2016 MERCEDES-BENZ METRIS Complaints

CAR HAS REPEATEDLY, BUT NOT ALWAYS, HAD A STRONG FUEL SMELL IN CABIN WHEN STARTING WITH ENGINE COLD IN SUB 45F WEATHER. FUEL SMELL IS STRONG ENOUGH THAT WINDOWS NEED TO BE OPENED FOR SMELL TO CLEAR. ISSUE IS NOT PRESENT WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE WARM OR AFTER VEHICLE WARMS UP. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR SAME ISSUE IN MAY 2017 (INVOICE ATTACHED).

FIRST OFF, I HAVE ONLY HAD THIS CAR FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 WEEK AND SPENT CONSIDERABLE TIME DRIVING IN A LARGE METROPOLITAN AREA AS WELL AS ON THE INTERSTATE WITH THE VEHICLE IN THIS FIRST WEEK (1200 MILES IN TOTAL). I HAVE ADJUSTED THE SIDE MIRRORS AS WIDE AS THEY ARE CAPABLE OF ADJUSTING AND STILL, AN ENORMOUS BLIND SPOT REMAINS FOR THE DRIVER THAT IS BOTH DANGEROUS TO MYSELF AND DRIVERS AROUND ME. ON TWO OCCASIONS THIS WEEK, ONE (TODAY) THAT WAS THE WORST YET, I WAS CHANGING LANES AND AFTER CHECKING THE SIDE MIRRORS AND SEEING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, I CAME EXTREMELY CLOSE TO HITTING A SEDAN THAT WAS DRIVING IN MY BLIND SPOT. FORTUNATELY, THE OTHER DRIVER WAS PAYING ATTENTION AND ABLE TO SWERVE AWAY FROM MY VEHICLE TO AVOID BEING HIT. THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE IS THE CARGO VERSION WITH A BULKHEAD INSTALLED WHICH RENDERS THE REARVIEW MIRROR USELESS AND NO ABILITY TO LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULD OUT A REAR WINDOW TO CHECK FOR VEHICLES. I HAVE JUST ORDERED EXTRA CLIP ON MIRRORS FROM AMAZON TO MAKE THE VEHICLE AT LEAST OPERATIONAL BUT IN MY OPINION BEING FORCED TO ALTER SOMETHING SUCH AS SIDE MIRRORS TO MAKE THE VEHICLE REASONABLY SAFE TO OPERATE IS UNACCEPTABLE FROM ANY MANUFACTURER, LET ALONE MERCEDES-BENZ WHO CLAIMS SUCH A HIGH STANDARD OF SAFETY ON THEIR VEHICLES. AFTER DOING A LITTLE MORE INVESTIGATION, THIS IS CLEARLY A KNOWN ISSUE EXPERIENCED BY A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO OPERATE THIS VEHICLE (I.E. HTTP://WWW.METRISFORUM.COM/FORUM/385-APPEARANCE-BODY/1610-MIRRORS.HTML). ANY QUICK INTERNET SEARCH WILL REVEAL THAT THIS IS A MAJOR CONCERN AND COMPLAINT OF THOSE WHO OWN THE MERCEDES METRIS.

EVER SINCE WE GOT THIS VEHICLE WE COMPLAINED THAT THE MIRROR IS TOO SMALL, WHICH MAKES IT EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE TURNS. I TRIED TO SEARCH ONLINE, AND RIGHT AWAY FOUND A METRIS FORUM WITH MANY MANY POSTS ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE. THE POSTERS WERE WRITING ABOUT CONTACTING MERCEDES, AND THE DEALERS DIDNT EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT, OR THE ONES WHO DID SAID THAT THE 2017 MODELS WERE INDEED IMPROVED. I AM NOW TRYING TO GET A REPLACEMENT FOR MY VAN, AND THE DEALERS ARE NOT HELPFUL AT ALL

SIDE MIRRORS ARE TOO TALL AND TOO SHORT! WE ALMOST GOT INTO ACCIDENT FOR SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE BUT YESTERDAY (7/17/17) WAS REALLY CLOSE! I WAS CHANGING TO RIGHT LANE WHEN ANOTHER CAR IS SO CLOSE I HAVE TO SLAM MY BRAKES BECAUSE MY PASSENGER MIRROR IS SO BAD ABOUT VISIBILITY. PLEASE HELP BEFORE WE GET HURT OR WORSE. THANK YOU!

I HAVE A 2016 METRIS PASSENGER VAN WITH 14000 MILES THAT THE MECHANICAL/ANALOG SPEEDOMETER SHOWS INCORRECT SPEED SOMETIMES. IT ONLY HAPPENS AFTER THE VAN HAS BEEN TRAVELING WITH SPEEDS OVER 60 MPH + I NOTICE THE SPEEDOMETER SHOWING ABOUT A 20 MPH SLOWER SPEED, THEN OVER A FEW MIN. THE SPEED SLOWLY KEEPS DROPPING UNTIL 0 MPH. THE TOTAL TIME TO 0 MPH IS ABOUT 15 MIN. AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP THE SPEEDOMETER FUNCTIONS PROPERLY. ONLY THE MECHANICAL SPEEDOMETER IS AFFECTED, THE DIGITAL DISPLAYS CORRECT SPEED. THIS HAS HAPPENED 10 TIMES THAT I KNOW OF.

THE REARVIEW CAMERA FROZE WHILE I WAS BACKING UP. BY "FROZE" I MEANT THE PICTURE BECAME STATIC WHILE THE VAN WAS MOVING BACK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT WILL MISLEAD THE DRIVER ON WHAT'S OR WHAT'S NOT ON THE PATH OF MOVING DIRECTION. THE ISSUE PERSIST WHEN I MOVED THE CAR BACK AND FORTH. IT WENT AWAY AFTER PARKING THE VAN IN GARAGE FOR A FEW HOURS. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT IT MAY HAPPEN AGAIN AND MAY CAUSE SERIOUS ACCIDENCE.

RUPTURED FUEL LINE CAUSING FUEL SMELL IN CABIN. SMELL WAS MOST APPARENT AFTER VEHICLE HAD BEEN SITTING AND AT SLOW SPEEDS.

PASSENGER SIDE MIRRORS ARE FLAT (NOT CONVEX) AND LEAVE A HUGE BLIND SPOT. ITS A SAFETY ISSUE I TRIED TO CONTACT MERCEDES BENZ DEALER TO SEE IF THEY GOT AN REPLACEMENT BUT HAD NO LUCK.

THE CRUISE CONTROL LACKS A SEPARATE ON/OFF SWITCH. WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL STEM IS PULL BACKWARD, THE SYSTEM IS TURNED ON/ENGAGED, WHICH IS NON STANDARD FOR SWITCHES. WHEN INITIALLY TURNED ON, IT ACTIVATES AT THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL IS TURNED OFF, THEN BACK ON (WITHOUT HAVING TURNED OFF THE ENGINE) THE VEHICLE WILL EITHER ACCELERATE OR DECELERATE ABRUPTLY TO THE PREVIOUSLY SET SPEED. THE CRUISE CONTROL STEM IS ALSO LOCATED NEAR THE HEADLIGHT DIMMER SWITCH ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE STEERING COLUMN, WHICH ARE BOTH SIMILAR IN SIZE AND FEEL. AT NIGHT I EXITED AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY IN MT AND HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL SET TO 75 MPH. I TURNED OFF/DISENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL AS I EXITED THE FREEWAY. ON A LIGHTED STREET WITH A 30 MPH SPEED LIMIT, I REALIZED MY HEADLIGHTS WERE ON BRIGHT SO I USED MY LEFT HAND TO DIM THE HEADLIGHTS, WHICH DIM BY PULLING THE APPROPRIATE STEM REARWARD. I MISTAKENLY PULLED THE CRUISE CONTROL STEM REARWARD, WHICH IMMEDIATELY TURN ON/ENGAGED TO THE CRUISE CONTROL AND BEGAN TO ACCELERATE THE VAN TO 75 MPH. I QUICKLY TURNED THE CRUISE CONTROL OFF, THEN DIMMED THE HEADLIGHTS. THE INCIDENT WAS DANGER AND DISTRACTING. RAPID DECELERATION OCCURS, WITH NO BRAKE LIGHTS, WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL IS SET AT 40 MPH, TURNED OFF, THEN TURNED ON/ENGAGED AT 70 MPH.

MERCEDES CLAIMES THAT THE METRIS IS ABLE TO TOW 5000LBS. WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW WITH THE TOW PACKAGE FACTORY INSTALLED. MERCEDES NEVER DISCLOSED THE FACT THAT IT'S WIRING HARNESS INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE DOES NOT OPERATE ELECTRIC TRAILER BRAKES AND THAT NO FACTORY OR THIRD PARTY OPTION IS AVAILABLE. WE ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT DUE TO OUR INABILITY TO STOP QUICKLY ENOUGH. THATS HOW WE FOUND OUT THAT THE FACTORY INSTALLED TRAILER WIRING HARNESS DOES NOT OPERATE ELECTRIC BRAKES. MERCEDES SHOULD HAVE WARNED US ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THE FACTORY TRAILER WIRING HARNESS INCLUDES A 7 WIRE CONNECTOR, BUT IS ONLY WIRED FOR 6. IT CONTROLS BRAKE LIGHTS,TURN SIGNALS, RUNNING LIGHTS BUT NOT ELECTRIC BRAKES. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH MERCEDES CORPORATE AND STATED HOW THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. CUSTOMERS MAY WRONGLY ASSUME THAT THEIR ELECTRIC TRAILER BRAKES ARE BEING ACTIVATED WHEN APPLYING THE VEHICLES BRAKES. WITHOUT TRAILER BRAKES, MOST TOW PAYLOADS ARE LIMITED TO 2500LBS. 5000LBS IS WAY BEYOND THE SAFE LIMIT. MERCEDES STATED THAT THERE IS NO WAY FOR THE METRIS TO ACTIVATE ELECTRIC BRAKES. I BELIEVE THAT MERCEDES NEEDS TO WARN CUSTOMERS OF THIS SPECIFIC DESIGN FLAW. MOST LIGHT DUTY TRAILERS AND CAMPERS IN THE USA USE ELECTRIC BRAKES. OUR ALMOST ACCIDENT HAPPENED ON THE I35 SOUTH OF WACO TX. WE WERE AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHEN THE TRAFFIC CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP. LUCKILY WE HAD A LARGE ENOUGH DISTANCE BETWEEN US AND THE CARS STOPPING AHEAD. WE HAD A CAR AT THE LAST MOMENT SWERVE INTO OUR LANE AND STOP. NOW WE WERE TRYING TO COME TO AN EMERGENCY STOP. WE HAD TO DEPART OUR LANE TO KEEP FROM REAR ENDING THE CAR. WE LATER FOUND OUT THAT OUR TRAILER BRAKE WE NOT BEING ACTIVATED AND THAT WAS THE CAUSE OF OUR INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCE.