Bought the car on Dec 23 2017 and a week later found the Check Engine Light was on. Took it to out independent shop who checked the codes and found the balance shaft was out of spec and we had 2 choices to repair it. We could have the engine removed and disassembled, then replace the balance shaft at a cost of over $4500. The 2nd solution would be to replace the engine with a used engine but it would be possible that engine could develop the same (common) problem. I normally check out a potential new used car purchase but several things combined to prevent me doing so. And i have one more complaint!

Mercedes should be ashamed of themselves! I purchased this car from a Used car dealer, while on the test drive nothing showed, not even a check engine light. When they brought the car around front, I noticed a check engine light, but by then too late, "it's too bad for you it's a used car, as is you know", was the dealers answer.

For the next 8 days back and forth with the dealer, and then with Mercedes Benz in the western suburbs of Chicago. The MB dealer misdiagnosed the problem and changed out a camshaft sensor. They test drove the car, said everything was okay, the next day I pickup the car and the check engine light was on again. This time it was the crankshaft solenoid. Translation, balance shaft is taking a dump.

The MB dealer felt so bad that they refunded the entire $600 in service work they did that morning. Of course I was told to call MB customer service. So I called the MB CS line, I got read the same canned answer from the representative, "my warranty under the lawsuit had run out on 12/2015", and this was 8/2016. The CSR basically felt sorry for me, and she mention hundreds of callers lately have had the same issue, but told me nothing she could do. Translation "go pound sand up my ear and call the dealer for a good price (which I should pay) to repair the bad gear issue".

This is why dealers and car makers have such a nasty name and reputation.

The group who sold it to me didn't check the car out because there was no MIL on so, he I come, boom now it's my fault and issue.

This is why I rejoice when I hear another dealer took gas and has to close. Shame a name brand like Mercedes has resorted to the same quality as Yugo.

Again shame on you Mercedes, over 400k motors had this problem and you don't care.

It was diagnosed by two certified techs and they all concluded that is problem of countershaft gear. The cost was estimated very expensive and it would take three days to repair it. I called dealers in Arlington and they denied the warranty even the mileage is still less than 100000 miles. The dealer denied it because they do not like to deal with the old car. Is that Mercedes customer service?.

Update from Feb 22, 2016: My car also gets the gas leakage issue because the gas smells so bad.

I spent $1,200 to ready the car for inspection, but after two days the light came on. I had three mechanics look at the car and they said it is the failure of the cam shaft balancer.The last one was Ray Catena Mercede-Benz. They refused to fix the car under under the MBUS Settlement Act, saying the court has not decided on a settlement yet and that I would be responsible for the entire cost. It is very annoying to spend money on a company like that, which does not provide responsible customer service and leaving me without a car to go to work and attend to my affairs. The car has, because of this problem, failed inspection and is useless until the cm shaft balancer is fixed.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DIAGNOSIS from dealer led to diagnosis of balance shaft sprocket worn. Dealer has seen several of these and this was not a surprise to them.

Gears wear out prematurely because of poor materials used in balance shaft. Estimate $7116

MBUSA refuses to cover the repair.

Update from Nov 10, 2014: I tried calling MB USA customer service - they were not helpful at all - they refused to cover the repair. They merely reminded me the car is out of warranty.

MBUSA executives merely sent my escalation requests to the same customer service reps.

Purchased a used 2006 Mercedes E350 in 11/13 with 106k miles. The vehicle appeared to be in very good condition with only a few minor cosmetic issues. And, the check engine light was on but the car ran excellent. I wrongfully assumed it may be a dirty sensor as in my previous 1999 MB E320. The dealer insisted that I purchase an extended warranty contract and in a few months report that the engine light just came on for resolving the issue. Luckily I did, even though I had never had to use a warranty contract in the past.

In the following year I put 12,000 miles on this vehicle without incident until I failed an emissions test and could not renew my registration unless this was corrected. While going through the diagnostic process I found that I had a balance shaft issue and quotes that I received to fix this problem were in the $4000 range. I used a local repair facility that the warranty company recommended. After a week and a half in the shop I was in the area to check on the repair progress as it was still to be determined if the repair was covered under the service contract. I saw my Mercedes Benz up in the air and the engine laying on the ground completely disassembled. I have driven BMW's most of my life until I bought my first Mercedes (the 1999 E320 mentioned above). I felt that the Mercedes was a superior car, drove excellent (I described the ride as 'a living room on wheels'), and only required routine maintenance such as tires, brakes, oil changes, etc. The reason that I stayed with Mercedes was excellent reliability and reputation for a well engineered machine. I got the car back yesterday and after driving only 10 miles from the service station the car died at a stop light in the middle of the street. Again I was lucky that the repair is to be covered under a 90 day labor and 1 year parts warranty with the service shop, but I'm still waiting to see what it will take to resolve the issue.

I have since found that balance shaft is a common issue with this engine. 2006 was the first year Mercedes produced the E350 with this engine and Mercedes has since re-engineered the balance shaft to fix the problem. I also understand that there was a class action lawsuit which was dismissed in court, and Mercedes Benz has not issued a recall on this issue. I am keeping my receipts just in case. I will definitely be more diligent in my research on my next used car purchase and will most likely purchase a BMW or Lexus in the near future.

I was driving my 18 year old grandson to high school for the last day, his graduation day! There was construction on the road and we came to a curve when my Mercedes E-350 made jerking movement and noise. I was lucky and able to turn down a side street and my car DIED right there. At 6:30 in the morning I/we sat on the road...barely enough room for a vehicle to pass us with a Mercedes Benz that would not move. It could not be pushed or moved by us.

So I tried to reach by husband by cell phone and could not. Then I started calling my grown kids to get someone to take my grandson to school. My daughter was able to do that as her husband was able to get her 3 children on their bus before he left for work,,, My daughter then came with her dad, my husband of 46 years, to get me. THANK heavens for AAA...they are a life savor. The AAA tow-truck driver was there in less than a half hour and towed my car to the repair shop. My car is still sitting there as the amount to repair it is unbelievable! After reading these and any other complaints on the web I am just plain disgusted and disappointed in Mercedes Benz!!!

I really loved that car. It is/was a dream to drive. Like many others on this and other blogs, I got this car when I retired and thought it would be my last automobile. It is my last MERCEDES, especially after reading all of these horror stories. I had just put new tires on the car a month before this happened. I am so disappointed with MB especially since they knew of these problems. I would like to be compensated for my car and the problems that Mercedes Benz KNEW about!

Update from Apr 7, 2015: WHEN will Mercedes announce a recall so these problems can be repaired? I am SO DISAAPOINTED with the Mercedes-Benz organization. How can they get away with ignoring their MISTAKE? When will they be held accountable and announce the recall AND FIX THEIR PROBLEM? What else can be done by the many disappointed Mercedes-Benz owners? PLEASE ADVISE on the next course of ACTION. Thank-you.

I bought this car for my wife for a retirement gift. When we bought it, it had 23500 miles on it. When we bought it we bought a 2 year extended warranty. We have pampered this car for five years. My wife drives only in the immediate area, putting on maybe 2,000 miles a year. Now on a 2006 car we have 32000 miles on it. The car was always service at Mercedes dealer. Brought car in for inspection and oil change no problem. 2 weeks later, check engine light came on. Return to dealer, and was told terrible news $6,500 to fix balance shaft. Complain to dealer and Mercedes Benz home office. Their response was to take $1000 of repair. Unacceptable, still leaving us with a $5,500 repair bill. We bought a certified Mercedes, bought a extended warranty,put 9,000 miles on this car in 5 years. Now we have a $6500 repair. Mercedes has not admit that there is a problem with balance shaft, it is all over the Internet, and class action suits are filed. The average miles on cars with this problem is 77,000 miles,my wife car has 32,000 miles. Yes we are furious, we are retired and can't afford this. I drive a 2006 Lincoln 78,000 miles not one problem. Buy American, foreign cars overrated, buy American.

My 2006 E350 with 64000 miles is having a Check Engine Light come on, I took the car to a dealer to have it checked out. They told me it's a balance shaft failure that Mercedes pay for the parts but I have to pay $4500 for the labor. I did some research I found out this problem happens to a lot of other owners of Mercedes with 3.5L engine. I made a complaint to Mercedes to have them pay for the repair since I strongly think this is a defect in their design that causes the balance shaft to fail pre-maturely. Mercedes should own up to their problem and offer a free repair to fix their product defect!

On Tuesday 6, 2012 I took my wife's 2006 E350 to the MB dealership for an oil change and to see why the engine light had come on a few days earlier. Well, I soon found out that I was in for more than just an oil change!

The service man told me that the Balance Shaft could go out at any time and that it needed to be replaced as soon as possible at a cost of $4,800 for labor out of my pocket.(according to him Mercedes would provide the replacement part at no cost to me)

I know that an average family car with 120,000 miles it's not exactly new but considering that this 2006 Mercedes E350 listed for about 56K dollars new, one would assume that a problem as critical as a balance shaft failure should never happen on any car even if it has 120K miles on it. Soon after leaving the MB dealership one of their sales men contacted me and had the nerve to try to sell me another E350 so I could roll over the negative repair cost of my old vehicle. Imagine that....getting burned once and asking me to come back for more! I Before all this took place I always saw my self buying another Mercedes but now.....well you know the answer to that!

This was the sixth Mercedes that my wife and I have bought. As we're retired now, we figured, "What the hell, we'll buy a new one and it should last us until we die or they take away our drivers licenses . . . " However, with slightly less than 30,000 miles on the car, the CEL (Check Engine Light) comes on and we take it into the dealership from which we bought the car. The service adviser tells us that it's the balance shaft, that they see the problem on this car frequently and that it's going to cost $6,000 to fix. We almost had heart attacks. Even though the car only has 30,00 miles on it, the four-year warranty has expired. After doing some research, I find that there are many Mercedes owners who have had the same problem and that Mercedes is aware of the problem but are refusing to stand behind their product. They have issued several Technical Service Bulletins, one in October of 2008 and another in April of 2009, which specifically address the premature failure of the balance shaft sprocket. The engine has to be removed from the car to replace the balance shaft. There is a class-action law suit that has been filed by Kantrowitz, Goldhamer and Graifman, a New Jersey-based law firm. I was hoping that I wasn't going to have to buy another car but now I can't wait to sell this one and buy something different. It goes without saying that I'll never buy another Mercedes.