Electrical safety hazard that could lead to fire. Left rear taillight assembly unit melted due to improper ground due to faulty wiring harness. Talked with Mercedes dealership and was advised that this is a common problem with this car. I asked if there was a recall as this is a major safety hazard and was advised that no recall has been issues. Was told that this problem is so common that Mercedes has a repair kit but wants me to pay $200 to have the safety issue fixed. Mercedes refuses to do anything until someone is killed and forced to issue a safety recall to fix this defect. If you google 2009 C300 brake light recall you will find countless people who have the same issue including identical photos of the melted bulb assembly unit. I would hope for the safety of everyone that the ntsb could review this issue further before someone is serious injured.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

The left rear tail lights stopped working. I had to replace the electrical harness attached to the bulb bracket. This was replaced on 2/13/2013. Exactly one month later, the right rear tail lights stopped working on 3/13/2013. I will have to replace the same assembly of parts. I have no damage to the rear of my vehicle. Mercedes Benz had a recall on the (Mercedes Benz M-class year 2009) for the rear lights.

- Upper Saddleriver, NJ, USA

Warning indicators flashed for all the right side rear lights. When I went to change bulbs discovered the covering on wires had melted along with the plastic harness. Took it to dealer next day and the harness had to be replaced for a little over $150. It is happening on the other side also. Service rep has seen on other C300S. Mb denies this is a defect.

- Orlando, FL, USA

Warning on dash shows rr brake light is out and turn signal lights is out. Went to look at the back of the car to see if the lights where on and the rr light assembly was dim. Open the panel where the bulbs are and the wire harness was fried. This might be a fire hazard. Updated 03/27/13 updated 04/02/2013

- Bellevue, WA, USA

At some point in time the left rear taillight started to dim dramatically. I opened the enclosure to change the bulbs thinking they were burnt out and found the wire harness as well as the bulb dock had melted because of overheating. A fuse did not blow and the cars computer never gave any indication of this issue. My concern is that the system could actually catch on fire and it is in the trunk and not far from the gas tank. After researching on mb world this appears to be a known problem and flaw. I think it should be looked into and determine if there is a greater issue here.....updated 03/27/13 updated 04/03/2013

- Clarence, NY, USA

My car computer was showing a message that the right rear signal light, fog light needed to be checked. My husband changed the bulbs and the message was still there. These lights were no longer operating properly. Took the car for scheduled service and brought this to the attention of the mechanic at a Mercedes Benz dealer/auto service. He told my daughter that he removed the access panel and found that the connector to a bulb carrier, wire harness and bulb carrier were melted due to a short at the ground wire of the 7 pin connector. I called the service mgr he could not tell me or explain why this happened or its cause. Disappointed by his lack of knowledge and explanation of the cause, I contacted mbusa. At first the person that answered tried to brush me off " this can happen". when I insisted for a better answer or explanation she referred me to a "[xxx]"1-800-367-6372 ext.[xxx]. who stated that she would speak to other technical people and get back to me. When she got back to me, it was basically she was going to speak to the service mgr. At the dealership that serviced my car.he called me on 2/01/12 not clarifying the cause, just re-iterated what he had previously stated. I call [xxx] who simply stated that this has never been reported before, but it can happen, and stated that the dealership would give me a $200 discount at the next service date. I wanted an explanation of the cause, could this happen again, could this lead to further melting, that could lead to a fire, a bigger shortage, and possible accident. I was told by the mgr. At dealership, he cannot foresee the future and he could not predict if this would happen again. I was told that a defective part is not a major issue.no one offered to look further into the defective part and try and find out what really happen. If a part is defective, it should be evaluated or even ask for the part. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Willis, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that as the brakes were depressed, the brake light and tail lights failed to illuminate. In addition, the tail and brake warning lights as well as the SRS air bag warning light, illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who confirmed to the contact that the wire connector for the tail lights was melted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 62,000 and the current mileage was 62,500. Kmj updated 01/10/12 updated 03/29/2013

- Chesterfield, MO, USA

There is no failure of the vehicle but it is a safety issue. Fog light lens that is made of glass has no safety barriers to protect it from breakage and it is mounted very low. With the crack of the lens, the fog light needs to be changed and the cost to change is it $248. Mercedes is refusing to accept it as a design defect. If I do not change this due to cost, it is a big hazard especially for owners living in fog prone areas like san francisco bay area where I live. If not changed, there are chances of accident on the road during fog days. Mercedes has changed the design of the fog lights in the following years (after 2009) of C300. Mercedes should change this defective design and fix it for free for 2009 year as well for free. Even after I pay $248 to get the light changed myself, it will crack again since it is made of glass and not covered by any protective barrier. So, even after paying to get the fog light replaced is not going to fix the design defect.

- San Ramon, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes Benz C300. The vehicle was parked when the contact noticed there was water inside of the side view mirrors turn signals. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or to be repaired. The manufacturer was notified and the contact was informed that she had to pay the repair cost. The failure mileage was 18,000 and the current mileage was 23,000.

- North White Plains, NY, USA