Rear subframe completely rusted through resulting in multiple attached systems to break off. When applying the brakes the rear end of the vehicle swings and can force the car into random directions. Upon any basic research this issue can be seen in similar Mercedes models across the globe consistently. If the issue was not diagnosed sooner the likelihood of a fatal crash would have been extremely high due to critical components like braking and suspension systems being nonfunctional. Many vehicles that experience this design flaw are well maintained and kept in good conditions. I urge the NHTSA to release some kind of warning to owners of these vehicles because this issue can blindside even the most vigilant owners. Many posts regarding this issue describe nearly avoiding severe accidents. Please do not let this go unheard because it can be fatal if not addressed.

- Cincinnati , OH, USA

I need to have my rear brake lines replaced they are blown out but they need to remove the subframe in order to complete the job. They discovered that the subframe is completely rotted and has a hole in it and they believe if they remove it the subframe will break and need to be replaced. They indicated this was a big safety issue and is a known issue on the Mercedes. I was lucky I did not kill myself driving this vehicle. It did come up with warning lamps for the brakes and I contacted the dealership and had it towed there, that's when they discovered the rotted subframe.

- Enfield Ct, CT, USA

The dealer noticed that the rear suspension subframe had rusted and corroded with a hole. They rejected the passage of the state safety check. A review of online forums shows this is a common problem in these years and Canadian and German counterparts of MBUSA have issued recalls because a third party supplier provided the parts without sufficient corrosion protection. See eg. https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w204/805501-rotted-rear-subframe.html

- Burke, VA, USA

Rear subframe corrosion hast rusted through and the subframe is no longer attached to the lower control arm car has only 56k miles this has been recalled in Canada and the issue needs to be addressed in the us it is a safety issue

- Canton, OH, USA

Corrosion of sub frame. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. June 7, 2022 Viti service advisor reports rust hole in sub frame. Putting the safety of myself and family members at risk. Due to corrosion deteriorating the structural integrity of the sub frame. Sub frame could break causing catastrophic accident. Loss of control, rollover, fire, puncture fuel tank, etc. This appears to be a well known defect and is recalled in Canada. Vehicle was purchased and serviced at Viti from 2010 to present. Garaged. Vehicle has not been inspected by police, insurance presentative or others. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

- Westport, MA, USA

I brought my car into the dealer to have my annual state required inspection, and was told by the dealer that the rear subframe had severe rot and corrosion, to an extent that they would not allow the car to pass inspection as it was hazardous to drive, and if the subframe cracked, for instance, by driving over a bump or pothole, I would endanger myself, passengers, and other cars on the road. I was stunned to find out that my Mercedes, a premium automobile, by a marquee manufacturer, which has a reputation for engineering/manufacturing excellence and had such significant corrosion. I was equally stunned because I have consistently maintained my car and done all the recommended maintenance. I asked the dealer service manager to hoist the car on a lift so I could inspect and verify the corrosion on the subframe. While I saw the significant corrosion on the subframe, all other parts of the underside of the car were in excellent shape and drive-able condition. This leads me to believe that there is a design/manufacturing flaw in the subframe. I researched this issue online and discovered that this exact Mercedes subframe has been recalled in other countries, but not in the U.S. It is a known and dangerous defect, Mercedes clearly knows it's a dangerous defect, and yet they have not recalled it. This has put me, my family, passengers and potentially other drivers at risk of serious harm and injury had the subframe broke while being driven. Additionally, it unfairly shifts the burden of repair onto the consumer rather than Mercedes for fixing a known and dangerous defect. Does a tragedy need to occur before this defective part is recalled? I hope not.

- Shrewsbury, MA, USA

The rear sub-frame of my car has almost rusted in half. While driving on 95 I had to brake rather quickly and it felt as if the whole car was twisting. I called my mechanic the next day, drove in and put it on the lift only to find out that the sub-frame was almost detached from the car. Had this happened at 70 MPH it could have been disastrous. Mercedes knows about the design flaw but refuses to take any action.

- Monkton, MD, USA

rear sub frame rotted out and I nearly had an accident from this poor design and lack of notice from Mercedes. This should be a recall!

- West Chicago, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2010 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds, an abnormal grinding sound was coming from engine without warning. The contact took the vehicle to Mercedes-Benz of fort Washington located at (404 Pennsylvania ave, fort Washington, pa 19034), where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective bearing in the transfer case. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the transmission replaced. The contact took the vehicle back to the same dealer to be repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 19V010000 (air bags). The vehicle was inspected and the contact was informed that the subframe was corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,000. The VIN was not available.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2010 Mercedes-Benz C300. While driving various speeds, the vehicle became unstable when the brake pedal was depressed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Mercedes-Benz of louisville (2520 terra crossing blvd, louisville, ky 40245, (502) 565-4410) where it was diagnosed that the subframe was rusted and fractured. The vehicle was unable to be driven. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 94,000.

- Louisville, KY, USA

On June 9,2019 I was driving going to giant grocery store in West-bard shopping center in bethesda..in the parking lot I lost control of steering column.hit a concrete pole and passed out.all of my airbags deployed, time was around I was driving on city road.from river road to westbard. I suffered brain, neck, chest and knee injuries. Sufferred transient global amnesiaf or nearly 4 hours or more. Still recuperating. Last two years getting letters for takata airbag recalls but nothing has been done, did not know that steering column had issues. I did manufacture recommended service.car has about 48,000 mile on it. It has multiple options upgrades.

- Bethesda, MD, USA

I was driving my 2010 C300, 99,000 miles at approximately 40 mph when I experienced a nearly fatal collision. When I applied the brakes, I experienced a failure of the rear cross-member subframe which caused the rear left wheel to deviate in a such a way that caused the rear of the vehicle to fishtail. I had to fight to regain control of the vehicle and avoid a head-on collision. I drove the vehicle to a nearby mechanic who pointed to a break in the sub-frame where the rear-left tire suspension components attached to the rest of the car. The break appears to have manifested where the sheet metal components were welded to form a bracket in the subframe. I live in a state where annual safety inspections are carried out and the vehicle has passed such inspections with no past indicators of rust. The safety inspection focuses on the structural integrity of components such as suspension and frame. The most recent state safety inspection was carried out on September 2018, at 97,000. Furthermore, at 90,663 miles, Mercedes-Benz dealer conducted a thorough inspection of the vehicle and did not notice any issues with the subframe, suspension, or any other components of the vehicle. Near-fatal, catastrophic failures should not take place on a modern luxury car that is less than 10 years old, unless there is a manufacturing defect. However, Mercedes-Benz usa refused to consider a manufacturing defect and made the determination without reviewing photos of the structural brake. Note that based on my research, NHTSA id numbers 10504684 and 11023618 speak to similar rust issues to the sub-frame. Please investigate and launch the recall campaign.

- Falls Church, VA, USA

A brocken rear spring was discovered while the car was being surviced by an independent shop here in northern Wisconsin. I was told by the mechanic that replacing springs on mbs such as mine in areas such as here where salt is used on winter roads is not uncommon.

- Brookfield, WI, USA

After purchasing my vehicle in 2013 the driver inside door latch broke and will not open drivers door. This occurred approximately 3 yrs after I purchased the vehicle. Around 12/16. In order to get out of my vehicle I must roll the window down and unlock door, reach out and open from outside latch. I feel very unsafe in this vehicle in the event I lose power due to wreck, I will be trapped inside this vehicle. I've reported this to Mercedes's and when I've tried to order this part, I'm told it's on national backorder ! it's very expensive to fix, but I can't even get it fixed because the part is not available. Mercedes won't even give me a date when it will be available. After googling this subject online, I've learned there is a huge amount of theses door latches breaking. I'm pleading for help!!

- Ocean Springs, MS, USA

I am writing you regarding a serious and potential life threatening safety hazard that has been ignored by Mercedes-Benz. Clearly this is not an isolated problem as I have found this issue has plagued many other Mercedes drivers on the internet. On 1 October 2017, the inside passenger door handle malfunctioned and would not open the door. (see attached photo). The passenger door can now only be opened from the outside. When taken to the local Mercedes of arrowhead dealer in peoria, AZ, it was determined that the entire door panel must be replaced, needs to be manufactured and would not be available until Nov 2017, then Dec 2017 and now Feb 2018. The inability to open the passenger door presents a grave safety hazard because if the car is in a accident where the driver door is disabled both the passenger and driver cannot escape from the vehicle. Therefore, Mercedes should have placed this model on the recall list which it did not and the local Mercedes dealer said I am not alone with this engineering malfunction in this model year and perhaps others. The length of time to correct this engineering defect is unacceptable and this situation requires an immediate and concerted investigation because it presents a potential life threatening scenario.

- Sun City West, AZ, USA

Driver side door handle broke. This was not due to excessive force, unusual wear or use, etc. The part can only be repaired by replacing the entire interior door panel. Dealer is aware of the problem and knows that the piece is faulty and prone to breaking. The cost to fix it is nearly $1,000 to repair. In order to exit the vehicle, I have to roll down my window, open the door from the exterior, roll my window back up and then exit. This is a major safety hazard if I needed to exit the vehicle quickly due to a fire, accident, etc. When the handle broke, the vehicle was stationary (I had just parked), I went to open the door and there was no movement of the door. There was no sound indicating a break, it simply did not open the door any longer. When researching the problem, I found additional evidence of this being a common issue among other mb owners and they were equally aghast at the fact that this had not been recalled and addressed due to the severe nature of the issue.

- Encino, CA, USA

While attempting to exit the vehicle, the driver side interior door handle broke. The vehicle was stationary at the time of the occurence. This is a safety problem. If there had been smoke or fire in the cabin related to an attempt to quickly exit the vehicle and the door handle brakes, it could cause a catastrophic event leading to possible death. It is made of cheap plastic.

- Baldwin, NY, USA

I only have 30,000 miles on my 2010 C300. The driver interior door latch broke leaving me unable to open the door. I took to dealer and I even had an extended bumper to bumper warranty till 60,000 miles... the dealer or the warranty would not cover my door latch, stating it is wear and tear... this part is cheap plastic, that is pulled on numerous times a day. Plastic is not durable, especially in states with multiple extremes in temperatures. It was $150 just to remove the door panel by the Mercedes dealer to tell me that it would not be covered. They told me that the part is $618 plus labor, making the total close to $1000. I have rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and polymyositis, making it painful to try and reach out an open window to open door by using exterior handle. I recently had a dead battery and needed to be inside my car for safety, but was unable then to open car until help came. I could not physically climb over center console to go out passenger side. Living in a state with extreme temperatures, this could be fatal. After researching my problem, many have had the same issue. 17 on this site alone. This is not wear and tear! the handle is cheap plastic, that brakes very easily. Please help, this is a very expensive safety repair! I have even heard of some people having multiple door handles on their car break.

- Appleton, WI, USA

Passenger side door handle broke creating a safety issue as passenger could not open door from inside in an emergency. For example, if the car stalls in a dangerous situation requiring immediate evacuation from the car or risk major injury or death (e.g, car fire, stuck on a railroad track, etc.) the passenger would be stuck in the car. Lowering the electric windows does not offer enough clearance to reach over the door to open the outside handle from the inside. Mercedes requires the purchase of an entire door panel to repair the cheap plastic handle on the interior of the car door (set. $800 for the panel pus labor for a total of $1100). The dealership, and Mercedes Benz, was well aware of this problem and the cost to repair it, but, hasn't reported it to the authorities as a risk.

- Houston, TX, USA

Purchased car March 2015 with a 3 year extended warranty. Inside drivers door handle broke (plastic piece inside door I believe). Dealer claims warranty does not cover this because it is cosmetic and it will cost me in excess of $1100. To get it fixed. This is a major safety issue, one should not have to open the window and feel for the door handle to open the door. In many situations this could be a matter of life or death. This is just as critical as an air bag in my eye. I believe the dealer should cover this under the warranty, and may even warrant a recall.

- West Chester, PA, USA