2013 MERCEDES-BENZ E350 Complaints

Rear brake lines rusted and replaced. Had taken to dealer to replace rusted rear subframe for which Mercedes had covered under an extended warranty. During this repair dealer noted that the brake lines were rusted and should be replaced. This was not covered by Mercedes.

Contacted Mercedes because Dealer said it was a common problem. Airbag light was on. I was told that airbags could unsafely deploy as driving the vehicle and the issue was connected to the steering column. After looking online, I found that there are several drivers that could be in unsafe conditions while driving the car who reported the same thing. I contacted Mercedes to advise and Mercedes was dismissive. My concern is for innocent people that could be in danger because of Mercedes defects or possible negligence in addressing the safety issue that could lead to the loss of life.

The brake fluid lines rusted. The front line, due to the rusted hole, leaked brake fluid to the point that the car had little to no braking ability. In addition, the computer warning did not activate. The car was taken to the dealer, where they verified that the computer warning did not activate, and that the brake fluid had bleed out causing the vehicle to have no brakes. This is a dangerous situation! The car is a little over 10 years old, has about 54,000 miles. Had I been on the highway and tried to make a hard stop, I could have had a terrible accident. The dealer now has the car for repairs, but there are many other E350 that have posted online that they have had an identical situation where the brake fluid lines have rusted out! This leaves the driver, without any warning, to be put in a life threating situation!

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that the panoramic sunroof was making a crackling sound as if it was about to fracture. The contact was concerned that the sunroof glass might fracture with impact with passengers seated inside the vehicle. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350W4 equipped with Continental Tires, Tires Line: Continental Pure Contact IS, Tires Size: 245/40/R18 and DOT Number: AF2PWD41. The contact stated while starting the vehicle,  the Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the tires appeared deflated. The contact added air to the tires; however, the failure recurred the following morning. The contact added air to the tire. The contact stated that the failure occurred in low-temperature weather. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The tires were not diagnosed or replaced. The tires were replacement tires. The Tire manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The tires failure mileage was approximately 10,889. The vehicle failure mileage was 59,848.

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the power steering function was inoperable, and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a fractured steering box. The contact was informed that the steering box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the parts to complete the repair were on backorder. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

My break’s completely failed with no warning signs while I was driving on the freeway. About 6 months ago my driver side break lines were rusted and had a leak in the line causing my brakes to fail. The line was replaced with nickel copper lines and on Sunday when driving the car at 40 mph for ten minutes and the breaks began to fail. As I pulled over to get to safety after parking the car the check BREAK fluid level warning came on the dashboard. I got the car towed to my house and the following morning I added brake fluid the following and realized it’s leaking near the rear brake line on the driver side. But why and how?

My vehicle was pulling in the rear when braking. My mechanic informed me that it was a rotted undercarriage. When I called Mercedes they informed me that there is a problem with many models of Mercedes with this. They told me there is a warranty to cover it. This is a very dangerous condition. There should be a recall on all impacted vehicles. This safety failure and lack of transparency by the company (reportedly known for years) puts owners and motorists at risk. Please investigate. To make matters worse, the Dealers are unresponsive and slow to provide service and help. One dealership, Mercedes in New London CT has ignored my repeated phone calls and emails trying to clarify and schedule service. I went to another dealership Mercedes in Warwick RI. They have been more responsive with confirming the issue--but there are delays in getting the vehicle fixed--and no provision of loaner vehicles requiring the renting of vehicles during this time frame. Please investigate and require a recall.

When driving on a highway, heard a clunk and lost all power. Not much traffic and was able to pulled over to side of road. Mechanic reported that front drive shaft failed. Not sure of exact details but could have involved the bolts in the driveshaft shearing off. Apologies for the late report, did not know owners could make these reports.

Corrosion in rear brake line. Brought car for warranty service for rear subframe corrosion at a Mercedes dealership, and the service advisor noted corrosion in rear brake line. Researched online and another complaint for same issue was denied in October 14, 2020 (85 FR 65136). A website [XXX] lists anecdotal evidence of complaints following the initial investigation. Since it is the same problem effecting same model year as the subframe, further investigation seems warranted. Before being brought in, the car fishtailed, which could have been due to the defective subframe. No lights or warnings. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)