This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The car was smelling like gasoline inside and outside especially after filling up the full tank. When I lifted the back seat and opened the cover where the fuel pump is there was a gasoline everywhere overflowing the fuel pump. There were also marks of gasoline on the bottom of the car (left rear side), on the plastic and parts of the exhaust system. This is a health concern for all passengers breathing the air filled with gasoline fumes and also a fire hazard in case the gasoline leaking outside the tank gets in contact with a spark on the road. I took the car to the Mercedes Benz dealership and they said it would cost me $3,800 to fix the problem. They would change the fuel pump and the entire tank. I tried calling the corporate to let them know that I have read other similar complaints and that this is a safety issue but they refused to help and said its due to the age of the car.
I filled the tank before going on vacation. Car was left parked on my driveway. When I came back there was a strong smell of gas inside the car. The gas tank is under the back seat. Took vehicle to the dealer to fix. They replaced the tank inner module, cable harness, auxiliary pump, seal ring and breather pipe. Sending unit was leaking large amounts of fuel. Removed and replaced left and right side sending units. Modules in fuel tank and seals for the same. The problem was not fixed. I have to keep the fuel tank at less than 3/4 tank for it not to smell. Very concerned safety wise. For the amount of money I spent they could have replaced the entire fuel tank unit.
- Miami, FL, USA
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The contact owns a 2006 Mercedes Benz E350. The contact stated that while refueling, the fuel started to leak back out. Also, strong fuel fumes emitted at the rear and inside the vehicle rear seat. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 144,500.
Leaking fuel tank. Vehicle is excellent condition, very well maintained, with only 65,000 miles. I took my car into the Mercedes dealership for its regular maintenance service. I had just filled the gas tank prior to taking it to the dealership. The technician noticed a strong gas smell around the car. Upon inspection, the dealer mechanic noted a leak in the top of the gas tank, and recommends replacing the fuel tank. Other than this defect, the fuel tank is in good physical condition. I called a number of local Mercedes mechanics for price comparison and this appears to be a "known" problem with this make and model. The repair is approximately $2,000! due to the safety issue involved, I have no other choice but to replace the fuel tank.
The contact owns a 2006 Mercedes Benz E350. The contact stated that gasoline fuel fumes emitted inside and around the exterior of the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that fuel was leaking out the fuel tank. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The technician diagnosed that the fuel sender unit was leaking. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
A fuel tank leak was identified by an independent Mercedes mechanic. Filling up the car with fuel and parking in garage overnight, always produced a significant gas odor when returning to the garage. It has always done this (second owner at about 25-30kk miles), and I assumed it was just a quirk of filling the tank. I have always serviced the car at a mb dealer, but recently want to a local well recommended independent mechanic for another issue and he asked me if I knew I had a fuel leak. I said no, and he said do you ever smell gas, and clearly this was identified and had stored codes in the car system that I was unaware of. He indicated that the sending unit needed to be replaced and crack repaired and it was a safety issue. I called mb usa, and they indicated they were unaware of any of other complaints to this nature. When I questioned why the dealer would never have identified this, they indicated that they would never instruct their dealers in any way regarding an issue like this and the dealer has no incentive to not identify the issue and I should discuss with them. I proceeded to have the repair done by the independent mechanic. I understand that fuel would pool over the gas tank from the leak.
After getting out of my vehicle, I noticed a strong smell of fuel coming from the rear bottom of my vehicle. There is a large leak somewhere in the fuel system. This now occurs every time I get near the vehicle but is strongest after the vehicle has been driven. It now also smells like fuel in the vehicle once the vehicle is stopped. It is not so noticeable when driving and the ac is on. The smell is so strong that I think it would ignite if somebody walks by with a cigarette. The car is now parked until I am able to fix it. Too dangerous to drive.
I needed to replace my gasoline tank in my Mercedes Benz when the smell from gasoline fumes became overwhelming. I had the smell, especially after I filled up the tank for several years and was always told that nothing was wrong and that a gasoline smell after filling up is normal. When I took in the car because I could not drive it any longer because of the severe smell, I was told that my gas tank had a leak and needed to be replaced. I was also told this was very unusual. The gas tank has been replaced and I have had no gasoline smell since then.
Began to notice a significant fuel smell outside the rear tire on the driver's side of the vehicle. It is so strong that when it is enclosed in the garage, we are afraid a Pilot light could ignite a fire.
After filling car with gas there is a strong gasoline smell coming from the car. Goes away after driving and some of the gas is used out of the tank. Cannot find any gas leaking on the ground around the vehicle and I do not 'top off' the tank. I am no longer parking the car in the garage as I am concerned about an explosion as there is a gas water heater in the garage. Somewhere in the system this gas is leaking....and it's not coming out on the ground!!! scary
Massive fuel smell inside car became sick from fumes fear of possible explosion.still cannot drive without windows being open..had to purchase new car and park E350 as under these conditions car was undriveable pooling fuel in back seat area.
Fuel smell inside car we found that top fuel tank has several cracks and fuel leaks through them, we find out that it happened to lot of that car owners.
After refueling the car to a full tank of gas, I began to smell a strong odor of gasoline in and around the vehicle parked in my garage. This happened after repeated fill ups. I took the car to the mercedesbenz dealership and was told the problem was bad purge valve which was replaced for approximately $300. The problem has continued and I am now being told by the dealer that the fuel tank, lines and other components need replacing for estimated $3500. I was told by the dealership service manager that this was due to the age of the car and that there had been no recalls or prior complaints, to his knowledge, of this similar complaint. I have now learned that the NHTSA has been investigating this same problem in this year and model car for over 2 years and there is a class action lawsuit filed against Mercedes Benz for this same issue.
Noticed strong fuel smell in cabin after filling tank - took car to dealer and was quoted over $700 to replace fuel level sender and seals. Problem causes unsafe level of flammable and toxic gasoline vapor to build up in car due to evaporation of pool of leaked fuel on top of tank (located under rear seat). Appears to be common on '03 to '09 W211 body style, but mb offers no help unless car was sold in states requiring pzev certification.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Urbandale, IA, USA