Went to start car and nothing. Steering locked and difficult, due to all wheel drive to tow. There are many cases documented about eis/esl failures on Mercedes enthusiast forums. The problem is prevalent on the internet. This could be very dangerous on a crowded highway, in a crime ridden area or just in an emergency. The car will start one minute and won't on the next start. Mercedes claimed no financial responsibility for the failure in my case. The car was 2 months out of warranty.

- Aston, PA, USA

Went to start car when the key turned over lights, radio, etc came on but car would not start. Car did not even attempt to turn over but was electronically locked out. Tried second key with no avail.

- Iowa City, IA, USA

The warning system for the rear lights have been going off since purchasing the certified preowned vehicle in June 2014. It was returned the dealer multiple times for the issue and never fixed. While driving at night I smelled something burning and the warning system informed me to check all of my rear lights. There were no lights functioning on the rear of the vehicle while driving. The lights, brake lights, turn signals, and rear fog lamps were all not functioning. When a road side technician checked the vehicle he saw burnt wires and melted plastic on the lighting mount. This occurred during a routine trip from New Jersey into philadelphia, pa and included driving over the ben franklin bridge. Once I reach philly I stopped the vehicle and called for assistance. That is when the issue was located. The car was towed to the dealer for repair. No more information has been provided from the dealer yet.

- Camden, NJ, USA

Received message rear license light out. Replaced bulb but continued getting message. Rear parking camera started displaying images when brake depressed. Messages continued to check all rear light bulbs. When inspecting, I noticed burn marks on bulb carrier (part #211-545-03-28) and plug (part #204-820-09-77). I purchased new parts to install but had difficulty removing the wire clips from the plug. I was not aware and the Mercedes parts department did not mention I would need to also get connector pins (or that this overheating was a recurring problem). Unable to easily remove wiring & pins, I decided to search internet for guidance on replacement (before cutting wires) and discovered several websites reciting others having similar problems with overheating of the ground wire connection and that a recall investigation had been started. It certainly appears that this problem of overheating/melting of parts is a real fire hazard that is occurring frequently enough to at least require that a notice be sent to car owners to have carriages & wiring promptly inspected and repaired.

- Rockville, MD, USA

All bulbs on the right side tail light are not working, that includes brake light, reverse light, and signal light. I thought the bulbs were out but when I went to change the bulbs they were all fine. What I did noticed was the brown wire was burnt and so was the plastic that holds the wires together, it seemed like that entire side was burnt and even melted. This seems to be an electrical problem and it also seems to be a safety hazard. I've mentioned this a few times to the dealer. Each time they look for a recall with no success. I reported the problem directly to mb and since there still hasn't been a recall, I'm now reporting to NHTSA.

- Katy, TX, USA

I got couple warning messages on my 2010 mb C-300 that the taillights were not working. When I took the car to the dealer's service department thinking it was the lightbulbs that needed to be changed, I found out that the taillight wires and connectors have overheated and melted. In my case, the dealer service department and Mercedes customer care did take the initiative and replaced the wires and connectors with no cost to me, after I discussed with them about the fact that this problem is currently under investigation by NHTSA. I do appreciate mb dealer and customer care's help to resolve the issue and take care of my car. However, I want to report my case to NHTSA to help your Agency in data collection to determine how wide spread the problem is and whether a recall should be warranted.

- Azusa, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2010 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that the rear driver's side light failed due to a melted electrical connector. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for a diagnostic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 50,000.

- Shrewsbury, MA, USA

Rear tail lights have progressively dimmed over time. Wiring harness was melting. Connector to light carrier and taillight wiring was corroded. Repair of corroded wiring, connector, and light carrier was required.

- Glenview, IL, USA

All bulbs on the right side tail light are not working, that includes brake light, reverse light, and signal light. I thought the bulbs were out but when I went to change the bulbs they were all fine. What I did noticed was the brown wire was burnt and so was the plastic that holds the wires together, it seemed like that entire side was burnt and even melted. This seems to be an electrical problem and it also seems to be a safety hazard. I spoke to one of my mechanic friends who suggested I bring the car back to the dealer to try and resolve the problem and he also advised me to disconnect the wires or something like that as this could cause a potential fire. Since I'm past the warranty period (50,000 miles) I'm not sure how I'm going to fix this problem, it may be pretty costly and I'm not sure where to start. I thought I should report this to the NHTSA since this can possibly cause major safety hazards and even fires.

- Clifton, NJ, USA

Connector for the taillights melting onto the housing. Possible ground wire issue. Fire hazard.

- Saint Louis Park, MN, USA

Warning light on my instrument cluster prompted "check left tail and brake light". I checked all the bulbs, they were all functioning except for 1 or two dim bulbs in the left taillight assembly. I unplugged the connector/harness to the assembly and found one of the wire insert connectors to be melted in the plastic connector, the melting affected the plastic as well. I am worried for a possible fire hazard in my trunk compartment. Contacted Mercedes for a service appointment.

- Bristol, CT, USA

All driver side rear lights went out. There is sign of possible burnt residue on wire and light casing.

- White Plains, NY, USA

Approximately once every 2 months while parked with the engine off, the front passenger side headlight will come on with the rear passenger side parking/brake light. When this occurs, I have to turn the headlight switch on then back off, to turn off the lights. On one occasion, I observed the passenger side headlight and the rear passenger light flickering like a strobe light, before I turned the switch on then off.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Similar to other complaints that have been filed against Mercedes, it seems as though the electrical connection to my rear right light (brake light, running light, turn signal, etc.) has melted and is no longer operational. The entire light is out and I get warning messages on the dash about the problem. It looks like this is the same problem that everyone else with the same make/model as me are having. Hopefully Mercedes recognizes the scale of this flaw in their engineering and sends out a recall sooner than later.

- Smyrna, GA, USA

Passenger taillight connector/wiring insufficiently designed for load. Wire/connector plastic is melting and causing unsafe conditions. This is a very common problem with 2008-2010 C-class and is frequently noted in mb owner's forums/websites.

- Cleveland Heights, OH, USA

I was driving down rt 70 in marlton, NJ on Monday May 7, 2012 when every lights in my car lit up. I then took it to Mercedes at approximately 1:00 P.M. I sat there waiting for them to tell me what was going on. I decided at 1:50 to find out and I was told by my service tech dan swuwek that it was an electrical problem and that he did not know how long it would be to fix it. I had to get a rental. He called me the next day and indicated that a part was ordered. I then called him back later in the day when he said that it was not the part that they thought it was. Another day passed and I was then told that they would be contacting Mercedes for help. I also contacted them as well because I wanted to be sure that it was documented. The next day they figured it out and they told me it was the entire electrical system that needed to be replaced. I had to go out of town and did not return until Monday May 14, 2012 at which time I was contacted by dan from Mercedes indicated that my vehicle was ready for pick up. This is the third Mercedes I have leased. My first one was the ML350 which had an electrical fire in the passenger seat heating system. My second one was a C300 which had many problems with the air conditioning system and navigation. This is my third and last one has had many problems with the navigations for which they kept telling me there was nothing wrong with it. However it took my took many parts of the world when trying to enter destination information so it was basically not functioning for many months. Now with this new problem the ECU issues, I hope it gets me through the next 6 months so I can turn this in and never get another Mercedes again.they gave me a rental, charged me $3 per day, keep my car for a week. Cherry hill Mercedes service department and their manager is pretty incompetent.thank you.

- Cherry Hill, NJ, USA

All of my exterior light bulbs have been replaced every other month. The rear driver side brake light burned out the metal part where Mercedes had to replace the unit. As of Monday, April 2, 2012 I had to take my car in the dealer to repair a right front passenger side headlight out....updated 03/27/13 updated 04/03/2013

- Lakewood, CA, USA