My Mercedes 1997 C-280, purchased from the Mercedes dealer, has exhibited several inherent design issues. The issue that is the greatest safety issue is the constant deterioration/destruction under normal use of the upper control arm bushings, every 50,000 miles or so, which is not normal for any modern car. It is almost impossible to maintain a car at that frequency (at $1000/ repair), and you never know when it will fail. Most people eventually give up. When these bushings suddenly fail, the steering and braking are affected. It is especially noticed in sharp turning situations, such as parking and emergency accident avoidance maneuvers. Partial control of the steering is lost and when the antilock brakes are applied it becomes severely erratic. I have contacted the dealer and Mercedes Benz usa and both have denied any responsibility for what must be either a design flaw in their product or something wrong with the car that I have, purchased used as a 'star mark' car from the dealer. They fixed the problem once under warranty, and then it failed about 50,000 miles later. The problem is exacerbated when it is raining. Today I lost control of the car in the rain at 45mph when I encountered a seam in the pavement, tried to correct and applied the ABS brakes. Three was no collision or injuries, luckily, but it is time that Mercedes took responsibility for a problem that they created and fix it properly. It is important to note that I have asked for a permanent fix and they don't have one, and seem to be aware of an inherent design problem in these cars. Also, if it had failed on a steep mountain road such as our local hwy 154, with no railing, it could have been a fatal accident and involved other cars.

- Summerland, CA, USA