1995 mz C280 engineer wire harness defective, insulation broken down.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

Engine wiring harness failure on 1995 C280 Mercedes-Benz an its has not been replaced cause it is very expensive to replace.

- Bloomington, IL, USA

I purchased a 1995 Mercedes C220 from a Mercedes dealer and they knew the car had a wiring harness that was degrading with exposed conductors through out the car... but they didn't tell me, after I bought the car and was having tons of electrical problems I found out the history of this model..the mb dealer told me the wiring harness could be replaced for about $3000... a month or so after I bought the car. Randomly the speedometer, ABS, temp gauge, fuel gauge, tachometer do function, but rarely and not all at once.

- Mill Hall, PA, USA

My C220's wiring harness is disintegrating daily. Check engine light, fuel gauge, water temp., etc. All intermittent. The car misses, and sometimes lunges from a sudden high rev. The problem is getting worst as the insulation flakes off, causing shorts.

- Ewa Beach, HI, USA

Engine harnesses deteriorated in my 1995 C220 causing engine to stall.

- Owings Mills, MD, USA

Read about many wire harness failures on internet, although no problems yet, observed cracked and split wiring in engine compartment.

- Old Lyme, CT, USA

The electrical insulation of the main wiring harness has virtually disintegrated, apparently from the (normal) heat of the engine. The insulation literally flakes away in my hand when being handled even with the most gentle touch. The cost to replace the wiring harness is $600+ for only the part; the cost of installation is also in excess of $500, thus costing over $1,000. This is a critical safety issue! the deteriorated insulation causes intermittent electrical short-circuits, caused my car to suddenly lose engine power without warning (on the expressway), then after I pulled off at the exit, smoking (electrical fire) from under the hood. This is a life safety issue and the fact is that the wiring insulation/covers are defective and someone will be seriously injured due to this unsafe condition.

- Key Biscayne, FL, USA

I drive 1995 C280 I was told by my mechanic that I need a new engine wiring harness that was the reason I was having so many electrical problems.

- Bloomington, IL, USA

I own a 1995 C280 sedan with just over 55,000 miles. I have owned the car for approximately 1 year and was beginning to have the symptoms of the wiring harness failure described in many cases. It started after replacing the spark plugs and continued to get worse even after replacing all of the spark plug wires and connectors. The car back fired and started to run rough as if one or more plugs were misfiring. Usually after turning the car off and restarting the problems went away until the next time. I am concerned that this will start a fire or cause an accident due to loss of power and/or control.

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

Bought a 1995 Mercedes-Benz C280 in 2002. Changed engine wiring at a cost of $1200. The wiring insulation was cracked causing smoke to appear under the hood at times when the car is started. Mercedes-Benz is aware of the problem but will not issue a recall.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

-car periodically has very erratic idle -last time car was on highway, when passing another vehicle, car engine lost power and I had to struggle to get car back home -now am afraid to drive car.

- Marquette, MI, USA

Check engine light coming on intermittently for no apparent reason, SRS light coming on and finally electric fan stopped working causing engine to overheat and nearly catch fire. Upon examining the cable harness insulation was found to be crumbling and in some places completely missing. After investigating I found that between 94-96 Benz chose a biodegradable insulation for their harness and it is a well know fact amongst the owners that it crumbles away. Benz is not accepting responsibility and is charging $1500 for cable replacement.

- Foster City, CA, USA

Vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. After numerous hours of investigations and replacing potentially faulty parts, it was realized that this was a wire harness failure. A common problem found on this model, I.e. degradation of wiring harness, leaving bare wires which short-circuit. This could potentially cause catastrophic failure resulting in death if not addressed since the harness essentially controls electrical and safety sensor.

- Providence, RI, USA

The engine wiring harness of my 1995 Mercedes-Benz C280 (120,000 miles), has cracked insulation throughout and is beginning to short out with the risk of causing dangerous engine malfunction, and even fire inside my engine compartment. I have read many reports of other Mercedes-Benz cars of the same age range having the exact same issue. This is a known issue with Mercedes that they refuse to recall. This repair will cost me $2300 to fix at a non-dealer shop.

- Carmel, IN, USA

Mercedes Benz wiring harness failure C280 1995 defective wiring insulation shorting out of wires engine failure posible fire no responce from Mercedes Benz this is a commen defect known by all Benz technicians

- Ft Pierce, FL, USA

The wiring harness on the engine degrades drastically to the point of the wires being naked. The harness used in all 1994-1996 cars were made of experimental insulation and so does not last and requires changing within G 50,000 miles. This causes the wires running through the engine to short and poses a significant fire hazard. The shorting of the harness burns the sensors causing further damage and causes misfires in the cylinders causing internal damage to engine components. Several tune ups were performed to try to correct this problem but later its was established that the whole harness was the culprit.

- Torrance, CA, USA

While taking off from a stop position, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle would restart within 10 minutes. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop. The mechanic informed the consumer that the problem maybe an electrical wiring harness.

- Columbus, OH, USA

The vehicle shut off while driving. Insulation on the wires in the wiring harness peeled off which caused a shortage. Vehicle was taken to the dealer, who replaced the wiring harness.

- Laredo, TX, USA

On Nov 6, 2001, I took my car to the dealership for routine service. The car had 115,633 miles and the 120,000 mile service cost $743.39. The dealer advised me that the vehicle had a defective wiring harness due to poor quality insulation and recommended the part be replaced. Since the part was a known defect, the manufacturer would pay for the part if I would pay for the labor. I thanked the dealer for the information and said I would have the part replaced at my next visit. My next visit was October 29,2002 and the mileage was 136,544. The wiring harness was not giving me problems at that point, however, since it did need replacing, I requested the part to be replaced under the stated agreement. I was told that their offer had been withdrawn and the manufacturer would now only pay for 25% of the part. I was appealing the decision when the part failed on April 3, 2003. After much negotiation, neither the manufacturer or dealer would stand behind their statement that the part would be replaced and the part cost $895 plus $62.65 tax and $225 in labor for a total of $1,182.65. I have since learned through internet research that this is a serious problem with this model and many owners have reported problems including three on this website. This issue is a known manufacturer's defect and may cause serious safety issues should the engine fail suddenly by the harness shorting out due to the defective insulation. Please see ODI 10016302, 10014643, and 552493. I did not check your site for other years of this model. The manufacturer should be held responsible for replacing all these defective harnesses, regardless of age or mileage.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

I bought a 1995 C280 and the wiring harness is defective and the dealer is not willing to replace it. I had no idea that there was a poor plastic formulation. The cost is >$1100. Since it controls all the safety features of the vehicle my feeling is that it should be a recall.

- Norcross, GA, USA