My vehicle has 70,000 miles. always kept garaged. Told by dealer when taken for the yearly checkup that the rear subframe of the car is totally rotted. Needs replacement. Price $3790. Mercedes would only cover 20% of the cost. There have been recalls in Canada with the same issues. Please investigate as this is a serious defect problem and not a warranty issue as Mercedes is claiming.

- Stony Brook, NY, USA

Premature subframe rust, causing the vehicle to swerve when brakes are applied looks to be a trend: https://www.benzworld.org/threads/2012-c300-rear-subframe-any-updates-on-recall.3086018/page-6

- Irondequiot, NY, USA

Cradle and subframe are completely rusted out. This a widely common issue with these cars and am reading it across several forums. Other c300 owners say they have had the exact same issue and request for the MB dealership to fix it. Instead they are given a quote of nearly $10,000 to fix it. MB is responsible for this.

- Perrysburg, OH, USA

The sub frame broke in half and the dealership said it is due to rust. The car has been garage kept and not driven much at all. It-€™s a 10 year old car with only about 55,000 miles on it. It-€™s been used very gently.

- Chesterfield, MO, USA

I purchased a 2012 Mercedes C300 AWD from a local dealer and have had it serviced annually. Last week I took it in for the annual servicing and was told by the dealer that the rear subframe had corrosion /rust and the car was not safe to drive. I asked if it was covered under a recall and they said not by Mercedes at this time.They provided a repair estimate that is quite high and close to the appraised value of the car. I asked if there were any options available through Mercedes or the dealer and they confirmed not at this time. I have read many articles related to this problem and imagine there are many complaints on file at NHTSA. This is obviously a serious safety issue and currently Mercedes is not taking responsibility and directing the costs to their customers. In addition there is a subframe parts shortage and it could take weeks to fix. I'm requesting that this be listed as a recall item by Mercedes.

- Centerville, OH, USA

Rare Subframe breaking off parts are not available for at least 6 months. I have kids and mechanics advise me to keep it off the road. My only means of transportation

- Ashburn , VA, USA

the rear subframe rotted away

- New Haven, CT, USA

The W204 subframe of my Mercedes Benz C Class is failing and in need of repair, this should not be happening to a car with less than 80K miles on it. My local auto repair shop which exclusively services Mercedes Benz currently has two vehicles with the same issue and informed me that the subframe part is currently out of stock due to the number of failures. This issue has caused a recall in other countries. What is the NHTSA doing about this issue. I will be contacting my congressional representative today as well.

- Manassas, VA, USA

2012 Mercedes Benz C300 4-Matic; Failure of rear subframe, significant crack of an important support member; very limited minor corrosion of the other parts of the frame, seems to be a manufacturing quality defect in a very specific part. Vehicle has been inspected by a highly qualified independent mechanic and by the closest manufacture's dealer in Massachusetts. Car cannot be driven because it is unsafe to do so. Both the dealer's service department and the independent repair shop have advised and confirmed this. Limited research online seems to indicate that this problem is well known by Mercedes Benz, and the manufacturer has issued recalls in other countries and has taken some responsibility for this defect. However, in the USA, Mercedes Benz has not issued a recall, to the best of my knowledge. It certainly seems that they should have done so. It is highly likely that many owners with this problem lack the knowledge or experience needed to report this problem to the appropriate authorities. I happen to have an above average knowledge regarding automobiles. I first became aware of this problem in Nov., 2021. The vehicle is available for inspection by your department if you deem appropriate.

- Centerville , MA, USA

Rear Subframe Rot- this seems to be a common and known issue with Mercedes-€™ that should be a recall. Yet Mercedes is charging almost $6000 to get this fixed at the dealer. Plus the parts are on back order for months. This is causing cars to sway when stopping. This is definitely a hazard and should be addressed ASAP!

- Lansdale , PA, USA

The rear subframe on my 2012 Mercedes Benz C300 was corroded and broke. This caused the car to lose control and easily could have been been life threatening at high speeds. Mercedes Benz is clearly aware of this issue and knows this is a part defect but has not been willing to do a recall in the US even though they have done so in other countries. The dealership has told me this needs to be repaired as the car can-€™t be driven, so I am not happy I need to pay $5,000 out of pocket for a part defect Mercedes knows about and refuses to issue a recall even though this problem can cause a fatal accident. There were no warning signs besides hearing thumping sounds and the instability caused by the part defect when it finally failed and broke.

- Riverwoods, IL, USA

I drove over an object on the highway and noticed my car veering left and wobbly when turning. A week after, it is squealing like a load of piglets in my trunk whenever I go over a bump, then my battery light came on and I took it to the shop and contacted my insurance, who denied my claim saying it was 'wear and tear'.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

Vehicle was in for state inspection at an authorized inspection station. It failed inspection due to severely rusted and deteriorated rear K-Frame which had to be replaced to pass inspection. This is a major defect I feel caused by manufacture negligence. There were no warnings, messages or any signals indicating a problem. This issue could have severely caused an injury or even death had it not been detected by the mechanic inspector. Mechanic stated to me that he had replaced several of the rear K-Frames in the last year on this make and model.

- Shippensburg, PA, USA

Interior door latch spontaneously broke. I had driven my car to work that morning and gotten out of the car to go into my office building. There was no sign of any issue with the latch. Later that afternoon, I left work and made a stop somewhere. When I went to get out of the care the latch just flopped. There was no spring action and I could not get out of the car until I rolled down the window and opened the door from the outside. According to forums on mbworld.com dating as far back as 2012, this is a common issue for C-class and other mb models this could definitely be a safety issue in the event an accident or in another life threatening situation. According to the Mercedes Benz service advisor in my area, the cost to repair this issue is upwards of $1300 because they have to replace the entire door panel. If this is happening to so many of these vehicles through no fault of the owner, shouldn't there be a recall issued for this" why are they accepting parts that they know to be defective"

- Knightdale, NC, USA

Cpsc: I received a notice from Mercedes that my car may seriously injure or kill me but they cant fix it yet. I asked for loaner car until they could get it fixed and they said "well its really not unsafe they just had to send the letter for legal reasons.

- Louisville, KY, USA