2004 MERCEDES-BENZ E500 Complaints

WE HAD NOTICED A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE IN OUR GARAGE EACH MORNING JUST AFTER WE HAD FILLED THE CAR WITH GAS. WE TOOK THE MB TO MYERSTAR MERCEDES, THEY FOUND CRACK IN THE UPPER MIDDLE FRONT OF THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK AND HAD TO REPLACE THE FUEL TANK. THIS DEFECT SHOULD NEVER HAVE OCCURRED IN A VEHICLE THAT'S ONLY FIVE YEARS OLD WITH 45,000 MILES. THIS DEFECT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN EXPLOSION AND FIRE IN OUR GARAGE. *TR COPY OF MOVIE.WMV UPDATED 05/02/11 *BF UPDATED 12/29/11 *CN

MY CAR BATTERY KEPT DYEING AND ALL OF THE SPEAKERS ON THE RIGHT SIDE WAS NOT WORKING. IN FACT WHEN THE CAR WAS OFF THOSE SPEAKERS WOULD MAKE STATIC NOISES. I HAD AN ELECTRONIC AUTO STORE LOOK AT THE CAR AND THEY TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM, BUT WHEN THEY POSED THE QUESTION TO THEIR ONLINE SITE, THE ANSWER CAME BACK AS THE "AUDIO GATEWAY" BEING DEFECTIVE. THEY WERE OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME CAR WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT AND THIS WAS THE PROBLEM. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE MERCEDES DEALER, TOLD THEM OF THE BATTERY DYEING PROBLEM AND THEIR DIAGNOSIS WAS THE SAME, "AUDIO GATEWAY". I PAID THE DEALER TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND THEY STATED THAT REPLACED THE PART. THE TOTAL COST WAS APPROX. $1,258.00, WHICH INCLUDED LABOR. *TR

DRIVING AT ABOUT 60 MPH AND START DECELERATING TO TURN AND THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED OUT OF GEAR OR TO FIRST GEAR THE INITIAL TIME. I HAD TO PULL OVER, CUT THE CAR OFF COMPLETELY AND THEN RE-START THE VEHICLE FOR IT TO SHIFT CORRECTLY. WENT ABOUT A MONTH AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN. AT FIRST I THOUGHT THAT I HAD DONE SOMETHING, BUT IT STARTED HAPPENING MORE OFTEN LIKE ONCE A WEEK AND THEN DAILY. I WAS TRAVELING AT ONE TIME ON I-64 AND DECELERATED A BIT TO GO THROUGH THE HAMPTON TUNNEL AND REALIZED THAT IT HAPPENED AGAIN AS I WAS ACCELERATING AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. ONCE AGAIN, I HAD TO PULL OVER, SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTART IT FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO RESET. IT ALSO HAPPENED AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS. ONE TIME WHILE MY SON AND I WERE RIDING WE ACTUALLY FELT THE CAR JOLT AS IT SHIFTED OUT OF THE PROPER GEAR. THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS ON BUSY RT. 29 RIGHT AT RUSH HOUR. I STOPPED AT A LIGHT AND WHEN THE LIGHT CHANGED GREEN I STEPPED ON THE GAS TO ACCELERATE AND ALL I COULD HEAR WAS THE ENGINE REVVING. I TRIED THE USUAL, CUTTING THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTING IT, BUT THIS TIME THE TRANSMISSION DIDN'T RESET ITSELF AT ALL AND I ENDED UP GETTING TOWED TO A SHOP. MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP NOW AND THE TRANSMISSION IS BEING REPLACED. THE CAR WILL GO WHEN IT HAPPENS, BUT IT WILL NOT SHIFT FROM FIRST GEAR AT ALL. I JUST LOOKED AT A COUPLE SITES ONLINE AND SEE WHERE AT LEAST THREE OTHER PEOPLE HAD THIS SAME ISSUE. I ALSO FOUND A TSB (TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN) ON THE ALLWORLDAUTO.COM WEBSITE, FOR TRANSMISSIONS DOWNSHIFTING FOR THE MERCEDES BENZ E CLASS. *TR

I OWN A MERCEDES-BENZ E500 BOUGHT NEW IN 2004. 3 DAYS AGO I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT ABOUT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND CAR STALLED AND CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WITH NO WARNING. I COULD NOT START THE ENGINE BACK FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES. LUCKILY THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES BEHIND ME, WHICH WOULD HAVE HIT ME FROM BEHIND. I LATER TOWED THE CAR TO THE MERCEDES SERVICE STATION. THEY REPORTED IT AS AN ELECTIRCAL FAILURE DUE TO FAILING OF THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. THEY HAVE REPLACED THE FAULTY SENSOR AND THE CAR IS RUNNING OK NOW. I AM STILL WONDERING WHY DID THE CAR COME TO AN ABRUPT STOP AND DID NOT ALLOW ME TO COAST THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE BACKUP SAFETY MECHANISM IN A FAILURE LIKE THIS TO AVOID A MAJOR ACCIDENT. I AM WORRIED WHETHER THERE IS A DESIGN FAULT IN THIS VEHICLE THAT DID NOT ALLOW THAT BACK UP MECHANISM TO KICK-IN. MY SERVICE ADVISOR SAYS THIS FAULT IS UNLIKELY TO RECUR. I FEEL THAT THE SENSORS CAN FAIL AT ANY TIME AND THE VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE A SAFETY MECHANISM TO AVOID ABRRUPT STOPS LIKE THIS. IF I WAS ON A FREE WAY THIS WOULD HAVE CREATED A MAJOR ACCIDENT WITH SO MANY VEHICLES PILED UP ON TOP OF ME! MY CAR HAS DONE ONLY 40,000 MILES WITHIN THE LAST 4 YEARS. IT HAS NEW TIRES, A NEW BATTERY AND NEW BRAKES -ALL TAKEN CARE OF BY THE MERCEDES DEALER AT MY LAST SERVICE ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO.

6 DISC CHANGER DOOR WILL NOT OPEN. RIGHT AFTER BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY WAS OVER, DEALER SAID THEY HAD REPLACED MANY OF THEM THAT WEEK, BUT REFUSED TO FIX IT AND IT WAS ONLY 1,000 MILES PAST WARRANTY. BEFORE WARRANTY WAS UP, THE DEALER SAID THE FIXED GAS HOSE RECALL BUT STILL SMELL GAS AFTER FILLING THE VEHICLE. THEY WILL NOT LOOK AT IT ANYMORE. *TR

ON 12/6/07 MY FAMILY WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION THAT CAUSED BOTH FRONT AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY. MY CONCERN IS REGARDING THE PASSENGER AIRBAG THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED ACCORDING TO THE DASHBOARD CONSOLE. WHEN MY 7 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT THE ?PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF? LIGHT STAYED ON AND THIS WAS THE ONLY REASON WE LET HER RIDE IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. UNFORTUNATELY IN THIS ACCIDENT THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHICH CAUSED MINOR HEAD INJURIES. I CONTACTED MERCEDES BENZ OF SACRAMENTO TO LOOK INTO THIS AND THEY INDICATED THAT IF THE LIGHT INDICATED THE AIRBAG WAS OFF, THE AIRBAG SHOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED. THEY ALSO INDICATED THAT THE AIRBAG SHOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED IF THE PASSENGER WEIGHED LESS THAN 60 LBS. IN THIS SITUATION THE PASSENGER WEIGHED APPROXIMATELY 50 LBS. I ASKED MERCEDES BENZ TO CHECK THE VEHICLE FOR DEFECTS, BUT I WAS TOLD THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE EQUIPMENT TO CHECK THE CAR IN THE FIELD. I WOULD HAVE TO BRING THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE CHECKED. UNFORTUNATELY THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER DRIVABLE AND WAS CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS BY MY INSURANCE COMPANY SO I AM NO LONGER THE LEGAL OWNER. TO AVOID THIS SITUATION FROM HAPPENING TO ANY OTHER UNSUSPECTING FAMILY, I NEED TO KNOW IF WE WERE DOING SOMETHING WRONG OR IF THERE IS A MANUFACTURER?S DEFECT THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

DROVE CAR FINE ALL DAY ON SATURDAY. SUNDAY AM, PUT SON AND WIFE IN CAR, STARTED OUT DRIVE WAY AND CAR GAVE NOTICE THAT CAR WAS TOO LOW. WALKED AROUND EXTERIOR OF CAR AND FOUND THAT RIGHT FRONT SUSPENSION MECHANISM HAD LET AIR OUT ITSELF AND TIRE WAS WELL INSIDE THE WHEEL WELL. APPARENTLY, THIS IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE. DTB (DAIMLER TECHNICAL BULLETIN) P-B-32.22/15A FEB07 VEHICLE LEVEL DECREASES AT FRONT AXLE. IN EXTREME CASES THE AIRMATIC COMPRESSOR WILL NOT ACTIVATE TO RAISE THE VEHICLE. IT IS NOT DEFECTIVE. THE COMPRESSOR IS NOT ACTUATED DUE TO INSUFFICIENT RESIDUAL PRESSURE IN THE SUSPENSION STRUTS. ANY AFFECTED STRUTS WILL BE REPLACED AND THE COMPRESSOR WILL BE ACTUATED WITH STAR DIAGNOSIS. *TR

MY CAR PICKED UP A NAIL ON THE HIGHWAY AND IT BLEW A ROUND HOLE ABOUT THE SIZE OF A QUARTER IN THE TIRE RIM. THESE ARE ALUMINUM ALLOY LOW PROFILE RIMS THAT CAME WITH MY E500 2004 MERCEDES BENZ AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT. TWO MONTHS LATER I HAD A NEW SET OF TIRES PUT ON THE CAR AND THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT TWO MORE RIMS WERE BENT. I AM AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER (OVER 1.5 MILLION MILES OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE) AND I HAVE NEVER HAD A RIM GO BAD. SUDDENLY I HAVE THREE RIMS GO BAD. I DID NOT HIT ANY POT HOLES OR CURBS OR ANY THING OTHER THAN NORMAL BUMPY ROADS. THE DEALER SAID I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR NEW RIMS AND MOUNTING. I COMPLAINED TO M B AND THEIR ANSWER HAS BEEN THAT THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY ROAD HAZARD. I SAID THAT I KNOW THAT THE ROAD HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT BUT THAT THIS IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR USING MATERIALS THAT OBVIOUSLY CANNOT TAKE THE STRAIN OF REASONABLE DRIVING. ANECDOTALLY I CAN TELL YOU THAT A CLOSE FRIEND IS DRIVING AN S500 WITH THE SAME LOW PROFILE TIRE AND HE TOO HAS HAD TO REPLACE THREE WHEELS OVER A PERIOD OF TWO YEARS. I FEEL CERTAIN THAT IT IS THE COMPOSITION OF THE RIM WHICH IS AT FAULT SINCE IT CANNOT STAND UP TO THE ROAD SURFACE PROBLEMS AS WELL AS A RIM OF THE SAME MATERIAL THAT IS NOT OF THE LOW PROFILE DESIGN. *NM

2004 500E ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM IS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. ***NO ANSWER REQUIRED***. *MR THE CONSUMER STATED THE PURPOSE OF AN ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM IS THAT WHEN ALL BRAKES ARE LOCKED, IT WILL THEN PULSATE THE BRAKES SO THAT THE DRIVER DOES NOT HAVE TO. THE CONSUMER STATED ON HIS VEHICLE THE BRAKES SYSTEM COULD LOCK WITHOUT PULSING. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE BRAKES DID NOT LOCK AND THE BAS DID NOT PERFORM AS DESIGNED. *JB

WHILE DRIVING 35 MILES PER HOUR DOWN HILL, THE OWNER HEARD A WARNING LIGHT STATING THAT THE BRAKES HAD FAILED. THE OWNER HAD TO SWERVE TO THE RIGHT TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT BEFORE THE VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE OWNER WILL CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER. *JB