When 2005 E320 has gas tank filled, there is an overwhelming fuel odor in the passenger compartment and outside the vehicle. The fumes dissipate when the fuel level decreases from full to 3/4. car was taken to Mercedes dealer for service and this problem was listed for the repair person. They found no problem. Year and a half later, I again asked Mercedes dealer to look at this issue. They said it was a leak in the fuel sending unit which is connected into the top of the gas tank. At a cost of $800, the fuel sending unit was replaced. I picked up the vehicle and the fuel smell inside the car was so strong it made me and two clients nauseous with severe headaches the following day. I returned the car to the dealer, and upon further inspection, they now tell me the fuel sending unit was leaking but the gas tank itself also is cracked and leaking which needs to be replaced for another $2,000. I opened a complaint with Mercedes Benz usa. After their sham of an investigation, they said they would offer me a 50% discount on the fuel tank replacement or assistance on the purchase of a new vehicle. The car now has 118,000 miles and is out of warranty. I have no choice but to make the repairs. You should not have to replace a gas tank on a vehicle of any age, and I am afraid of continued safety problems from poor engineering design with the replacement parts if the car is involved in any accident.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes Benz E320. The contact stated that the driver of the vehicle was traveling approximately 40 mph when another vehicle crashed into the rear passenger's side of the vehicle. The vehicle immediately became engulfed in flames. The driver was fatally injured with trauma to the head. The passenger was fatally injured with trauma to the torso and the two rear passengers died from smoke inhalation. The police were on scene and a report was filed. The contact stated that the fuel system may have been the cause of the fire that erupted upon impact. The cause of the fire was not determined. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

- Lithonia, GA, USA

I own a 2005 Mercedes Benz E 320. I noticed the smell of gasoline coming from the car, especially after filling up, for several months. It had gotten progressively worse over time, so I had it checked early on by my mechanic but observed no leaks. The gas vapors continued to become worse, so bad that I had to park the car outside for fear of explosion and/or fire. My gas water heater is in the garage and my childrens bedroom is above it. Early on, my whole family began having headaches, nausea, and burning watery eyes. We now know it was gasoline vapors emitting from the faulty gas tank seals which are located below the rear seats. I took it to the dealer near my home; walters Mercedes Benz. The service agent, [xxx], called and said that the seals in the gas tank were leaking and it would cost $750 to replace them. Also, the technician observed some possible leaking on another hose to the tank and it would be $2,400 to have the whole tank replaced. I found this outrageous, but had no other choice. After doing some research I found that Mercedes had a recall because of the same problem to other cars similar to mine. The service managers at walters said that my VIN number didn't match the recall. So, I called mb usa (800-367-6372) to have a case opened. [xxx] (ext [xxx]) is the case investigator assigned. His supervisor is [xxx]. (ext [xxx]). I explained the above to andrew H. who stated that he would be contacting walters service department manager and get back to me within 48 hours. Mb usa refused to admit or solve the problem. I paid to have the entire gas tank replaced. 3/13/13 @ 9:33 call from (201)476-6200 mb case investigator [xxx] ext.[xxx] general number for mb 800-367-6372 information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Corona, CA, USA

My car remits strong gasoline odor each time that I refuel my tank. When I noticed this smell I thought it had to do with the gas cap. I took my car in to be inspected by a local Mercedes dealership and was told my fuel tank is leaking and needed to be replaced. My car had about 45000 miles on it when I first noticed the smell. A car with that low of mileage should not be experiencing a fuel tank leak. I am serious concerned about my car catching fire and exploding. Please help.

- Dallas, TX, USA

The fuel tank leaks when tank is filled above 3/4. gas pools under rear seat and leaks under car.

- Lenexa, KS, USA

Fuel leak, smell of gasoline in garage. Possible leaking fuel tank, leaking fuel sending unit or fuel sensor malfunction. It is dangerous and may cause fire or explosion due to the fuel leak. It needs to be recalled to fix this dangerous issue.

- Cerritos, CA, USA

Couple of months back, I started to get the strong gas smell every time I fill up the gas tank. The smell stays there for 2-3 days. It's so strong that it fills up the whole garage with that foul gas smell. Sometime we can even smell it in our laundry. The entire car cabin gets full of fuel smell after I fill up the tank and my kids refuse to sit in the car. I always fill up gas at chevron and it comes with techron. I was thinking that it's the techron smell and since it used to go away in a day or two, I never worried about it much. But today when I took the car to the dealer to fix some other things, he also noticed the gas smell and told me that the left fuel sending unit on my car is leaking and needs replacement. It seems to be a very common issue with E class cars and mb should recall or repair it for free.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes Benz E320. The contact stated that there was strong odor of gasoline inside and outside of the vehicle after being refueled. An appointment was secured with the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 125,000.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes Benz E320. The contact stated that after refueling, there was a strong odor of gasoline inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised him that the fuel tank fill failed. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred three times. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Bowie, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes Benz E320. The contact stated that there was a strong fuel smell. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed fuel leaking from the fuel sending unit. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 48,500.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

About a year ago, we noticed a mild gas smell after fill up. The smell used to go away in a matter of hours, so we attributed that to possible spill during refill. Gradually, smell became stronger and lasted longer. Early January 2013, after a recent fill up, we stored the car in garage for 2 weeks while using our other vehicle. The smell became so strong, it was felt in laundry room next to the garage. Smell wouldn't go away so we suspected a gas leak. Upon examination by dealer, it was found that there is significant gas leak under rear seat (passenger side). The leak was from a defective fuel filter and sender unit. We found out that this is a very common defect with 2005 E320 class cars. Indeed manufacturer had issued a recall in 2008 covering leaking fuel filters. The recall included 2005 E320 but apparently did not include my vehicle. This is a serious safety/health hazard that should have been addressed by the manufacturer.

- Arroyo Grande, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320. The contact stated that the vehicle emitted a strong fuel odor while the fuel tank was filled. The contact inspected the vehicle and found the fuel tank had leaked and fuel entered the vehicle and collected in the rear driver side floor. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the fuel gasket had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage 100,000.

- Bristol , VA, USA

During the past 2-3 years, my wife and I began to notice a gasoline vapors in our closed garage immediately after our 2005 E320 had been refueled. We also noticed that after a few days driving, the gasoline vapors, diminished. More recently, it also seemed that the gasoline odor has been stronger after refueling. In addition, my wife, while driving this car, has recently begun to smell gasoline vapors from inside the car, and while driving. During a recent visit to my dealer for servicing, I asked them to look into the issue. They removed the rear seat, filled the fuel tank, and then discovered gasoline leaking and puddling around the fuel sending unit. To correct the problem, the dealer told me to either 1) replace the original fuel tank with a slightly redesigned tank, or 2) when refueling, fill the gas tank to a level less than completely full. They admitted that the existing design probably contributed to the leaking. The dealer stated also that a replacement fuel tank would cost us around $2,600 and the cost would not be covered under any vehicle warranty, including the emissions warranty. This car was purchased new in Dec 2004 and now has 75000 mi. In another 2 weeks, it will be 8 years old. My greatest concern is that the gas tank design and subsequent gasoline leakage could contribute to a vehicle fire and serious bodily injury if the vehicle were involved in a collision. This is not to minimize the impact of having to breath gasoline vapors that are inside the vehicle and while driving it. We believe there is a serious design defect, and that it should be remedied by Mercedes-Benz and at their cost as soon as possible. Further, for us to not "fill-up" the fuel tank at any time, does not correct the flawed design, thus is not really an ownership option.

- Houston, TX, USA

Fuel leak in fuel tank. Around sending unit and somewhere else I can't track down.

- Bartlett, TN, USA

Very strong fuel odor from car, looked under car expecting a leak but could not see anything, researched online further found similar stories posted by other owners of this vehicle. Asked my Mercedes Benz mechanic, he confirmed that there was a problem with the fuel tanks on these cars and Benz refuses to issue a recall on them! cost according to my mechanic is approx $2000.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

We first noticed a strong fuel smell when the vehicle was filled up, but shortly after we will the vehicle fuel started to drip onto the pavement near the drivers side rear wheel area.

- Wiggins, MS, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes E320. The contact stated that while inside of the vehicle, she could smell gasoline but there was no indication of a fuel leak. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic for inspection where they stated that there was a crack in the fuel plate. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the failure was common but would not be covered under factory warranty. The failure mileage was 105,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Union, KY, USA

Every time the car is filled up with gas, there is a very strong gas smell inside and outside of the vehicle. Removed the back seat and the plate that covers the fuel sending unit and gas puddles up around the seal of the sending unit. Had seal replaced, but that only helped for about a month. It only does this when tank is full (probably due to the pressure in the tank). This problem seems to be getting worse and I try to avoid filling tank completely, but sometimes it's hard to tell when it's getting close to full. The problem only seems to occur on the driver's side of the car, even though there is also a sending unit on the passenger side.

- Nashville, TN, USA

Fuel tank was leaking under the back seat when fill up tank.

- Bristol, VA, USA

I filled my gas tank and the next day I smelled gas both near my drivers side wheel well and inside the car in the rear seat area. I filled the car as I always did until click and I am sure none spilled, as I am very fussy about my car. I cannot put the car in the garage as it fills the garage with fumes. This has happened twice now upon fueling up. It never happened before. I have seen where others I know have the same type of problem with the same model Mercedes.

- Buffalo, NY, USA