTAL WAS $2500. IN THE MEANTIME, I FOUND A TSB NUMBER 2008020003, DATED MARCH 1, 2008, DOCUMENTING THE EXACT PROBLEM I WAS HAVING. IT APPEARS THAT IT WAS A KNOW PROBLEM EVEN BACK IN 2008. MY CAR IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND IT HAS ONLY 32,260 MILES. WHY DIDN'T THIS BECOME A RECALL? I ALSO FEEL LIKE I WAS ROBBED ON THE COST OF THE REPAIRS. I'LL NEVER TRUST THIS CAR AGAIN AND I'M NOT BUYING ANOTHER MERCEDES. *TR

I HAVE A C350 SPORT, I WENT TO START THE CAR AND THE CAR DIDN'T START. THE LIGHTS CAME ON, NAVIGATION CAME UP, BUT IT WOULD NOT START. IT SEEMED AS IF THE CAR DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE KEY; AS THE DISPLAYED MESSAGE WAS "TAKE KEY FROM IGNITION". THE FOLLOWING DAY I PAID SOMEONE TO COME OUT AND LOOK AT THE CAR, AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. BATTERY TESTED NORMAL AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A CLOSE CALL. THEN I LEFT TO RUN ERRANDS AND IT WOULDN'T START AND NEVER STARTED AGAIN. AFTER PAYING $160 FOR THE TOW TO THE DEALERSHIP; I WAS TOLD IF I DID NOT HAVE 2 KEYS THEN THEY CAN'T TEST IT. SO AFTER ORDERING A SECOND KEY AT $375; I FOUND OUT IT WASN'T THE KEY! IF THIS CAR HAS SO MUCH TECHNOLOGY IN IT, WHY CAN'T YOU TEST THE EIS WITH A DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER, WITHOUT BLOWING MONEY ON A $375 DOLLAR KEY? AFTER THAT FAILURE I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH. I HAVE A 15 YEAR OLD TOYOTA CAMRY AND THE [XXX] THING HAS NEVER HAD 1 ISSUE. I BUY THIS CAR AND AT 89,000 MILES THE EIS GOES OUT. POORLY MADE AND HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED. THE TOTAL COST FOR THIS JOKE WAS $1,780 AND I DIDN'T EVEN GET THE OIL CHANGED! I THINK THEY DO THIS TO GET MORE MONEY, THEY SHOULD RECALL THE EIS AND ELS IN ALL MERCEDES THAT ARE HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES AND NOT MAKE THE CUSTOMER PAY. IT MAKES ME NOT WANT TO BE A CUSTOMER ANYMORE BECAUSE OF THIS AND THEIR LACK OF WANTING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR FAILURE. *TR INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I WENT TO GO TURN ON MY CAR AND IT FAILED. NO SOUND OR ANYTHING. I CALLED AAA THEY CAME AND SAID THE BATTERY IS GOOD THEY JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG. I HAD TO GET MY CAR TOW WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP AND IT TOOK THEM ABOUT A WEEK TO REALIZE WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. I CALLED MERCEDES BENZ AND THEY HAD NO EXPLANATION TO WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT OR WHY IT HAPPEN. THEY FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT AND THEY SAID IT WAS AN ELECTRIC STEERING LOCK PROBLEM AND THAT ITS FOR SECURITY REASONS AND THAT IT CAN HAPPEN ANYTIME. I ALSO HAD TO GET A PROGRAMMING KEY. THIS COST WAS VERY EXPENSIVE TO NOT HAVE AN EXPLANATION. I ALSO NOTED THAT A LOT OF C CLASS USERS HAD THIS VERY SAME ISSUE AND WE ARE NOT UNDERSTANDING WHY THERE ISN'T A RECALL. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I HEARD A SNAP , AS SOON I TRY TO PULL OVER MY STEERING WHEEL BECOMES VERY STIFF, VERY HARD TO TURN. HAD TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND CALL FOR A TOW TRUCK. WHEN I OPEN THE HOOD IT SMELL LIKE SOMETHING BURNT AND I SAW THE BELT IN PIECES. I SPOKE TO MY MECHANIC AND HE CONFIRMED IT WAS THE BELT AND THE IDLE PULLEY. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND ALOT OF C CLASS CARS ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE. HOPEFULLY MERCEDES BENZ CAN FIX THIS BEFORE A TRAGEDY HAPPENS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ C350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING LOCK SYSTEM AND THE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,000.

UNABLE TO START VEHICLE. KEY TURNS BUT NO CRANK. SERVICE TECH WAS ABLE TO RELEASE / UNLOCK THE STEERING WHEEL BY VIOLENTLY SHAKING THE STEERING WHEEL FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AS IF HE WAS TRYING TO BREAK IT. SOMETHING DID RELEASE AND HE WAS THEN ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. BROUGHT THE CAR DIRECTLY TO DEALERSHIP AND I WAS QUOTED $1018 FOR THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK. LOOKS LIKE THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED ISSUE AND IT'S AN ONGOING ISSUE W/ MERCEDES. *TR

11/28 : I DRIVE MY 08C350 TO 7/11 STORE CLOSE TO MY HOUSE TO PICK UP SOME FOR THE TRIP THE NEXT DAY. THE CAR WOULD NOT START (RADIO, POWER WINDOW...ARE WORKING). I CALL FLETCHER JONES MERCEDES BENZ, THEY ADVISE ME TO USE THE SPARE KEY, I WALK HOME TO GET THE SPARE KEY, SAME THING. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO FETCHER JONES FOR REPAIR, THE REPAIR COST ME $1064.78. ONE MONTH EARLIER, IT COST ME ALMOST $1800,00 TO FIX THE CAMSHAFT SENSORS AND THE INTAKE MANIFOLD SENSOR. ALL OF THESES 3 PROBLEMS ARE WELL KNOWN FOR THE C CLASS W204 (FROM 2008 TO 2011), BUT MERCEDES BENZ NEVER ACCEPT THE BAD DESIGN OR FAULT. WHETHER NHTSA CAN DO SOMETHING TO FORCE THE COMPANY ACCEPT THE FAULTY DESIGN TO HELP OUT THE CAR'S OWNER ?. THANKS. *TR

AFTER I TOOK MY 2008 MERCEDES C350 TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM DO THE REPAIRS FOR THE RECALL ON THE TAIL LIGHTS/BULBS. I KEEP GETTING THE "CHECK RIGHT REAR TURN SIGNAL". THE BLINKER WILL WORK FINE, THEN AFTER 10 MINUTES OF DRIVING IT BLINKS VERY FAST AND THE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON. THIS ISSUE IS GETTING WORSE. THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD AND MUST BE FIXED IMMEDIATELY. PLEASE ADVICE! EVERYTHING APPEARED TO BE WORKING FINE UNTIL I GOT MY VEHICLE BACK FROM THE SERVICE DEPT. THEY CHANGED THE BULBS. *TR