Near the end of a 388 mile drive, the warning light for SRS malfunction came on although it seemed that no condition changed. My car already had the tail light failure notification light engaged for a few months already. My concern is that this may be more than an electrical notification issue and that the SRS (secondary restraining system) is not going to work should I get into an accident.

- Eureka, CA, USA

Car completely shuts down. Nothing worked and would not restart. This has occurred to many other cars and the manufacturer is well aware of this condition. Does someone have to be injured or killed (if this has not already happened) before this defect is addressed ?

- Plantation, FL, USA

SRS malfunction for front left seat message popped up recently. On further investigation by a mechanic is was found that the error code was 9B51 which mean that the front left seat belt buckle needs to be replaced. The problem with this issue is(as explained by the mechanic) that in an event of a crash the airbag will not deploy, which is pretty serious. Although I was still under the factory warranty for miles (50,000) my years with the car was above their year limit(4 years). I have seen exactly the same issue being reported by many Benz C300 year 2008+ owners reporting this issue in many forums online and there's a mention of this issue to NHTSA as well.

- Waltham, MA, USA

The SRS warning light keeps coming on. I can not locate any recalls or warnings from the Mercedes dealer we purchased this vehicle new from. What should we do before the airbag mistakenly deploys?

- Snellville, GA, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that the air bag warning lamp illuminated three times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the head rest air bag was defective and needed to be replaced. Also, the contact stated that the passenger side seat sensor was malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 62,000.

- Pico Rivera , CA, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz C300. While driving at speeds of 30 mph, a vehicle made and improper turn to get in front of the contacts vehicle which the contact crashed into the other vehicle. The contacts front driver's side crashed into the passenger's side of the preceding vehicle. The airbags did not deploy at the time of the crash. The contact sustained moderate injuries to his chest, head, hands, knees and lower back. The police arrived at the scene and a report was made. Afterward, the manufacturer was contacted and an investigator was sent to examine the vehicle for defects in the air bag. The investigator did not find any failures to the air bags. The manufacturer would not take any liability for the failure stating that the threshold for the air bag deployment was "not reached." Repairs were made by the insurance company. The failure mileage was 22,000 and the current mileage was 22,250. Updated 4/7/2010 09/23/10

- Marco Island, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that he was involved in a frontal crash but his air bags did not deploy. Since the air bags did not deploy, his body hit the steering wheel which caused the steering column to break. The contact was sustained injuries to his head and chest. A police report was taken at the scene. He called the dealership and was instructed to call the manufacturer. The manufacturer sent a representative to inspect the vehicle; the representative stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle and it functioned properly. The vehicle was repaired at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 20,000.

- Marco Island, FL, USA

Good evening, I drive a 2008 Mercedes Benz C300 sport which I financed from a VW dealer, which sold it as a pre owned/used vehicle still under warranty, regardless, I opted to ensure I had the maximum warranty available. On Thursday, Sept 03 I was involved in an accident while operating this vehicle. Inside the vehicle was a front passenger and a rear passenger as well, neither of whom I think were wearing seat belts. The accident occurred in wet conditions around a car, control was lost, went over middle medium, and head on with a tree. The point of impact was the front of the vehicle, seemed very dead center in between the two headlights. The trunk of the tree must have been over 5 feet in circumference, it was very big and stable. The gravitational pull and angle of impact caused for way more damage than normally at the speed of impact. The tree was moved back. None of the airbags in the car were deployed, and all three of the occupants were hurt. The car is currently at a towing lot and nothing has been done to correct any of the damage.

- Lake Park, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz C300. While driving approximately 40 mph, the contact struck a parked vehicle. Her vehicle was severely damaged and none of the air bags deployed. She sustained moderate injuries and pictures were taken of the failure. An inspector from the manufacturer concluded that the crash did not warrant air bag deployment; however, a technician stated that the air bag sensor was defective. The failure and current mileages were 30,000.

- Marina Del Rey, CA, USA