2004 MERCEDES-BENZ E500 Complaints

I HAVE NOTICED STRONG GASOLINE ODORS EMANATING FROM MY CAR AFTER REFUELING. I PURCHASED A NEW MERCEDES BENZ GAS CAP AND INSTALLED IT. FILLED THE GAS TANK AND GASOLINE ODOR WAS STILL VERY STRONG. I DO NOT 'TOP OFF' WHEN REFUELING. RESEARCHED ISSUE ONLINE AT BENZWORLD.ORG AND DISCOVERED THAT THE GAS ODOR ISSUE I AM EXPERIENCING MAY BE RELATED TO A PROBLEM BEING SEEN IN NUMEROUS MERCEDES BENZ E-MODEL VEHICLES. AS ADVISED BY THE OTHER OWNERS HAVING THIS ISSUE I DETACHED THE REAR SEAT CUSHION FROM THE CAR AND REMOVED THE BOLTS FROM THE CIRCULAR ACCESS PANEL THAT COVERS A PORTION OF THE FUEL TANK ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. IN THE DEPRESSION ON TOP OF THE GAS TANK WHERE NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL WIRES ATTACH TO THE FUEL PUMP I FOUND A SIGNIFICANT QUANTITY OF RAW GASOLINE POOLED. THIS PRESENTS A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION AND I AM NO LONGER WILLING TO PARK THE VEHICLE IN MY GARAGE DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. THE POOLING OF RAW GASOLINE ALSO REPRESENTS AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE DUE TO THE EVAPORATION AND CREATION OF TOXIC FUMES. I UNDERSTAND THAT MERCEDES BENZ DEALERS ARE DEMANDING $2,000. OR MORE TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM BY REMOVING AND REPLACING THE GAS TANKS IN IMPACTED VEHICLES. I FEEL THAT THE MANUFACTURER OF THIS DEFECTIVE COMPONENT SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE TO RECALL IT AND REPLACE IT. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE NHTSA'S CURRENT INVESTIGATION ACTION NO. FOR THIS ISSUE IS PE 12001. *TR

FUEL COLLECTING UNDER THE LEFT REAR SEAT. STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. TOOK THE REAR SEAT COVER OUT AND SAW PUDDLE OF FUEL. I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED IF IT WILL CATCH FIRE AND INJURE OR CAUSE DEATH OF MY CHILDREN. *TR UPDATED 3/13/13 *CN PICTURES RECEIVED 03/19/13

AFTER REFUELING, FUEL FUMES WERE EMITTED INTO THE VEHICLE AND GARAGE WHERE PARKED. EXTREMELY OVERWHELMING SMELL AND DANGER OBVIOUS. TAKEN TO MECHANIC AND FUEL TANK HAS LEAK AT SENSOR AND SENDING UNIT SEALS. THE DEALER HAS REFUSED TO REPAIR AS NO RECALL ISSUED. OWNER FOUND MANY OTHERS WITH EXACT SAME ISSUE ON THIS MODEL SERIES AND YEAR ONLINE AND WITH MECHANICS EXPERIENCE. STRONG POTENTIAL FOR IMMINENT FIRE HAZARD. GASOLINE FUMES ARE HAZARDOUS TO VEHICLE PASSENGERS, WITH NUMEROUS MEDICAL ISSUES NOTED IN RESEARCH. STRONG ENOUGH IN CABIN TO CAUSE DIZZINESS, ILLNESS OR LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS. *TR

VERY STRONG SMELL OF FUEL, EXTERIOR REAR LEFT SIDE. FOUND FUEL LEAK, LEFT REAR OF VEHICLE, DRIPPING HEAVY UNDERNEATH. TOOK VEHICLE TO A EUROPEAN CAR SHOP, MECHANIC REPLACED FUEL SEAL OF FUEL PUMP UNDER REAR SEAT. MECHANIC REMOVED LARGE AMOUNT OF FUEL FROM THE AFFECTED AREA (LEAK UNDER REAR SEAT). *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING TO WORK, CAR JUST LOWERED OUT OF NO WHERE SPEED AUTOMATICALLY DECREASED, AND RED LIGHT CAME ON SAYING CAR TOO LOW STOP CAR, IT SCARED ME THAT IS SO DANGEROUS WHEN YOU ARE GOING AT A CERTAIN SPEED AND THEN IT DROPS OUT OF NO WHERE. THEN I HEAR AIR LEAKING FROM BACK BUT NOT OUT OF TIRE. *TR

A STRONG GAS SMELL IN THE PASSENGER CABIN AS WELL AS OUTSIDE DRIVER SIDE PASSENGER DOOR AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT PROMPTED ME TO TAKE THE CAR TO A LOCAL DEALER. AFTER DIAGNOSTIC TEST, DEALER INDICATED THERE WAS A LEAKING FUEL PURGE VALVE AND SHUT OFF VALVE. AFTER A $1,600 QUOTE, I REQUESTED THEY NOT DO THE WORK SO I COULD TAKE IT FOR A SECOND OPINION. WAS CALLED BACK LATER THAT DAY AND INFORMED OF A "MISCOMMUNICATION" AND THAT THE CAR WAS FIXED WITH A $1,600 BILL AWAITING ME. I WORKED OUT A PAYMENT AGREEMENT WITH THE DEALER AND NEVER TOOK THE CAR BACK DESPITE INTERMITTENT GAS SMELLS IN AND OUTSIDE THE CAR AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOING ON AND OFF. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON FOR GOOD LESS THAN 12 MONTHS LATER. TOOK CAR TO ANOTHER LOCAL SHOP WHERE I WAS TOLD ONE OF THE FUEL PUMPS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. $600 LATER, AND 4 MORE TRIPS BACK TO THE SHOP, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND STRONG GAS FUMES STILL PERMEATE THE CAR. TOOK IT TO SHOP #3 TODAY AND WAS TOLD THERE IS A CRACK IN THE FUEL TANK. THE QUOTE IS $1,700. I DON'T TRUST THE DEALER, AND BELIEVE THAT THE FUEL PUMP REPLACE BY SHOP #2 WAS NOT THE ISSUE. IT APPEARS AS IF IT'S BEEN THE FUEL TANK ALL ALONG. THIS IS CLEARLY A DEFECT IN THE PART AS THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND HAS LESS THAN 70K MILES ON IT CURRENTLY. IT'S A SAFETY HAZARD AND WITH TWO CHILDREN, I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE BUT TO FIX THE PROBLEM. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THERE IS ANYTHING ADDITIONAL NECESSARY TO HELP CONCLUDE THIS INVESTIGATION. I'M HOPING THERE WILL BE RECOURSE WITH MBUSA TO REIMBURSE IT'S CUSTOMERS FOR THE FAULTY PART REPLACEMENT AND LABOR COSTS. THANK YOU. *TR

WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE RECENTLY FROM A PRIVATE SELLER. THE FIRST TIME WE FILLED UP THE TANK, WE NOTICED A VERY STRONG GASOLINE ODOR. I CALLED THE SELLER AND HE TOLD ME THAT THE ONLY WAY TO AVOID THAT IS BY NOT TOPPING OFF THE TANK. I FIGURED THIS WASN'T NORMAL, SO I STARTED DOING SOME RESEARCH. TURNS OUT MERCEDES E CLASS VEHICLES HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL SEAL. IN FACT, THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM, BUT THE LOCAL MERCEDES DEALER DOES NOT WANT TO HONOR IT BECAUSE THEY SAY IT IS ONLY FOR THE AMG MODELS. BUT MY MODEL HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. THEN, UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I FOUND THAT A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST MERCEDES WAS BEING FILED THIS YEAR FOR THE SAME EXACT ISSUE CONCERNING E CLASS VEHICLES FROM 2003-2009. *TR

UPON FILLING UP THE CAR EMITS A STRONG GAS SMELL. THE GAS SMELL CONTINUES TO BE PRESENT ALL THE TIME EVEN WHEN THE CAR IS PARKED AND NOT TURNED ON. *TR

EVERYTIME I FILL MY FUEL TANK I'VE NOTICED A STRONG FUEL ODOR. UPON INSPECTION I HAVE FOUND THE FUEL TANK TO HAVE TRACES OF FUEL ON THE EXTERIOR OF TANK, SO MY TANK HAS A LEAK SOMEWHERE. *TR

CAR WAS NOT MOVING WHEN WE NOTICED A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE COMING FROM THE REAR SEAT AREA, WHEN WE PULLED INTO OUR GARAGE THE ODOR WAS SO STRONG WE MOVED THE CAR TO THE OUTSIDE TO PREVENT A POSSIBLE FIRE IN OUR HOME, I CALLED THE DEALER AND THE SERVICE MANAGER IMMEDIATELY TOLD ME THAT HE THOUGHT THE GAS TANK SENDER/SENSOR WAS LEAKING AND POSSIBLY THAT BOTH SENSORS WERE LEAKING AND POSSIBLY THE TANK. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT GASOLINE COULD BE POOLING ON TOP OF THE GAS TANK CAUSING THE ODOR. HE LATER CALLED ME AND CONFIRMED THAT ALL OF THE ABOVE HAD HAPPENED AND COULD BE REPAIRED FOR APPROXIMATELY $3250.00 I ASK IF THIS WAS A RECURRING PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL HE SAID THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS OR WARNING BUT THEY HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. I THEN WENT ON LINE AND FOUND A LOT OF BLOGS DESCRIBING MY PROBLEM ALMOST IDENTICALLY. IN MY OPINION THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFECT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS CAR AND COULD AND PROBABLY WILL CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY AND POSSIBLY DEATH TO SOME ONE RIDING IN THIS MODEL. I BELIEVE THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE IN THE RECURRING BLOGS THAT MERCEDES IS QUITE AWARE OF THIS SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM AND ARE PROBABLY IGNORING THIS VERY EXPENSIVE FIX, PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THIS COMPLAINT UNTIL SOMEONE OR SEVERAL ARE HURT OR KILLED. *TR