10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 4 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 2 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 123,373 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.
The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle veered into another lane. Additionally, while her son was driving at high speeds, he detected a shimmy in the front end. While approaching a stop, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle was slow to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear subframe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired under warranty. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
- Arlington, MA, USA
Same problem that many others have reported. Took car dealer for a battery. Was told subframe is rusted and about $5000 to fix and that if not fixed could lead to car failure. 1) Why has Mercedes not informed the many thousand 2010-2014 C-Class and E-Class drivers affected by this dangerous defect. Many do not take their cars to the dealership for service anymore and could miss the problem until it is too late. 2) These cars have been recalled in Germany and elsewhere. Why not in the United States? 3) Is this situation up the the standards of NHTSA" If not why has a recall not been ordered" 4) Is there a difference in weighing customer safety against company bottom-line in the US compared to other countries? Thanks.
- Oak Hill, VA, USA
Subframe is rusting and will cause structural failure. If failure happens car stability will be compromised and therefore cause an accident. Detected and confirmed by independent service center. Not inspected by dealer or ins. No warnings triggered since system not set up for that detection. Part in such high demand that there is a 10 mo wait via several dealer parts depts.
- Columbus, OH, USA
Upon routine maintenance visit to manufacturer dealer, was told that rear subframe assembly was corroded and could fail. Took vehicle to other local manufacturer dealer and they confirmed the same. Was able to catch the issue before incident, but was told subframe failure was imminent.
- Saint Louis, MO, USA
I took my car in for its annual service on January 21, 2021, and was told that the rear subframe and brake lines were so badly rusted that the car was unsafe to drive. The entire subframe and rear left and right brake lines had to be replaced at a cost of $5,300 (Mercedes Benz usa gave me a "good will" discount so I paid less than that amount). I am the original owner of this vehicle and I take meticulous care of it. It is parked in a garage, receives every recommended maintenance check at the same mechanic (euro motorcars bethesda, md) and has low mileage for its age. Only one year and 7,000 miles had elapsed between the car's last service and the discovery of the corrosion. In other words, in just one year the subframe of the car corroded to the extent that it was so unsafe to drive that according to the mechanic I am lucky that I did not get into an accident. I have owned many cars throughout my life for upwards of 10 years and none of them have had rust corrosion issues. I have to believe that there was something defective with the materials Mercedes Benz used on this vehicle's subframe. The NHTSA database shows that another person with the same vehicle (who coincidentally seems to have purchased his car at the same dealership where I purchased mine - euro motorcars bethesda) also filed a complaint for the exact same issue. How many other owners have had this problem but don't know that they can file a safety complaint with the NHTSA? the mechanic took a short video of the corrosion that I am not attaching to this complaint; please contact me if you would like me to send it.
- Garrett Park, MD, USA
Suspension issues, I just placed 4 new tires on my car in June of 2018. On Dec 28, 2019 my car felt as if someone was unscrewing all of my wheels off and I spent out losing control of the vehicle. I am unable to get Mercedes-Benz usa to share ground clearance specification for my vehicle. My car has 100.000 miles. Mbusa directed me to the local dealer but the dealer couldn't find the spec. I was told I would receive a call back and never did. I googled info regarding my issues and saw this site and was like wow. It was raining and I was doing 60 miles nothing more.
- Atlanta, GA, USA
Suspension issues, I just placed 4 new tires on my car in June of 2018. On Dec 28, 2019 my car felt as if someone was unscrewing all of my wheels off and I spent out losing control of the vehicle. I am unable to get Mercedes-Benz usa to share ground clearance specification for my vehicle. My car has 100.000 miles. Mbusa directed me to the local dealer but the dealer couldn't find the spec. I was told I would receive a call back and never did. I googled info regarding my issues and saw this site and was like wow.
- Atlanta, GA, USA
Suspension issues, I just placed 4 new tires on my car in June of 2018. On Dec 28, 2019 my car felt as if someone was unscrewing all of my wheels off and I spent out losing control of the vehicle. I am unable to get Mercedes-Benz usa to share ground clearance specification for my vehicle. My car has 100.000 miles. Mbusa directed me to the local dealer but the dealer couldn't find the spec. I was told I would receive a call back and never did. I googled info regarding my issues and saw this site and was like wow.
- Atlanta, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes Benz E350. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, he heard a loud abnormal noise and the sun roof had exploded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer autohaus of peoria Mercedes-Benz (2322 w wan winkle way, peoria, il 61615, 309-740-0295) who diagnosed the vehicle but failed to inform the contact of the diagnosis as the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised they would contact the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.
- Bloomingdale, IL, USA
I purchased the car (certified pre-owned) on December 18, 2014. On February 13, 2015 I was parking in a restaurant parking lot. All of a sudden I felt the crash. At first I thought a vehicle had run into the back of my car. However, it turned out my vehicle had rolled backwards into another car. I had just pulled into the parking spot (which was on a slight incline) and was about to put it in park when this occurred. I accepted responsibility for the damage to my car and the other car involved and filed with my insurance. Once I had my vehicle back, I noticed that when I was stopped at a red light it felt as though the car was moving backwards. I then tested the car on a slight incline (5-10 degrees) and while in drive. It rolled backwards and continued to roll until I slammed on the brake. This car is an automatic. I have never heard of an automatic rolling backwards while in the drive position - especially on a very slight incline. I called the dealership and was told this was "normal".
- Dallas, TX, USA
- Brookline, MA, USA