2012 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 Complaints

TOOK OUR 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 BLUETEC TO THE DEALERSHIP NUMEROUS TIMES DUE TO AN OVERPOWERING FUEL SMELL AND BURNED PLASTIC IN THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. WE HAD TO STOP SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE WE FELT SICK AS IF WE WERE GOING TO PASS OUT AND/OR THROW UP. BUT, THEN IT STARTED TO AFFECT OUR CHILDREN AND WE DEMANDED THAT THE DEALERSHIP FIND THE ROOT CAUSE. THEY FINALLY DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A FUEL LEAK AROUND THE FUEL INJECTORS THAT COMPLETELY CHARRED COMPONENTS IN THE FUEL INJECTION CAVITY. IT COULD HAVE CREATED A FIRE OR LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I NOTICED THAT THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE NHTSA WHICH IS WHY I AM ALSO REPORTING THIS NOW ALSO. MY VEHICLE IS ONLY SERVICED BY THE MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP IS CHARGING ME $1900 FOR THE REPAIR OF THE CHARRED COMPONENTS. NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11090864 REPORTED EXACTLY THE SAME ISSUE. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY UNTIL THEY FOUND THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE SMELL. NOW THAT THERE ARE AT TWO REPORTED CASES OF THIS BOTH IN 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 VEHICLES IT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED.

ON RANDOM OCCASIONS, WHILE IN MOTION AT ANY SPEED, THE MESSAGE "BLIND SPOT ASSIST IS INOPERATIVE" AND INDICATOR LIGHTS STOP WORKING. THE ONLY WAY TO CLEAR IT IS TO STOP THE VEHICLE, TURN OFF THE IGNITION AND START THE VEHICLE BACK UP.

SEAT BELTS WILL NOT EXTEND. WHEN TRYING TO BUCKLE SEAT BELT, THE BELT RETRACTOR LOCKS AS YOU TRY TO EXTEND, PREVENTING YOU FROM BUCKLING YOUR SEAT-BELT. AFFECTS BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT-BELTS. INTERMITTENTLY HAPPENS AND SEEMS TO BE TEMPERATURE RELATED. MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN WHEN IT IS WARM.

2012 MERCEDES BENZ ML350. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO OIL LEAK. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE CONSUMER WAS OFFERED A 15% DISCOUNT ON THE REPAIR. *JS

AFTER BEING INTO AUTHORIZED MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP ONLY FOR AN STRONG DIESEL FUEL SMELL AND OIL LEAK 3 TIMES IN LESS THAN 4 MONTHS ON OUR ML350 BLUETEC ENGINE FUEL SMELL IS STRONG ENOUGH THAT WE HAVE A SEVER HEADACHE ,NAUSEOUS FEELING AND HAVE TO STOP THE CAR AND GET OUT FOR FRESH AIR, OPENING WINDOWS ONLY GETS MORE OF THE SMELL IN OF FUEL AND BURNING PLASTIC. THIS HAPPENS WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION ,BOTH ON CITY STREETS AND ON HIGHWAYS, MORE PRONOUNCED WHEN DRIVING.

ON OCCASION THE BLIND SPOT ASSIST BECOMES INOPERATIVE. FREQUENTLY WHEN THIS OCCURS, IT ALSO DEACTIVATES THE TURN SIGNALS CREATING, IN MY OPINION, A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. EACH TIME IT'S HAPPENED IN MOTION ON AN EXPRESSWAY. I'VE CONTACTED THE LOCAL MERCEDES BENZ DEALER WHO TELLS ME THE ONLY WAY TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM IS TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURN OFF THE CAR AND TURN IT BACK ON TO REACTIVATE THE SYSTEM. NOT ONLY IS THIS INCONVENIENT, IT DOESN'T ALWAYS CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I CAN LIVE WITHOUT THE BLIND SPOT ASSIST; HOWEVER, NOT WITH INOPERATIVE TURN SIGNALS. THIS IS A 6-YEAR OLD CAR SO I AM NOT WILLING TO INVEST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON A PROBLEM THAT I FEEL THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD RECTIFY AT NO CHARGE. I AM A 72 YEAR OLD AND HAVE OWNED MANY CARS AND NEVER HAD ONE WHERE THE TURN SIGNALS BECOME INOPERATIVE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350. WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE RADIO AND AIR CONDITIONER FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF COCONUT CREEK (4250 SR 7, COCONUT CREEK, FL 33073, PHONE: (954) 406-1167) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP FAILED, THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM, AND THE RADIATOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000.

MY VIN IS NOT PART OF THE TAKATA RECALL, ALTHOUGH SIMILAR MODELS I.E ML350 4MATIC 2012 IS. MY CAR WAS INVOLVED IN A HIGH IMPACT CRASH IN WHICH IT WAS TOTALED. THE AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY AND RESULTED IN SERIOUS NECK AND BACK INJURIES. THE CAR WAS STATIONARY ON THE HIGHWAY AS TRAFFIC SLOWED. A FAST ONCOMING VEHICLE (70-80 MPH) FAILED TO SEE MY STATIONARY VEHICLE AND REAR ENDED MY VEHICLE WITHOUT BREAKING CAUSING IT TO CRASH IN THE CAR IN FRONT. THE INCIDENT WAS SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO CAUSE MY ENGINE TO DROP AND THE FRONT CRUMBLE ZONE WAS FULLY UTILIZED. A WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD "LEFT SRS AIRBAG MALFUNCTION" SEE THE PICTURE ATTACHED. THIS IS POSSIBLY A WIDESPREAD ISSUE AFFECTING MULTIPLE CLASSES OF MERCEDES BENZ CARS.

DRIVING ALONG AT 65MPH ON HIGHWAY WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON, 80 DEGREES, SUNNY AND CLEAR WEATHER THE FUEL LINE CAME LOOSE AND ENGINE LOST ALL POWER. DIESEL FUEL SPILLED ON VEHICLE AND ROADWAY. VEHICLE HAD 86,432 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME. THE ENGINE IS A 3 LITER MERCEDES DIESEL BLUETEC. HAD THE VEHICLE BEEN GAS INSTEAD OF DIESEL I'M SURE IT WOULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED. WAS TOLD THAT TWO FUEL LINE CLAMPS HAD FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACED. THE CAR HAS ONLY BEEN MAINTAINED AND REPAIRED AT MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERSHIPS. TRUE TO FORM, MERCEDES WAS NO HELP TO REIMBURSE THE COST OF REPAIRS. TOTAL REPAIR COSTS WITHOUT TOW WAS $321.88. TOW WAS PAID BY THEIR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS SAFETY ISSUE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME INOPERABLE AND THE ENTIRE STEERING WHEEL AND ELECTRICAL MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT A CASE MANAGER WOULD CALL THE CONTACT BACK WITHIN FORTY-EIGHT HOURS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,000.