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2.3

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
65,129 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2009 Mercedes-Benz C300 steering problems

steering problem

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2009 Mercedes-Benz C300 Owner Comments (Page 5 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #53

Oct 052015

C300

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On the highway driving 40 mph warning on the display came on stating the" ebr, ABS, esp are inoperative" and a warning display stating "power steering malfunction". power steering was fine, but it was a very nerve wrecking drive. Dealership is stating it is the esp module and pump that needs to be replaced, which can only be done at the dealership.

- La Habra, CA, USA

problem #52

Oct 032015

C300

  • 79,000 miles
On 10/3/2015 the vehicle was parked at a gas station for 5 minutes. Upon returning to the car and attemped to switch the ignition on, the car wont start. Contacted Mercedes Benz in englewood and they offered a road assistance ( $80 service charge ). after waiting for over an hour and half the roadside technician arrived and attemped to jumstart the vehicle with no success. He said that with 25 years of experience working for Mercedes that this is a common issue where the vehicle wont recognize the key, locking the steering and cutting off the engine power to start up. He contacted Mercedes for a towing truck to take it to the dealer for diagnostic. This happened on a Saturday and have to wait til Monday for results. Vehicle has 79,000 miles odometer reading. Theres more then 10,000 feedbacks over the internet with the same issue. Fix ranges from $500 to $1500. Mercedes has not recalled this ongoing common issue.

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

problem #51

Sep 012015

C300

  • 110,000 miles
Monday drove car to work with out any problems. Came out to go home that evening and car would not start. Could turn the ignition completely to the start position but the engine did not turn over. My radio worked, my power seats worked, trunk and doors opened with the key vibe. But nothing happened from the engine. Come to find out the steering wheel locked up for no reason. They had to skate my car in order to get it on the truck truck. This is a defect and I'm a woman and this could have happened at night when driving down the road.

- Woodland , NC, USA

problem #50

Aug 312015

C300

  • 110,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes Benz C300. While attempting to start the vehicle, the engine would not start and the steering wheel became locked. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 110,000.

- Conway, NC, USA

problem #49

Aug 222015

C300

  • 97,000 miles
Today I had to go to work andtried to put my car on, to my dismay it would not turn on. All of the other electrical functions worked, like my car locking and unlocking, and the radio working but it kept telling me to remove key from ignition and it wouldnt start. I have done alot of reasearch and there seem to be alot of people with this problem. And I hope we could fix it and have it recalled because it is very expensive to fix.

- Manchester, NH, USA

problem #48

Aug 012013

C300

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes Benz C300. While driving 20 mph, the steering wheel seized. In addition, as the contact turned the vehicle off, remove key was displayed across the message board and the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed that the electronic steering lock module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.

- Land O Lakes , FL, USA

problem #47

Aug 152015

C300

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car didn't turn on. I called the towing company thinking that it was the battery, but they confirmed that it was not the battery. I towed the car to my mechanic. My mechanic confirmed today that the problem is the steering lock which needs to be replaced, and it cost over $1,400. I did search the internet and thousands of this model owner has experienced this problem. Mercedes Benz should issue a recall immediately.

- Aventura, FL, USA

problem #46

Aug 022015

C300

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes Benz C300. While in park, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering lock assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #45

Jul 222015

C300

  • 64,000 miles
I need to replace the steering lock part and I have an extended warranty that doesn't cover this item which cost for the parts is $1200 without labor. Was told by Mercedes that there is no recall for this part and that they will have to order the part which will take several days.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #44

Jun 192015

C300

  • 78,008 miles
The eis, at work my car won't start had to tow home car start at home but when turn off car went back to not starting. Key in ignition but it's like ignition will not recognize the key. Bad ignition switch steering volume ect.. repair cost $1100... very pissed seems like this a common problem why haven't there been a recall already.. I would love to have some of the costing fee back and know that I'm good for future issue with this issue..

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #43

Jun 072015

C300

  • 65,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes Benz C300. While the vehicle was parked, it failed to start and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Frankiln , GA, USA

problem #42

Jun 062015

C300

  • 67,823 miles
I have several friends with the same model car, who has had the same complaint! I was wondering if their is a recall of the steering column parts?

- Alexander City, AL, USA

problem #41

Nov 212013

C300

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes Benz C300. While attempting to start the vehicle, the steering column locked. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician was able to get the steering column unlocked, but was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired, and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Spring , TX, USA

problem #40

Jun 012015

C300

  • 50,980 miles
Yesterday my beloved C300 left us stranded at a best buy parking lot late at night. It was really upset when I just get off work, and try to start my car and go home take a rest, but it would not start. I had to leave the car there overnight and was not until next morning that I got it to start. Since then it has been giving us problems so I call the local dealer and they gave me an appointment for next Monday. I have read that this is a very costly and a very well known issue with C300. By this time I am sure mb knows about it, and I did research online seems like that is a common issue and mb should recall for it. Unfortunately, mb don't take care of it, and do not cover it. It is a eis failure issue.. my 2009 C300 has just reached 50,000 klms. We have had it for about 10 months now... we are very concerned and disappointed. My car had to leave in parking lot overnight which is really dangerous, and I can't go to work since I don't have a car to drive. It's a pain for me, that I have to pay over $1000, and this is my first car, my financial can't really handle this unexpected issue since I take care of my so well...

- Fircrest, WA, USA

problem #39

Apr 172015

C300 6-cyl

  • 44,000 miles
In the morning, I tried to start my 2009 C300 and the car did not start and the steering wheel locked out of the blue. The car had to be towed to a Mercedes dealership at delray beach, fl. The problem diagnosed as a manufacturing defect in the steering/electrical system related to ignition switch. The following repair stated on my repair report: - steering lock complete replacement - additional time to drill out the old lock Mercedes Benz dealership service charged me $1,464 for the defected steering lock/ignition electrical assembly. I searched on internet and a lot of people experienced the same problem (please see the link provided below). I called the Mercedes-Benz usa headquarter at NJ and talk to a district service manager and explain to him that my car has only 44K mileage and the steering lock/ignition electronic malfunction is a manufacturing defected and it is not considered normal wear & tear and a lot of people have the same problem and it is a safety issue. Hence this should be repaired without charge and justify for recalls. Unfortunately it was like talking to the wall and basically Mercedes-Benz does not want to take any responsibility and to do anything about it and hit the customer with an expensive repair cost. I am concern if the steering locks/ignition electrical part malfunctions, what is going to happen during driving and other cases. Thank you. P.S.: please refer to the following just two web sites. There are more to see if you search: www.car-recall.com/Mercedes-Benz/C300/2009

- Delray Beach, FL, USA

problem #38

Apr 172015

C300 6-cyl

  • 42,000 miles
In the morning, try to start my 2009 C300 and the car did not start and the steering got locked off of the blue. The car had to be towed to a Mercedes dealership at delray beach, fl. The problem diagnosed to be related to: Manufacturing defected steering/electrical system related to ignition switch. The following repair stated on my repair report: -steering lock complete replacement -additional time to drill out the old lock Mercedes Benz dealership service charged me $1464 for the defected steering lock assembly. I searched on internet and a lot of people experienced the same problem (please see the link provided). I called the Mercedes-Benz usa headquarter at NJ and talk to a district service manager and explain to him that my car has only 42K mileage and the steering lock is manufacturing defected and it is not considered normal wear & tear and therefore this should be repaired without charge. Unfortunately it was like to talking to the wall and basically Mercedes-Benz does not want to take any responsibility and to do anything about it and hit the customer with an expensive repair cost. We as owner of the Mercedes-Benz should unit and complain to Mercedes headquarter and NHTSA and request this defect shall be consider as a recall. I am concern if the steering locks because of the defected part what is going to happen during driving and other cases. Thank you. www.car-recall.com/Mercedes-Benz/C300/2009

- Delray Beach, FL, USA

problem #37

Apr 232015

C300

  • 97,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes Benz C300. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the steering wheel column lock needed to be replaced. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,000.

- Baton Rogue, LA, USA

problem #36

Apr 192015

C300 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
Electronic steering failure. Steering wheel locked. Gear shift locked in park. Can turn key, but the only the central dash works with message "take key from ignition". no start up lights on. Vehicle locks, unlocks, radio works, but won't start. Luckily it happened in the garage while vehicle was stationary and not in motion. $800 out of pocket for new eis and blue key + labor. Seems to be very frequent issue with 2008/2009 C300 models. Recall should be issued and owners reimbursed for expenses incurred given the number of reports and safety risks as some have reported it happened to them while vehicle was in motion. Don't need to wait until someone gets really hurt.

- Coraopolis, PA, USA

problem #35

Apr 172015

C300 6-cyl

  • 42,000 miles
I parked my 2009 C300 with only 42K miles on it in the garage at night. Next morning I tried to start, the vehicle would not start. The steering wheel locked and was not able to start or move the gears had to call Mercedes road service to tow the vehicle to a Mercedes dealer at delray beach, fl. This happened out of the blue without any indication that something was going wrong. Diagnose was made and determine to be "steering lock assembly completely need to be replaced with additional time to manually drill out the old lock." This was due to a defected steering ignition switch security assembly. The dealership charged me $1600 for the defected part. I talk to the delray beach Mercedes-Benz service dealership director and supervisor ans as well as mbusa regional case manager. It was just waste of time and none of them wanted to take responsibility. Mercedes-Benz absolutely did not want to do anything about it other than charging people for repair of a defected complete steering security assembly. This should be considered recall as to do with steering lock.

- Delray Beach, FL, USA

problem #34

Apr 182015

C300

  • 85,000 miles
The vehicle would not start. The steering wheel locked and was not able to start or move the gears had to call Mercedes road service.to tow the vehicle to a Mercedes dealer.

- Hesperia, CA, USA

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