2008 Mercedes E350 with 18 inch low profile alloy wheels. I have had to replace two rims which were cracked causing deflation. Low profile 18 inch alloy wheels. No hard driving or curb incidents, just cracked. The tire place I took it to says they see a lot of these specific rim cracks on Mercedes of this period.

- Fremont, CA, USA

I have owned this vehicle for 2.5 years. Since may of 2013 I have had to replace three wheels (rims). It has gotten to the point where they are so hard to locate I have had to purchase after market wheels. Once the crack was rather large and the last two were noticed when I replaced the tires on the vehicle. They were smaller and eventually would not hold air in the tire. This has to be a flaw in the product.

- Bridgeport, WV, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz E350. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced by an authorized dealer. The technician informed the contact that the front passenger's side wheel rim was slightly bent. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 31,000.

- Norwalk, CT, USA

On two occasions I had loss of tire pressure on front wheels. Examination showed the alloy wheels to be cracked. This has happened two times in approximately 90 days. I have not hit any pot holes. Some typical road bumps maybe but no deep holes. I've had many vehicles since 1958 but never had wheels cracking. Research has shown quite a bit of people with the same low profile tires used on this vehicle are also having cracked wheels and loss of tire pressure. Besides being very costly, this indeed can be a dangerous situation. Loss of tire pressure can result in accidents and can subject vehicle operators to dangerous conditions when changing tires. I wrote to Mercedes but they will not admit to their wheels having a problem. It could be poorly designed wheels, the use of low profile tires or a combination of both leading to wheel failures.

- Pound Ridge, NY, USA

Small pothole hit. Rim destroyed along with tire. I have put approximately 12 tires and three rims on this vehicle in two years. After a search I now find out that rim and tire problems are very common on these cars. My wife has driven for over 40 years and never had a tire/rim problem.

- Hanover, MA, USA

While traveling at ordinary speed on even interstate surface (I-64) East bound the rear right tire of my mb E350W4 blewout. I was able stabilize the car and exit the highway as I was just then in front of a an exit. My tires had been recently inspected during a regular service of my car. There is no reason or event which could have caused the sudden tire failure. I have filed a complaint with Continental tire customer service, but the company has failed to acknowledge that their product may have manufacturing issues. Now I have observed a blemish developing on the sidewall of another tire. The dealer has suggested that "we watched it" for a time and see what happens. My tires are Continental, contiprocontact, 245/40 R18 93V, ms radial. Replacing the tire cost me some $350 sand could have cost me my life or very serious injury had I been traveling at higher speed or ir the front tire had failed rather than the rear. I firmly believe these tires pose an immediate threat to public safety.

- Ballwin, MO, USA

This mb E-350( [xxx] )of 2008 with 18" diameter rims is very poorly designed which is causing serious road hazard and may lead to deaths as the aluminum alloy rim itself damage the tire thereby developing slow leak /bubbles and ultimately a cause for serious road accident leading to possible deaths timely action is required to ban 18" diameter rims. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Floral Park, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz E350. Whenever the vehicle is in motion there was a thumping noise coming from the wheels. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they found three of the four wheels was bent and cracked. They repaired the wheels per the warranty. After the vehicle was repaired it continued to make noise because the bent wheels caused other problems to occur on the axle and tires. The dealer informed him to change the tires but he fells it is the dealer responsibility to change the tires and repair the axle which was not covered under the warranty. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 33,000.

- East Greenwich, RI, USA

Mb E-350 2008 is equipped with low profile tires contipro contact 245/40 R 18 the tires contact distance from road surface to bottom of rim is app.2 inch. The rim diameter is app.19+ inches. The weight of the vehicle further reduces the contact distance. The momentum of the car at normal speed when comes across a small pot whole or an object the rim of the car itself burst the tire resulting into tire explosion and bending of the rim. This is a serious safety issue and if not corrected in a timely manner may lead to serious accidents including driver and other passers by including road death 2)this happens 2 times. Mbusa road assistance came 2 times and installed dummy tire came with the car. 3) mb usa refused to correct the problem I strongly believe that this is a defective design and must be reviewed as the rim itself may explode the tire and get bent as well. Updated IVOQ 01/21/11

- Floral Park , NY, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz E350. While driving 30 mph over a pothole the tire exploded. The tire was a Continental contipro contact size 245/40R18.93V. The front passenger tire exploded and the right rear tire developed a blister and the rim was no longer aligned. The failure could have led to a fatality due to the poor design. The wheel rim on the tires was 18 inches and the tire was two to three inches off the ground. These are the original tire and rims that came with the vehicle. There were no injuries and the vehicle was not damaged when the failure occurred. Roadside assistance repaired the tires. The vehicle was driven to the dealer the following day. The dealer stated that they were aware of the problem and the defect; yet, they were unable to offer any assistance. The manufacturer was contacted and informed him that they would give him a free tire which he did not receive. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- Floral Park, NY, USA

Many Mercedes Benz customers experience premature tire failure. Mercedes says it is due to road conditions. It is a new problem with new Mercedes E series cars. A person wrote "have been in the tire & wheel business for over 15 years and have seen this problem many times. Mostly with after market wheels where the standard wheel sizes reach all the way up to 26-inch diameters. It has nothing to do with a defective wheel or tire. Mercedes Benz has decided to install larger wheels on their vehicles so that the vehicle has a larger footprint to improve handling and to improve the appearance of the car. The problem with installing a larger diameter wheel on any car is you are now left with a tire that has a very short sidewall. From 2003 ' 2006 Mercedes was installing 16 and 17 inch diameter wheels on their E-class models. These two sizes would give you a tire with a taller sidewall from 3 to 4 inches. But on the newer E-class vehicles, Mercedes started to use an 18' staggered tire and wheel combination. When you increase the diameter of a wheel, the sidewall of the tire will decrease.the 18 inch wheel & tire combo now gives you a sidewall of 2 to 3 inches. The sidewall of a tire is the distance between the edge of the tire where it meets the wheel and where the tire sits on the ground the side supports the weight of the vehicle. This means you have less cushion between the wheel and the road. So if you hit a pothole hard enough, you will bend a wheel or collapse the tires sidewall so much that it will break the steel linings causing a bubble or a blow out." Lives are at risk until this issue is addressed and rectified. Currently, customers incur significant cost to replace tires and wheels. Mercedes will not cover replacement tires and wheels under its warranty program.

- Potomac, MD, USA