2017 MERCEDES-BENZ GLE350 Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 MERCEDES-BENZ GLE350. WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE EXTERIOR HEADLAMPS INSUFFICIENTLY ILLUMINATED THE DRIVER'S LINE OF SIGHT ON THE ROAD. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE AND NO WAY TO MODIFY THE POSITIONING OF THE LIGHTS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 12,671.

WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PARKED, THE DOOR LOCK WILL AUTOMATICALLY LOCK ON ITS OWN - WITH THE KEYS SILL INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH THE "KEYLESS GO" FEATURE THAT WILL ALLOWS THE DRIVER TO LOCK/UNLOCK THE VEHICLE WITHOUT USING THE "KEYLESS REMOTE FOB'. AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE, IF THE REMOTE FOB IS DETECTED IN THE VEHICLE, THE DOORS ARE NOT TO LOCK. I HAVE TWO INFANTS AND I WOULD LOAD THEM INTO THE BACK SEATS, AS I CLOSE THE REAR DOOR, AND TRY TO ENTER THE DRIVER SEAT, ALL THE DOORS WOULD LOCK (THE REMOTE FOB WOULD STILL BE IN THE VEHICLE AND SHOULD PREVENT THE DOORS FROM LOCKING). I AM NOW LOCKED OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND BOTH INFANTS ARE LOCKED IN. I AM NOT ABLE TO OPEN THE DOORS, BECAUSE THE REMOTE FOB IS ALSO LOCKED IN THE VEHICLE. THIS WILL ALSO HAPPEN IF I EXIT THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THE DOORS WILL THEN AUTOMATICALLY LOCK WHEN I CLOSED THE DRIVER'S DOOR, NOW WITH BOTH INFANTS LOCKED IN THE REAR SEATS. FORTUNATELY WHEN THIS HAPPENED, IT WAS DURING THE EVENING ON A COOL DAY AND I HAD ENOUGH TIME TO RETRIEVE MY EXTRA FOB TO OPEN THE DOORS. IF THIS HAPPENED ON A VERY HOT DAY, THE POTENTIAL FOR A SERIOUS OR LIFE THREATENING INJURY MAY HAVE OCCURRED. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFECT WITH THE KEYLESS GO SYSTEM. I RESEARCHED THE INTERNET AND THIS DEFECT HAS HAPPENING TO MULTIPLE PEOPLE WITH MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLE. THE KEYLESS GO SYSTEM THAT MERCEDES USES IS IMPLEMENTED INTO DIFFERENT MODELS ACROSS THE ENTIRE MERCEDES BENZ LINEUP OF VEHICLES THEY MANUFACTURE. SO THIS ISSUES IS NOT ISOLATED TO JUST MY MAKE/MODEL MERCEDES, BUT MULTIPLE MAKES/MODELS/YEARS THAT HAS THE KEYLESS GO FEATURE INSTALLED IN IT. THIS DEFECT HAS HAPPENED TO ME MULTIPLE TIMES AND I'VE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE TO HAVE THIS CHECKED OUT. THEY STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE OR FIND ANY FAULT CODES IN THE COMPUTERS.

THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK IN MERCEDES BENZ GLE 350 WAS RUPTURED BY ROAD DEBRIS DUE TO LACK OF SHIELD PROTECTION TO THE TANK. THIS ACCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY I-45 FROM DALLAS TO HOUSTON ON AUG 12 2017. THE HALF TANK OF THE GAS WAS LEAKING OUT WITHIN 10 MINUTES. THANKS TO NO TRAFFIC MET DURING THAT TIME, OTHERWISE WE COULD GET FIRE.

MY CAR IS 2017 MERCEDES BENZ GLE 350 SUV. LAST SATURDAY (AUG 12), I DROVE ON HIGHWAY I-45 WITH MY FAMILY FROM DALLAS TO HOUSTON. SUDDENLY I HEARD SOMETHING HIT MY CAR UNDERNEATH, BUT THE CAR WAS MOVING LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED DURING THAT TIME. AFTER AROUND 10 MINUTES, ONE DRIVER DROVE UP AND KEPT WARNING ME TO STOP. I PULLED OVER MY SUV AND WAS TOLD THAT THE FUEL WAS LEAKING BEHIND ON THE HIGHWAY, I LOOKED AT THE UNDERNEATH OF THE CAR, FOUND THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS BROKEN WITH A HOLE, BECAUSE IT WAS A PLASTIC FUEL TANK AND THERE WAS NO UNDER GUARD PROTECTING THE TANK. WE REALLY APPRECIATED THAT DRIVER STOPPED US ON TIME, HE WAS A FIGHTER WORKING IN FIRE DEPART IN HOUSTON. IF HE DIDN'T COME UP, MY SUV COULD GET FIRE AND AN SERIOUS ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE CAR COULD LOST FUEL QUICKLY AND STUCK ON THE HIGHWAY. I JUST HAD THIS NEW SUV FOR 8 MONTHS AND QUICKLY MET THIS INSTANCE, FROM MY INSTANCE, IT CLEARLY PROVED THAT THE FUEL TANK WITH NO UNDER GUARD WAS EASILY BROKEN BY ROAD DEBRIS. THIS SUB IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND IT BRINGS DANGER TO CONSUMER ANY TIME.

SINCE LEASING THIS VEHICLE ON DECEMBER 1, 2016, THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS SAFETY ISSUES WITH THE SEAT BELT, ERRONEOUS WARNING ALARMS, AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPER. FIRST, WHILE DRIVING IN A SNOW STORM IN JANUARY 2017, THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER WENT FLYING OFF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP REPAIRED THE WINDSHIELD WIPER. SECOND, WHILE DRIVING ON VARIOUS DATES/TIMES, THE CAR BEGAN SOUNDING AN ALARM AND A MESSAGE APPEARED THAT THE KEY WAS NOT IN THE VEHICLE. PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED VIDEO. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN BROUGHT INTO THE SHOP ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. DURING THE FIRST OCCASION, THE PUSH BUTTON WAS REPLACED. ON THE SECOND OCCASION, THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE THE CAR DISPLAYS THIS ALARM AT RANDOM TIMES DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE KEY IS IN THE VEHICLE. THE ALARM IS DISTRACTING WHILE DRIVING. LASTLY, ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE SEAT BELT WENT INTO THE SEAT MECHANISM PREVENTING THE DRIVER FROM USING THE SEAT BELT. THIS WAS ALSO REPAIRED BY MERCEDES-BENZ.

THE LOW BEAM HALOGEN HEADLIGHTS ON THIS VEHICLE ARE INSUFFICIENT FOR NIGHTTIME DRIVING. THEY BARELY LIGHT UP ROADWAYS .THE VISIBILITY IS SO POOR, THAT WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY, PARTICULARLY DURING THE RAIN, YOU MUST FOLLOW A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF YOU TO SEE THE ROAD.. MAKING IT SO DANGEROUS, WITH GREAT POSSIBILITY OF CAUSING A MAJOR ACCIDENT. IT IS VERY HARD TO JUDGE ROAD PATTERNS WHEN YOU ARE ON UNFAMILIAR ROADS BECAUSE YOU CANNOT SEE CURVES, CURBS, TRAFFIC SIGNS, OR PEDESTRIANS CLEARLY. IT APPEARS THAT THESE LIGHTS JUST BARELY PASS FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS. MOST OF THE TIME YOU CANNOT TELL IF THEY ARE TURNED ON. I HAVE TO TRY AND AVOID NIGHTTIME DRIVING IN FEAR OF HURTING SOMEONE AND CAUSING A MAJOR ACCIDENT. THIS REQUIRES A MAJOR INVESTIGATION BEFORE SOMEONE GETS FATALLY INJURED.

THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVER IS THE SAME AS THE TURN SIGNAL LEVER. WHEN SIGNALLING A TURN, IF I PULLED BACK AND UP OR DOWN ON THE LEVER, THE CAR WOULD LURCH AHEAD AT HIGH SPEED. THIS IS DEFINITELY A DANGEROUS CONDITION. THIS IS A DANGEROUS DESIGN DEFECT, AS THE CAR WOULD ACCELERATE QUICKLY. I HAD IT LURCH ON ME SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE 1 WEEK WHEN I RENTED THE CAR. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, THE CAR SPED AHEAD FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS AT 65 MPH(I WAS GOING 50 MPH) WHILE I PLAYED WITH THE LEVER TO TRY TO DISABLE THE CRUISE CONTROL

JUST BOUGHT A NEW 2017 GLE WITH ACTIVE LED AND ADAPTIVE HIGH BEAM ASSIST. DISCOVERED A SAFETY ISSUE WHERE THE DRIVER-SIDE HEADLIGHT WILL GO INTO HIGH BEAM WHEN IT SHOULD BE IN LOW BEAM, BLINDING ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND CARS IN FRONT. BECAUSE THE LIGHTS ARE SO BRIGHT, IT'S A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN. NOTE THAT IT'S NOT KNOWN TO THE DRIVER, ONLY THOSE CARS IN FRONT OR ONCOMING THAT'S IT'S HAPPENING, WHICH MAY BE WHY MORE COMPLAINTS HAVEN'T BEEN FILED. MERCEDES BENZ, RICHMOND VA TESTED OTHER NEW GLE'S WITH SIMILAR LIGHTING ON THEIR LOT AND ALL ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. THEY THINK IT'S AN ISSUE AND TRIED TO REPAIR IT. THE REPAIRS THEY TRIED DID NOT WORK. A COMPLAINT WAS FILES WITH MERCEDES BENZ USA, WHO RECOGNIZED IT AS THE FIRST TIME THEY HEARD OF THIS ISSUE. IT WAS ELEVATED TO THE HIGHER UPS AND ENGINEERING TEAM. UPON FURTHER REVIEW THEY CAME BACK AND SAID THIS WAS NORMAL OPERATION OF THE ADAPTIVE SYSTEM AND THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING FURTHER. I FIND THIS TO BE UNACCEPTABLE AS IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE FOR OTHER DRIVERS. I HAVE A VIDEO I CAN SHARE THAT SHOWS WHAT'S HAPPENING BUT AN UNABLE TO UPLOAD IT IN THE DOCUMENTATION SECTION BELOW. PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW I CAN SHARE THIS VIDEO.