On Jan 2, 2010, while driving home from a movie in my 2002 Mercedes C230, the car suddenly and violently began pulling to the right. I first thought I had a blow out. I was driving on a freeway and am not aware of hitting any thing that might have caused the failure. When I stopped, I found the right front tire was flat. The following day I took the flat to my tire shop who informed me the rim had a crack in it, and that caused the tire to deflate. I ordered a new wheel from the local Mercedes dealer, who told me it is not uncommon for wheels on this model to fail. Mercedes refused warranty. I consider this a significant safety failure and asked the service manager with the local dealer, kimball motors, to present it to Mercedes for warranty and/or safety replacement. The car is beyond the normal warranty period. Mercedes refused to take any action. Both the people who replaced the tire, big brand tire, and the parts people at the dealer, kimball motors, told me they see "several failures like this" each year. In my 50 plus years of driving for pleasure and commercially, I never experienced a cracked wheel and subsequent tire failure. I was disappointed that Mercedes failed to take an interest in the failure. I have the wheel, and have a digital photo of the failure if that will be of assistance.

- Creston, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Mercedes Benz clk430. While the contact was attempting to open the convertible roof, she noticed that the roll bars were stuck in place. As a result, the convertible top could not open completely. The current mileage was 42,000 and failure mileage was 30,000. Updated 8/27/09 the consumer stated while driving, there was a noise and then the rear headrest popped up. The consumer was not able to bring the headrest down and then he/she noticed convertible top would not go down. The consumer to the vehicle for a diagnosis and the mechanic stated the roll bar and mechanics were broken. Also the front wheel was loose. The dealer stated there was play from side to side. Updated 09/09/09

- New Bedford, MA, USA