10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 98,817 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
After I filled the gasoline tank I noticed a strong gasoline smell inside the cabin. I got a bad headache from the fumes before I got home. I did not smell any gas in the trunk, engine compartment or in the fuel filler door. I ventilated the cabin and tried to determine where the smell was coming from. It seemed to be under the drivers seat or back seat. Even after sitting all night and having all the windows open all day it still wreaks of gasoline inside. The smell has not left the cabin and I am afraid to drive the car.
- Granbury, TX, USA
After refueling my car's gas tank I began to smell gas from driver/rear side when car is parked in garage. The smell disappears after about 50 miles of driving, but it comes back after refuel.
- San Jose, CA, USA
Fuel sending unit leaks when gas tank is filled...gasoline leaks onto top of sending unit allowing a strong smell of gasoline around car and in garage...after burning to about 3/4's of a tank smell dissipates..if lifting backseat and removing 6 screws and coverplate fuel can be seen pooled on top of sending unit..extended warranty (15 years ) on other Mercedes vehicles with same year groups experiencing the same symptoms/problems but not our particular model...don't understand why...this is a defective design...been driving 40+ years do a lot of work on own vehicles and have only seen this problem 1 other time on our 2006 Chrysler pacifica ( both tanks) same type of setup...this was when they were doing joint development with daimler...same faulty design....dangerous!!!!!
- Roswell, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that when operating the vehicle with a full tank of fuel, a fuel odor was present inside the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle would not start and was towed to the Mercedes-Benz of augusta, Georgia dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 109,000. Updated 10/24/17 the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired. The fuel pump was replaced.
- Hephzibah, GA, USA
When I fill the gas tank and park the car in the garage I get a heavy smell of gas around the rear of the car. No smell from inside. I see no leaking onto the ground.
- Carmichael, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes-Benz E350. Upon re-fueling the vehicle, the contact noticed a strong odor of fuel inside and outside the vehicle. The dealer and the manufacturer indicated that the vehicle was excluded from a manufacturer recall. The contact was informed that the fuel tank gasket and the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was not available.
- Whittier, CA, USA
When you fill up the gas tank, there is a very strong fuel odor in and outside of the vehicle to the point where the vehicle cannot be parked inside a garage and when driven the windows need to be rolled down. On 9/4/14, mb issued a warranty extension for this very problem, however, mb is now saying that my vehicle is a pzev model car which is exempt from the 9/4/14 warranty extension. This makes absolutely no sense as it is the same issue that many mb owners have complained about and there is no difference between a pzev model to a non pzev model (only in the sense of the catalytic converter which is not in issue). The cost is over $3,000 to fix what is really a defective and unsafe product. The part which is leaking fuel is a "left side fuel level sender assembly". this is an integral part of the gas tank. Based upon the 9/4/14 extended warranty letter from mb, the NHTSA was satisfied that the extended warranty would fix this problem. But what mb was able to do was to limit the applicability of the 9/4/14 extended warranty to only non-pzsev vehicles which I am sure eliminated tens of thousands of vehicles from the extended warranty. Moreover, there is no indication that the vehicle is a psev vehicle (other than what mb has internally). The 9/4/14 extended warranty should apply to all E350 vehicles model year 2003-2009. There is absolutely no reason to exclude a vehicle because it is allegedly a pzev vehicle. It is the same fuel leak/odor issue. Dealership will not fix under warranty and the corporate office has denied warranty coverage. Please reopen your investigation and get to the bottom of this clearly defective and dangerous situation. Clearly mb recognized this as a problem and that is why they issued the 9/4/14 warranty extension but then slipped in the exclusion for pzev vehicles. There is no reason to treat a pzev vehicle any differently.
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
Very strong odor of gasoline in cabin after filling tank. Mb refuses to extend warranty per agreement with NHTSA to repair based on VIN # of vehicle.
- Redondo Beach, CA, USA
I smelled strong gas smell a few days ago. I took my car to Mercedes arrowhead located in Arizona yesterday. They informed me that the problem would be covered under a 15 year warranty (fuel tank had started leaking). Today they called me and said that the leak had saturated to my back seats and that it wasn't covered because I had taken too long to call them and that's why the back seats were saturated with gas (I didn't know that my seats were saturated with gas until I started to smell it through my vents while ac was blowing). Now, I am being asked to pay almost $500 to replace the pads and deafening material as they told me it wasn't covered by warranty even though it was caused by a defective fuel tank. At this point I'm not sure if there have been any health related issues for myself and my 2 kids who normally sit in the back of the car who has been inhaling the gas fumes for an unknown length of time.
- Goodyear, AZ, USA
Smell of fuel after filling up car, leaking fuel tank around fuel pump ring, fuel pump stopped working
- Orange Park, FL, USA
When I fill my tank with fuel, it smells like fuel is leaking because the odor is so strong. The odor stays very strong 2-3 days after filling up with fuel. I have a five (5) year old daughter who also rides daily in the car and this can't be good for her. According to the service department at critz Mercedes Benz, the leak is at the top of the tank. I know there is a recall and the warranty has been extended on fuel tanks with my model of car. However, I have contacted Mercedes Benz and they have told me that I have a different model of fuel tank than the recall one. Evidently, this type of fuel tank is not good also. I have taken my car to critz Mercedes Benz in savannah, ga for service since I purchased it in 2010. Mercedes Benz contacted critz and they told them they would only give me a $200 discount on $4,000 worth of work. I don't think I should be held responsible for this. I am asking for the warranty on my type of fuel tank to be extended also. I'm sure there are others that are also having this same problem.
- Savannah, GA, USA
I purchased a 2008 E350 4matic sport in November of 2015 and I have been noticing when I buy gas there is a very strong smell of gas within the vehicle for many miles after the purchase. I thought it was just my imagination until a friend was riding with me on a trip to Maryland and noticed it too. This keeps happening and I am not sure way.
- Hamilton, NJ, USA
When I fill the vehicle up with gas there is a strong smell as if it is leaking even though no gas is leaking out to the naked eye. Recently the smell is now invading the cabin space of the vehicle.
- Fountian Valley, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz E350. The contact stated that there was an odor of fuel constantly in the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure occurred when the vehicle was refueled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,000.
- Walnut, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz E350. While parked, a strong fuel odor emitted inside and outside of the vehicle. There was no fuel leakage visible on the ground. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel sender cracked. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 59,000.
- Scottsdale , AZ, USA
When filling up the gas tank to full, a distinct gasoline smell is present. When the car is driven and the gasoline indicator is less than full, the distinct smell goes away.
- Antioch, CA, USA
The crankshaft sensor failed due to separation of bond wires from the lead frame in the sensor. This results in an interruption in the electrical connection in the chip housing of the sensor. The electrical fuel pump is not receiving a crash signal that is required for the fuel pump to disconnect and prevent future fuel delivery as designed. * my vehicle is experiencing the same issue as the recalled 2008 E350 models. The car will not turn over or start. There's a faint gas smell coming from the back seat. The fuel pump is not sending a signal to the my vehicle is currently with an authorized mb servicer, however, mbusa dos not want to pay for the recall issues.
- Lawrenceville, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz E350. The contact stated that upon refueling the vehicle, there was a strong fuel odor emitting outside of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000. MA 10/5 updated 11/22/2017
- Chandler, AZ, USA
Filled my tank, parked in my garage, gas smell was all over garage and all over inside the car.the car was leaking gas from under the back seat, in the sending unit. This is really dangerous and shameful of Mercedes Benz to have this defect, which I later found out from a lot of posting online.
- Surprise, AZ, USA
- Friendswood, TX, USA