2008 MERCEDES-BENZ GL450 Complaints

TODAY I WAS SHOPPING IN A STORE WHILE MY TEENAGE SON WAITED IN THE CAR FOR ME. HE CAME RUNNING IN THE STORE ACCOMPANIED BY A WITNESS THAT WAS IN THE PARKING LOT TO TELL ME THAT SOMETHING ON MY CAR EXPLODED OUTSIDE. THE ADULT WITNESS EXPLAINED THAT THE NOISE WAS SO LOUD AND SO ABRASIVE THAT THEY THOUGHT A BOMB WENT OFF. IT SHOOK THE ENTIRE CAR. LUCKILY NOBODY WAS HURT. WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THIS INCIDENT TOOK PLACE WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR? IT HAS TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE AIR SUSPENSION. I'M HAVING IT TOWED TO A MECHANIC TOMORROW. I'VE SPENT LOTS OF MONEY FIXING MANY THINGS ON THIS CAR. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW MUCH THIS ISSUE COSTS ME (SARCASM). I'VE ALREADY REPLACED ONE OF THE AIRBAGS IN THE AIR SUSPENSION ON THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE. WHEN THOSE AIRBAGS GO OUT, THE VEHICLE CAN'T BE SAFE TO DRIVE. IT STARTS SLIPPING, IT HAS DIFFICULTY STOPPING, IT SHAKES AGGRESSIVELY WHEN DRIVEN, YET WHEN ALL THAT HAPPENED IT DIDN'T TELL ME THAT THE CAR NEEDED SERVICE. IT TELLS ME EVERYTHING ELSE CONSTANTLY LIKE TIRE PRESSURE IS OFF, A REAR LAMP IS OUT, ETC. BUT DOESN'T TELL ME THAT THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE? MERCEDES IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE SAFEST CAR ON THE ROAD, AND IT SHOULD BE FOR THE PRICE THEY CHARGE. HOWEVER, MY FAMILY CERTAINLY WAS NOT SAFE TODAY WHEN I WAS DRIVING THIS CAR. IT IS HARD TO TELL HOW LONG WE'VE BEEN IN JEOPARDY AS THIS PART WAS WAITING TO EXPLODE. PRINCESS [XXX] IN A MERCEDES. I HAVE TO WONDER IF HER CAR HAD AIR SUSPENSION THAT WENT BAD. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WE HAVE TAKEN THIS VEHICLE TO THE DEALER SERVICE NUMEROUS TIME COMPLAINING SOME WEIRD NOISE COMING FROM THE LEFT FRONT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND A BUMPY RIDE. LEFT VEHICLE WITH DEALER SERVICE AT LEAST 8 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM BUT NEVER FIXED. RIGHT BEFORE MY WARRANTY EXPIRED IN DECEMBER 2012; I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR THE SAME ISSUE AND ASKED THEM TO COMPLETELY INSPECT THE VEHICLE FOR ANY PROBLEMS NEEDING REPAIR BEFORE THE WARRANTY EXPIRES. THE DEALER SERVICE FOUND NO ISSUES AND WERE NOT ABLE TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE OF BUMPY RIDE; ASKED US TO REPLACE TIRES (WE WERE TOLD THE SAME 3 TIMES PREVIOUSLY AND WE REPLACED TIRES EACH TIME BUT NEVER FIXED THE PROBLEM) AND WE REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRES THE FOURTH TIME IN 4 YEARS. PICKED UP THE CAR AND NOTICED NO OF THE ISSUES WERE RESOLVED; AND THE WARRANTY EVENTUALLY EXPIRED. TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR MAINTENANCE AND THEY GAVE MEAN AN ESTIMATE OF AROUND $1800 FOR BAD LEFT-FRONT STRUT. THEY ADVISED ME THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE IS STILL AT THE DEALER WORKSHOP. *TR

WE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER SERVICE NUMEROUS TIMES THAT THE CAR WAS MAKING WEIRD NOISE FROM THE RIGHT SIDE AND THE RIDE WAS VERY BUMPY BUT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. ONE DAY I TOOK IT TO DISCOUNT TIRE FOR TIRE BALANCE/ROTATION AND THE GENERAL MANAGER POINTED OUT THAT THE FROM WHEEL WAS CRACKED BADLY FROM INSIDE ALL THE WAY TO THE FRONT EDGE. HE MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. WE TOOK THIS VEHICLE TO THE DEALER SERVICE AGAIN AND MENTIONED EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE TOLD BY THE GM OF DISCOUNT TIRE. INITIALLY MERCEDES DEALER SERVICE REFUSED TO REPLACE THE WHEEL THINKING THAT WE MIGHT HAVE HIT THE WHEELS. LUCKILY, THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE SCRATCH ON ANY FOUR OF THE WHEELS PROVING IT WAS A BAD WHEEL AND DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE WHEEL. *TR

VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN ON A HIGHWAY AT NIGHT WHEN WE SUDDENLY NOTICED NO VISIBILITY ON THE ROAD. INITIALLY WE THOUGHT THAT WE TURNED OFF THE HEADLIGHTS BY MISTAKE BUT IT WAS ON. FOLLOWED ANOTHER VEHICLE'S TAIL LIGHT TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY; PULLED AT A GAS STATION AND NOTICED BOTH HEADLIGHTS WERE POINTING DOWNWARD. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE NUMEROUS TIME; IT TOOK THEM OVER A YEAR TO FIX THE HEADLIGHTS. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING THE CAR AT 35 MPH WITH A CHILD IN THE LEFT REAR SEAT; THE DOOR SUDDENLY OPENED UP BUT DID NOT HIT ANY OTHER VEHICLE. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER SERVICE FOR REPAIR AND THEY ADJUSTED THE DOOR LATCH. DAYS LATER, THE SAME HAPPENED AND THE DOOR OPENED BY ITSELF. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER SERVICE AGAIN FOR REPAIR AND THEY ADJUSTED THE DOOR LATCH. *TR

VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT. WHEN WE INSERTED THE KEY IN IGNITION; VEHICLE STARTED TO MOVE FORWARD ITSELF. LUCKILY, THERE WERE NOT ANY CARS IN THE FRONT AND WE WERE ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE WITH FOOT BRAKE. *TR

LEFT-FRONT STRUT LEAKED CAUSING DAMAGES. WE HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING FOR 4 YEARS THAT THE LEFT-FRONT OF THE CAR WAS MAKING NOISE;TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE NUMEROUS TIMES BUT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES-BENZ GL450. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND THE POWER STEERING ASSIST BECAME UNRESPONSIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING HOWEVER, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD THE DEALER INSPECT THE VEHICLE NUMEROUS TIMES BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V682000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

THIS VEHICLE, AND ALL OTHERS MERCEDES-BENZ MANUFACTURES WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT SELECTOR OF THIS TYPE NEED AN ADDED SAFETY FEATURE TO DISALLOW A SHIFT FROM THE NEUTRAL POSITION TO REVERSE OR DRIVE UNLESS THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. AFTER REACHING OVER FROM THE EXTERIOR OF THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW TO TURN THE IGNITION TO THE ON POSITION TO SEE WHICH HEADLIGHT WAS NOT FUNCTIONING (AS THE DISPLAY MESSAGE STATED), A SLIGHT APPARENT TOUCH UPWARD AGAINST THE SHIFT SELECTOR (LOCATED ABOVE THE KEY AND BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL) ENGAGED THE VEHICLE IN THE REVERSE POSITION CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO REVERSE AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH FOR 15 FEET AND COME TO A CRASHING STOP AGAINST AN ANCHORED METAL POST AND FORTUNATELY NOT INTO ANY OTHER VEHICLES, ONCOMING TRAFFIC, STRUCTURES, AND/OR ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL. I SUSTAINED A MINOR INJURY TO MY LEFT FOREARM AS I UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED TO REACH BACK OVER WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE REVERSE MOTION TO TURN THE VEHICLE TO THE OFF POSITION. *TR

I OWN MERCEDES GL450 2008 THAT I BOUGHT AS NEW. I SAW THAT THE R/F CORNER OF THE VEHICLE VERY LOW. TURNS OUT THAT THE TRUST AIRBAG IS LEAKING AND BOTH SUSPENSION/TRUST ASSEMBLY NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS ISSUE CAN FLIP THE CAR IF YOU RAN INTO POTHOLES ON THE ROAD. *TR