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.
My car experiences hard starts, rough idling, poor gear shifting (automatic), and random stalling in potentially dangerous roadway environments. After systematically testing and eliminating the vehicles other equipment as the source, it is incredibly obvious that a defective wiring harness is to blame. What Mercedes has lamely described as "environmentally friendly" wire insulation is really a life threatening defect that leaves bare wires exposed that have the potential to create potential electrical shorts, vehicle damage, fires, accidents, and most importantly, personal injury and death. Does that sound environmentally friendly? it is extremely difficult to tell when the engine wiring harness will fail before it actually becomes dangerous. We are all very lucky that this hasn't killed or seriously injured anyone yet. This dangerous component should be recalled immediately, before it's too late.
M.B. E320 carbriolet 1995 wiring harness failed and a few spark plugs were not able to fire. The car was not able to be driven. It was towed to the dealership. The car has only 32,000 miles.
My 1995 E-320 wagons engine wiring harness insulation has deteriorated to a point where the car was going crazy, odd accelerator behavior, loss of power, loss of trans control, loss of traction control, all wire insulation on this harness has deteriorated to the point that it is amazing that there has not been a fire or accident B/C of the malfunctions. I cannot believe I have been driving around with my 20 month old daughter in the car with it like this. When the car stated acting up. I took it to a cert. Mechanic and he showed me that I the car could have burned up or I could have lost steering or braking capabilities or trans control. I couldn't believe it!!! I could not tell that anything was wrong until he removed the cover from around the group of wires. I have never seen anything like it, not even in my 30 year old Volkswagen beetle I had. Mercedes must have known this was a issue and should recall before anybody gets seriously hurt.
Wiring harness cracking, flaking off and crumbling. Engine temp senders, glow plug wiring, egr and other unidentifiable wiring in engine compartment defective. Sp far have replaced several easy to reach wires.
- Waterloo, IA, USA
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The wiring harness for the engine has failed. The insulation has disintegrated and the wires are arcing, shorting and corroding. This causes intermittent stalling of the engine and an unsafe condition. I understand this is a typical failure of this vehicle. It is odd, I am unfamiliar with any vehicle that requires periodic replacement of the wiring harnesses, ordinarily these last longer than the vehicle.
The wiring harness on my "95 Mercedes Benz E320 has disintegrated wire covering and is shorting out everything. I understand Mercedes Benz has known of this defect all along and the NHTSA has made them do nothing.
The outer coating of the engine wiring harness burnt away due to the interior copper wires shorting out or deteriorating. I addressed this problem with my local M. Benz dealer and was told it is not a malfunction that is covered by M. Benz. Since this is a safety issue, both fire and stalling in traffic, I have limited my use of the car. If M. Benz wishes to retain its customer base, it should step up to the plate when safety issues are presented.
The engine / fuel injection wiring harness of my 1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 (135,000 miles), has cracked insulation throughout and is beginning to short out with the risk of causing dangerous engine malfunction and even fire inside my engine compartment. I have read many reports of other Mercedes-Benz cars of the same age range having the exact same defect. This is a known issue with Mercedes that they refuse to recall.
Two reputable independent Mercedes mechanics informed me that the engine wiring harness insulation in my 1995 E300 diesel is decaying which may have caused my glow plugs to malfunction and this problem is prevalent in Mercedes vehicles made from 1991-1996. There should be a recall issued for this part before more serious events occur due to the flaw in Mercedes manufacturing process from 1991-1996.
The engine wiring harness insulation on my E300D diesel Mercedes Benz was severely cracked to the point that is caused the electrical components in the engine to fail. The engine temperature sensory failed, the glow plug relay failed, and the external air temperature sensory failed. The wiring harness and the components were replaced by a auto repair shop at significant cost.
I have changed the plugs in my 1995 Mercedes 3 times in the past two years. The last time by the dealership in huntsville, al. They said the plugs I has put in new a month before were bad and replaced them again. This did not fix my problem and has progressively become worse. This past week end I checked the plugs again and when I started the engine it was missing on at least two cylinders. Two plugs were not even firing. After inspecting the wires going to the magnetos I discovered they were all bare wires on the harness going to the engine. The plastic cover on all the wires would just fall off the wire. I cut the rubber insert inside where the plugs are located and the wires were of the same condition and had actually turned green and brown with corrosion. Since my car was down and I needed it on Monday to go to work, I cut the bad wires off and soldered the new wire to the plug ends that go to the magnetos. This helped to get the car running but I also discovered the wires going to the injectors had the same problem. I have priced the new wiring harness and it would cost over a $1000 for just the harness. This is without the labor involved. This car only has 110,000 miles and is still in good condition. I can't believe that Mercedes hasn't recalled this wiring hazard. If it were to short out it could burn up the whole car or injure my family. I plan on fixing this problem so this doesn't happen.
During engine work my mechanic indicated that the engine wiring harness had degraded and exposed bare wires in some areas. Electrical problems included fans running constantly and intermittent ac operation. My research indicated that numerous people had experienced problems with the Mercedes-Benz W124 body style wiring harness, including associated damage to other components, smoke and in some cases fires. Apparently the harness had been designed to degrade easily upon the end of its life in a landfill, but the harnesses are degrading while still in use, to the detriment of the consumer. I had the mechanic replace the harness, which I have kept and can produce if helpful. Cost of the new harness and labor was approximately $500, since my car is a diesel. Similar harnesses for gasoline engine cars can cost in excess of $1,000. I did not want to risk a fire or damage to other electrical components in the car, not to mention the reliability concerns. I feel replacing the part was necessary for the safe driving of the car.
I have surge issues with my Mercedes Benz E320. I have also had several electrical issues with the car. A/C blowing cold // hot in different vents. Fuel injection surges when I hit the gas. I have taken the car to severral import and Mercedes Benz dealerships which all say stim from a bad wiring harness.
Wiring harness on 1995 Mercedes E320 fails and causes car to stop while driving down busy city streets. Wiring insulation is completely cracked and causing a shorting situation. This is a known problem since I have contacted over ten people personally that have had the same problem. There are hundreds on the net. How bad does this have to get before Mercedes does something to fix it?
1995 Mercedes Benz E320 W124 engine wiring harness failure - made of bio-degradable plastic. Mercedes Benz usa claims to have never heard of this problem.
Wiring harness is coming apart at the seams. Causes endless check engine lights and other problems. I don't understand how a garaged car can have this problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Walnut Creek, CA, USA