10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 12
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 2 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 62,176 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Fourth occurrence of all right rear indicator lights going out all together in the past 2-3 months. Just did some research and it appears NHTSA is investigating this. I am taking this in to the dealer tomorrow however, several owners of the 2009 C class are complaining of the same problem due to a bad connection to the rear light unit which is causing shortages and fires. It is very evident that my vehicle has the same issue.
- Sumner, WA, USA
Right rear tail light was dim; strong smell of burning wiring in the trunk, wiring harness was hot to the touch, at least one wire on the harness was charred / burned. Dash warning light eventually came on. Brought to M-B dealer; not covered by any factory warranty, recall or the 3rd party extended warranty.
- New Brighton, MN, USA
Right rear light connector and lighting housing burned and is now inoperative. Prior to this the lights would dim in and out before completely burning out. When I opened the truck to look at it there was a bad burn smell and sparking coming from the fixture.
- Tampa, FL, USA
Extreme electrical malfunctions. Light bulbs consistently burned out (low beam headlight, parking light, brake lights). Finally, smoke came from truck/brake lights area and wire harness melted.
- Birmingham, MI, USA
As I was backing out of my garage the dash board lit up indicating to check my rear right tail lamp, right side marker, right brake lamp, right head lamp, right fog lamp. My husband then could feel that the brown wire in the wiring harness and the harness itself is hot to touch and you can see the wires because the coating around the wires has began to melt away.I have an appointment today to take the car to the dealer that I purchased it from. I hope this issue will be resolved.
- Fuquay Varina, NC, USA
Car illuminated a warning to check rear left taillight. Upon inspection, noticed that the wiring is starting to retract from the connector and left and right assemblies have noticeable blackened areas where the wiring is crimped into the contact that is inserted into the connector. This is similar to other complaints filed.
- Carmel, IN, USA
Received a message that rear left brake light, fog light, turn signal were out. Turns out the wire that goes into the harness has melted and shorted out. The same thing happened two months later with the rear right light assembly. This is a huge safety concern.
- Henderson, NV, USA
Brought my car in for a repair of the steering column on 3/9/2013 to the Mercedes dealership where I purchased the car, which they took care of. But, then about a month later started to get warnings from the dashboard to check my right rear taillight and directional. Then it was the right rear side lamps, taillights, brake lights, reverse lights and directional, every time I start the car and/ or whenever one of those lights is engaged while driving. Waiting for a recall and saw that mbusa requires exact information for the complaints.
- Gainesville, VA, USA
On 8/8/2013 my information display indicated my right taillight, blinker and brake lights were out. When I opened the compartment to see what type of bulbs to replace I found the problem to be much bigger than expected. The plastic housing that hold the wiring pin, the wiring pin and the brown ground wire were all burnt up causing the lights to fail. I than opened the left tail light compartment and the same thing is happening, there is already signs of the housing burning. I remember smelling something burning in the car a few weeks ago. I now know what it was. I am surprised it did not catch fire. I contacted Mercedes service only to find I am responsible paying to have this issue corrected. I only hope the left side does not cause a fire before I am able to get it fixed. This is clearly an unsafe electrical issue.
- Huntingtown, MD, USA
The information system in my car gave me the symbols for the right back lights. I stopped to check and realized my lights were out. I opened the wiring in the trunk and realized that the brown wire on the outer side burned through the connector and the lamp carrier.
- Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Took the car in for repair on 3/3/2013 due to the vehicle had locked for no reason and would not drive. Had to tow it to dealership. Turned out it was a steering housing issue which the dealership took care of, then a month later, the exterior lights on the right rear started having issues; started getting alerts that the right taillight, right turn signal, right reverse light, brake light, and side lamp were out or needed to be checked. Also noticed that because of this, when you set the alarm, the right rear won't light up. Have not brought it back as of yet, waiting for recall.
- Wynantskill, NY, USA
After the car was warmed up, the message display reported tail light outages in the right rear tail light assembly. The problem persisted so I took the vehicle to my mechanic. The pig tail and circuit board that holds the bulbs showed burn marks which caused the circuits to short out. The printed circuit board and pig tail assembly were replaced.
- Rising Sun, MD, USA
A message on the dash consistently appeared, advising to check right rear lights: Brake, fog, tail etc. We checked the rear lights and found the plastic board that holds the light bulbs and wiring had melted. We purchased a new board from a Mercedes dealer. After I installed it, it made good connections. The message concerning the right light has not come back on. However, the left brake, fog and tail message came on. When checked, the left board and wiring was also melted. We purchased another new board from Mercedes. However, I was able to reestablish a connection using the old board, and did not use the new board. Now the right front fog light has a similar issue that has not been investigated or repaired.
- Johns Island, SC, USA
I have a 2009 Mercedes C300. I just read a news story that this model may be recalled based on numerous reports about fire or burn smells coming from the rear light. My rear right brake lights went out last winter. When I took it into the Mercedes dealership, they took the panel out with the light bulbs and there was a burnt residue around the bulb that was blown out. They replaced the unit and the wiring, but I had to pay for the service. They thought there may have been a recall, but after checking their computer, they did not say that it was recalled, so I had to pay for the replacement. Now the rear left lights are much dimmer than the right side. The dealership recommended that I have that replaced as well, but once again at my cost. If this defect has been sighted in other vehicles from this model year, they should seriously consider a recall before the lighting panel actually catches fire and creates a bigger issue for the company.
- Plymouth, MN, USA
Received in-dash notifications that all lights on left side of car were out. Took to local repair shop, which found that left rear taillight housing had melted. Had new lighting carrier installed and wires repaired.
- Annville, PA, USA
The vehicle would not accept the computer chip key pod and the car was completely disabled, steering lock assembly had an electrical fault. The car was completely locked up, unable to turn ignition on. No advance notice that this was a problem. The car had to be towed to a Mercedes dealership for repair, almost 50 miles at a cost of $240. The repair was $707 and involved replacement of steering column lock assembly. This was not covered under warranty by Mercedes and they have not announced a recall even though this problem seems prevalent on the internet. The safety issue is having a vehicle that cannot be operated, nor repaired by anyone other than an authorized Mercedes dealership. This problem strands the driver at a place wherever the problem may occur. I had the dealership return the faulty part if NHTSA would like to inspect it. The Mercedes Benz steering column lock problem is not from wear and tear, more likely a software problem between the ignition and the key. As a consumer, I feel ripped off to the tune of $1,000 to pay for a problem that Mercedes knows about, yet has not initiated a recall to repair the fault.
- Chino Hills, CA, USA
The left rear tail light had a bulb that needed to be replaced at a cost under $10. It needed more than a bulb as the wiring had melted and it required a new left rear light assembly kit with a new harness to correct the problem at a cost of $300. The auto shop technician showed how the wiring had completely melted and needed to replace the complete rear light module. This had to be a defective part and Mercedes had not issued a recall to cover the cost. The melted wires pose a fire hazard.
- Chino Hills, CA, USA
While highway driving the right tail lamp, brake lamp, fog lamp dashboard warning light illuminated. Upon inspection, the ground wire insulation and connector on the taillight assembly had melted from overheating. We experienced a total loss of all lighting on the right rear taillight assembly.
- Cumming, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that the brake warning lamp illuminated and seconds later, all of the warning lamps illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the circuit breaker had burned out and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 60,000.
- Scotch Plains, NJ, USA
- Irving, TX, USA