I had stopped to check the mailbox in the parking lot, turning the engine off. Upon return, engine wouldn't crank; windows wouldn't go down. Dashboard indicator & interior/exterior lights worked. Steering column locked; unable to shift gear from park. Towed car to dealer. I had only one key fob. They wanted to test a second one; since I didn't own one, they stated I should purchase one for $250 in case it was a fob problem. It wasn't. the eis--electronic ignition switch (they called it "steering lock" aka esl--electronic steering lock) is the cause, according to the dealership. They want $1100 for that issue, total of $1420 + tax.

- Frisco, TX, USA

I drove without problem to a local store, less than 4 miles away. I was in the store 5 minutes. When I came out and tried to start my car, the steering wheel was locked in place and the dash said "take key from ignition". the lights and radio worked, however the windows would not work and the car would not turn on. Also, the shift was stuck in "park" and could not be placed into neutral without an override.

- Rochester, NY, USA

Drove car to work without any problems. At the end of day, car would not start and engine would not crank or turn over. Dashboard indicator, radio, windows, interior/exterior lights worked. Got a jump from employee parking services, but car still would not start. Steering column locked and unable to shift gear to neutral. Towed car to auto repair shop and had service diagnostic performed. Error found to be related to service campaign 2008020003 issued March 2008 in which the electronic ignition switch required replacement. Per campaign, "daimler ag has determined that the eis may malfunction preventing the electric steering lock and the central lock from functioning. Dealers will replace the eis on the affected vehicles during the next workshop visit. Please note that recall and service campaigns do not expire and may also be performed on a vehicle with a vehicle status indicator. Order no. P-SC-2008020003." Parts--part name:eis part no: A204 545 14 08 estimated replacement rate 100%; part name:orange workshop key (must be ordered by VIN) part no: A000 766 96 06 9999 estimated replacement rate 100%. warranty information: Operation: Replace eis control module (02-5644); connect/disconnect star diagnosis (02-4762); connect/disconnect battery charger (02-5058). Damage code: 46 926 31 7. do your research--this problem has affected thousands of mb owners and has occurred to some while driving. This is a serious safety hazard, more so than the back tail light issue which was recalled. Please investigate this dangerous issue and make this a required recall covered by Mercedes. Don't buy another Mercedes without checking the vmi, vehicle master inquiry first. Lives matter.

- Dallas, TX, USA

On Tuesday, June 9, 2015, I drove my car to work and parked at approximately 7:45 am. I did not get back into the car until 4:30 pm on the same day. When I attempted to start up my vehicle, it would not start. I called a mechanic friend, and he determined that it is a faulty eis which is the same problem that other people are describing here. As it stands right now, I will never buy another Mercedes Benz!!!!

- South Boston, VA, USA

I parked the car, few hours later, I try to put it on, no starting occurred, no external light, the battery was dead. I bought a new battery but it did not function.I consulted with several mechanics and one them talled me that place where I put the key that is called the panel switch was damage and suggested me to call Mercedes Benz dealer because it happens that there was recalls that several cars had the same problems for cars from 2008 -2014.this problem affected the original battery that I had.

- San Juan, PR, USA

My vehicle went completely out of service and was unable to start due to a faulty electronic steering lock (esl). My vehicle only has 69,000 miles on it and this seems to be an issue with plenty of other C-class Mercedes Benz owners who have encountered the same issue. Mercedes Benz is failing to take responsibility while also my exteneded warranty that I paid $2000 for has also said they will not cover this. I highly recommend not ever buying an extended warranty from privilege protection care. They place generic terms in parts of what they cover and if the dealer or shop has a specific name for your part, although it is the product or part of the same part that needs to be replaced, they will honor the warranty. Also their customer service was rude and not very helpful at all.

- Austin, TX, USA

I had just stopped to put gas in the vehicle and upon completion I got back in the car to start it. When I turned the key, the car wouldn't start. I had headlights and my dashboard was partially lit up, but nothing else would work. I then called the mb road side assistance and a technician came out and determined it was not a battery or starter problem. The technician said that it was probably the eis since he had seen the same situation before. An hour later the car was towed to the dealership, and dropped off with much trouble since the steering column didn't function. Several days later I got a call from my service consultant, informing me that the car needed the ignition starter switch as well as the eis unit and two new keys needed to be programmed. The total was $2500. In the meantime, I found a tsb number 2008020003, dated March 1, 2008, documenting the exact problem I was having. It appears that it was a know problem even back in 2008. My car is in excellent condition and it has only 32,260 miles. Why didn't this become a recall? I also feel like I was robbed on the cost of the repairs. I'll never trust this car again and I'm not buying another Mercedes.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

I have a C350 sport, I went to start the car and the car didn't start. The lights came on, navigation came up, but it would not start. It seemed as if the car did not recognize the key; as the displayed message was "take key from ignition". the following day I paid someone to come out and look at the car, and it started right up. Battery tested normal and I thought it was a close call. Then I left to run errands and it wouldn't start and never started again. After paying $160 for the tow to the dealership; I was told if I did not have 2 keys then they can't test it. So after ordering a second key at $375; I found out it wasn't the key! if this car has so much technology in it, why can't you test the eis with a diagnostic computer, without blowing money on a $375 dollar key? after that failure I was told it was the electronic ignition switch. I have a 15 year old Toyota Camry and the [xxx] thing has never had 1 issue. I buy this car and at 89,000 miles the eis goes out. Poorly made and highly disappointed. The total cost for this joke was $1,780 and I didn't even get the oil changed! I think they do this to get more money, they should recall the eis and els in all Mercedes that are having similar issues and not make the customer pay. It makes me not want to be a customer anymore because of this and their lack of wanting to take responsibility for their failure. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

I went to go turn on my car and it failed. No sound or anything. I called aaa they came and said the battery is good they just don't know what's wrong. I had to get my car tow without knowing what was wrong with it. I took it to the shop and it took them about a week to realize what was wrong with it. I called Mercedes Benz and they had no explanation to what was wrong with it or why it happen. They finally figured it out and they said it was an electric steering lock problem and that its for security reasons and that it can happen anytime. I also had to get a programming key. This cost was very expensive to not have an explanation. I also noted that a lot of C class users had this very same issue and we are not understanding why there isn't a recall.

- Astoria, NY, USA

11/28 : I drive my 08C350 to 7/11 store close to my house to pick up some for the trip the next day. The car would not start (radio, power window...are working). I call fletcher jones Mercedes Benz, they advise me to use the spare key, I walk home to get the spare key, same thing. The car was towed to fetcher jones for repair, the repair cost me $1064.78. One month earlier, it cost me almost $1800,00 to fix the camshaft sensors and the intake manifold sensor. All of theses 3 problems are well known for the C class W204 (from 2008 to 2011), but Mercedes Benz never accept the bad design or fault. Whether NHTSA can do something to force the company accept the faulty design to help out the car's owner ?. thanks.

- Fountain Valley, CA, USA

I went to start up my car, but when I inserted the key and turned it, the car did not start. Typically when I insert the key, there is a fast and strong sound that makes it seem like the car is locking in the key. This time, the sound was incredibly slow and weak, a sound that caused me to immediately know it was broken. Power was running through the car just fine though, but I was still stranded. I had the car towed to the dealer, and they said the electronic ignition switch (eis) and electronic steering lock (esl) had to be replaced.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

I have a 2008 C350 with 81,300 miles. I drove the car home from school Thursday parked it in my parking garage went out this morning and it wouldn't start. The key locks and unlocks the doors the lights come on and the dash lights up. You can insert and turn the key but the car will not start. The steering wheel is locked and the drive is locked in park. I tried jumping and it did nothing I didn't think the battery was bad but went and had it checked anyways. The battery being changed. I check the fuses that are associated with the starter and they seem to be ok. I'm not sure what to do next and not excited about having it towed to the dealership. Any information would be helpful.

- Wylie, TX, USA

I was driving down the road and turning into king soopers shopping mart when my car just died. I thought it was the battery and coasted into a parking spot. I then checked my stereo and interior and exterior lights to see if it was the battery. It wasn't, they all worked fine. But turning the ignition to start the car did nothing. It seemed the steering wheel was locked. After playing with the steering wheel for a few minutes it unlocked itself and I was able to drive again. I continued to the grocery store but before I got there it did the same thing again. I drifted into a parking spot again and this time it was dead for good. I had to get my car towed to a Mercedes repair shop (salims silver star). My mechanic said it was the ignition switch and a known issue with Mercedes. After $1700 on a car with less than 50,000 it is finally fixed. My life was in danger driving a car known to have ignition switch issues. This is criminal and I'm lucky the problem occurred while in a parking lot and not on the highway doing 65. Please recall this issue as Mercedes is making a fortune off of it's customers charging $1700 for an issue they caused !!!

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

Enter the car and put the key in. All I can hear was little ticking sound came from the steering wheel after putting the fob key in. The batter has been checked and is ok. Shifter won't move, the steering wheel doesn't come out of its lock and the car won't start. Console and radio turns on and car locks/unlocks.there are many others with these complaints for the same year car in the same class but no recall has been issued. Mercedes Benz needs to cover these parts and repair because it is such a catastrophic failure that has nothing to do with the use or abuse of the vehicle.

- Bellevue, WA, USA

I have a 2008 Mercedes Benz C350. The rear passenger taillight malfunctioned causing me to be pulled over by the police. Mercedes Benz has since recalled the faulty tail lights and is scheduled to release replacement parts to mb dealers next month. However, it seems the entire electrical system is defective. Sometimes the radio station changes when I adjust the cabin air temperature (air conditioner). The dashboard control panel constantly displays warning messages about failing headlights and side markers. Aside from the recalled passenger taillight which is visibly dimmer than the driver side taillight, the other lights appeared to be working fine. Yesterday the fuel gauge indicator and the coolant indicator on the dash came on - the antifreeze and fuel tanks are both full. I had a mechanic look at the lights, only to discover the plastic housing is completely singed and melted in the headlights and side markers, just like it is in the defective recalled taillight. The car is one over-priced fire trap - at this point I don't feel safe driving it. What is even more disturbing to me, is that Mercedes Benz is well aware of electrical problems with the C class. There are thousands of complaints about this issue online - posted to blogs and NHTSA website. Mercedes is trying to piece-meal out a remedy. Meanwhile, this is a big safety issue! when will NHTSA recall the entire Mercedes C class line due to defective electrical issues?

- Baltimore, MD, USA

The rear passenger tail lamps are dimming to about half the normal strength. The bulbs are all fine, but I am getting notices on the dash that the lights need to get checked. I checked the rear light harness and it appears the electrical connector has melted so that it can't be removed from the component that actually holds the bulbs. I am concerned that this might be a fire hazard. The electrical failure also seems to be affecting the horn. There are two horns on this car. One is on the drivers side and one on the passenger side. The passenger side horn is not functioning. It appears like there is weak to no electrical power on that side of the car. This is extremely dangerous too as I can't warn other cars on the road if needed.

- Leawood, KS, USA

An error message was displayed after driving a short distance. The error indicated a failure in the left tail light and a burning smell. On investigation I found a burned area of the tail light assembly ground wire connector. I replaced the bulb holder and wiring connector. This did not fix the problem. On further investigation I found that the same issue was present on the right side tail light. I also found that most of the light bulbs on each side were very dim. This car is unsafe to drive in its current condition. The local Mercedes dealer stated they were not aware of any known issue with the tail lights at the time I bought the replacement parts.

- Pleasanton, CA, USA

My rear back tail light wiring panel fried. The light is not working at all and when I called manhattan Mercedes dealership they told me there is not an appointment available two weeks from 3/7/2014 then I called the dealership in brooklyn and they told me they did not have any appointments either so I just showed up there and they told me that due to my tail light being fully out I am not aloud to drive my car since its a safety issues but they did nothing to help me out and told me that they will have to order the part even though it is a recall then they told me I would have to pay around $ 400 dollars for the parts and labor but still they had no appointment for me to come in and fix it is 3/25/2014 and I still have a broken car and no way of driving it or fixing it because no other shop will take my car in since it is a dealer issue.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

The brake light (driver side) was malfunctioning and giving multiple indicator warnings on the dash computer. After checking to see if it was a faulty bulb... the harness connecting to the taillight housing was burnt and melted. The taillight bulb housing was brittle and was burnt as well. The dealership said they know of no such recalls and are replacing the taillight bulb housing and replacing the burnt harness. (435.00) they also said that the computer module is bad because it is telling the brake light to stay on. They are not sure which occurred first. This is another $1000 repair. I have researched this issue online and there are many other Mercedes C-series vehicles having the same issue. Most experts think the gauge of the wiring is not acceptable to the load of current. This is a safety hazard and is not looking like an isolated incident. Thank you for your support on this matter.

- Elyria, OH, USA

When the key was placed in the ignition, the key was not recognized. The car would not start and the steering wheel remained locked. A message on the dash advised to remove the key. This was not a battery issue. The lights, radio and car locks worked fine. The car has been towed to the dealership and I am waiting for the outcome. It is interesting that the tow company that picked up my vehicle advised me that they had towed approximately 30 Mercedes in the last 2 week and that approximately 20 of them were experiencing the same complaints. Prior to this occurrence, the weather had been unusually cold, down to the single digits. On the morning of the incident, the weather had warmed up. I have been reading that the trouble may be caused by the electronic ignition switch.

- Baltimore, MD, USA