This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Rear subframe corrosion and failure. Based on my queries this apparently a common issue. I am adding my report to add weight to this common issue. Vehicle is approximately 13 years old, is in good condition, and has not suffered any accidents affecting the rear subframe. Overall only minimal rust or corrosion is found during a visual inspection while on a lift. This vehicle has passed annual inspections as required by Virginia state law. The rear subframe has rusted from the inside. This corrosion was not visible from the outside, which is why it was not found in the annual inspections. Due only to this internal corrosion, the left-hand (driver) side of the rear subframe has broken loose where the rear wheel's control arm is attached. This removes one of the rear wheel's primary attachment points, making the vehicle unsafe to drive.
Per the technician: "the rear subframe is rusted out and the lateral strut arm is starting to break away". Because of this issue, the car unknowingly presented a safety risk to occupants and other drivers. A failure of the subframe or connected components could have resulted in a serious accident. Photos are attached. The vehicle is currently available for inspection upon request. There were no warning indicators to this issue. The issue was found only because the car was being serviced for brake pads. Mercedes Benz USA customer care said there was no recall or other warranty covering the issue and said the vehicle was outside their "good will assistance program". The vehicle is no longer able to be driven.
During maintenance check, mechanic indicated rust on the rear subframe that can lead to failure. Failure on this car would cause a puncture of the fuel tank due to car design. Upon further research, this is a well known issue with MB and is covered as a recall in all countries other than the US. Please encourage Mercedes Benz to do the right thing and issue a recall for this defective component, to avoid serious accidents.
Another car made an illegal U-turn and caused me to T-bone on his passenger side. Front of my car hit his passenger side and dragged his car for about 10 feet. Air bags on my car did not deploy, safety system M-brace in car failed and did not call sos either. Car safety system did not detect the crash at all. Mercedes Benz did not detect a crash....updated 09-10-14 the consumer stated she received soft tissue injuries to the neck, shoulders, and back, bruised elbow, and headaches and loud ringing for 10 days caused by the crash. Updated 12/16/2014
Molds and mildew build up in the air condition ducts placing people who are susceptible for infection (people with weak immune system) at risk for fatal infection. The dealer stated that this is a known and common condition for this car because the ac box does not drain the condensed water. This is because the way the car was designed. The dealer recommended turning off the ac for 30 seconds while keeping just the fan on every time before turning off the car to dry up the condensed water on the ac coils, not practical. The dealer has a known service to disinfect the ac system but because of the car design could not guarantee that the condition will not return. There is no warning or any instructions in the manual regarding this potentially fatal condition for susceptible people.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Reston, VA, USA