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 rear subframe has prematurely rusted. It had a shear failure at speed on the highway when I applied the brakes. The rear end of the car swerved, almost causing me to crash. I did manage to decelerate the car in a controlled fashion. I did not know the rear subframe failed at the time. This was confirmed by an independent mechanic several days later. After research, it looks as though a recall has already been issued for this issue in Canada and potentially Germany. The mechanic tells me that until the issue is repaired the vehicle is unsafe to drive. My and others safety was put at risk due to the failure of vehicle control at 65 mph on a busy road. The problem was verified by an independent mechanic. No police, insurance provider, or Mercedes dealer has inspected the car/damage, only an independent mechanic. No prior indicators were given either directly or indirectly prior to failure. I did keep the part for inspection upon request.
I noticed fluid on the ground under my car in the driveway. Turns out it was brake fluid, the vehicle alerted me to low brake fluid. Here was a broken brake line which appears to have been caused by the subframe being rusted out. The issue is with the rear subframe on the Mercedes-€™ E and C class dating from 2008 on. Mine is a 2011 E class. The subframes on these vehicles rust and rot out causing issues to the brake lines and rear suspension parts rotting / rusting out due to the subframe being compromised. I-€™ve taken my vehicle to the dealer to look at the brake line and I was advised that the subframe was rusting out and should be replaced as well, it will only worsen, creating a safety hazard while driving because it can cause the car not to stop properly and difficult to control. I-€™ve taken the vehicle to repair shop and was told the same. Also was advised by both the dealer and private repair shops that this is a common issue with these vehicles, yet there is no recall by Mercedes in this country. Canada has a recall for this issue and other countries as well but not the USA. I was quoted $5000 to fix the issue by putting a new subframe, repairing is not possible. The part itself is on back order almost everywhere due to the commonality of this issue. This has caused the price to go up in cost due to the demand. A junkyard / car parts quoted me $2000 for a used subframe. As a service connected disabled Veteran I find this issue to be very concerning and ask why this is not a recall that Mercedes should replace without cost to the consumer. I hope that my complaint and hopefully others as well can get this issue resolved and hold Mercedes accountable. The subframe rust out yet other parts around it does not, this has to be a manufacturer issue with the sub frame. Reports of this issue are in warm weather southern states with no snow or salt issues as well as northern states
While in a mall parking lot I stepped on the brake and the pedal went down to the floor. I pulled over into a safe location and placed the car in park. I got out and looked at all four wheels and saw brake fluid leaking out of the left rear brake line. I had the car towed to my authorized service center. After inspecting the auto they informed me both rear brake lines were severely rusted out and the left rear burst where it attached to the break hose. They replaced both rear lines and hoses from the center of the car back to solve the issue. This is the first time in all the cars I've owned (including 5 previous Mercedes) that I have had brake lines rust through. I feel this is an extremely serious safety issue that shouldn't occur on an 11 year old car with about 111,000 miles on it (about 10,000 miles/year). After researching this issue on various online forums it appears this was not an isolated incident and should be looked into.
I was driving home from work at approximately 1:30 pm on a clear, sunny day, about a minute away from my home. The road conditions were good, and there was no traffic. I stopped at the corner to make a left turn. As I proceeded to turn, the car suddenly accelerated. I immediately applied the brakes, but they did not engage. I had no control of the car. It jumped the curb ( caught on property owner's camera, going air born), as I continued to brake as hard as I could with the car increasingly accelerating.I crashed through a fence and hit a pole which stopped the car deploying both driver side airbags. There was severe damage to the front right side of the car, and it was totaled. I was taken to the hospital via ambulance.my injury was diagnosed as acute L1 compression fracture along the superior endplate with mild anterior wedging. I was referred to an orthopedic specialist and have not returned to work due to pain and elevated blood pressure. To make matters worse, two days later I was issued a warning for failure to control speed!@&!
Excessive steering wheel vibration when braking from 50-40mph. Told by a dealer that all brake rotors rusted and will have to be replaced at my expense (estimated $1200). Creates unsafe driving environment, known problem on 2010-2012 E350/E550, yet mb refuses to acknowledge the problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Salem, MA, USA