The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-350. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and coming to a complete stop, the vehicle started sputtering and stalled. The contact pushed the vehicle to the side of the roadway. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact towed the vehicle to her residence five days later. The contact used an OBD reader to determine that the failure was associated with the fuel system. The contact replaced the fuel relay and fuses, fuel pump and fuel filter herself; however, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer and diagnosed with a fuel leak. The contact was informed that the fuel tank needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under an unknown recall because the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

- Winters, CA, USA

I have noticed strong gasoline odors emanating from my car after refueling. I do not 'top off' when refueling. Researched issue online at benzworld.org and discovered that the gas odor issue I am experiencing may be related to a problem being seen in numerous Mercedes Benz E-model vehicles. This presents a very unsafe situation and I am no longer willing to park the vehicle in my garage due to the potential fire hazard. The pooling of raw gasoline also represents an environmental issue due to the evaporation and creation of toxic fumes. I understand that Mercedes Benz dealers are demanding $2,000. Or more to rectify the problem by removing and replacing the gas tanks in impacted vehicles. I feel that the manufacturer of this defective component should be held responsible to recall it and replace it. I understand that the NHTSA's current investigation action no. For this issue is PE 12001.

- Lawrence, KS, USA