The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes-Benz ML350. While the vehicle was parked, the power liftgate failed to operate. The failure recurred constantly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the control unit for the power liftgate failed due to water contamination. The vehicle was repaired by having the seal of the rear tail lamp assembly replaced, but the remedy failed. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 09V076000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000.

- Hillsborough Township, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz ML350. The contact stated that the power liftgate failed without warning. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that water leaked into the vehicle through the rear tail light assembly due to a defective seal. There were four inches of water within the spare tire housing and the power liftgate hydraulic motor was completely submerged. The dealer and manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The manufacturer refused to provide assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 128,000.

- York, SC, USA

I purchased a used 2008 Mercedes Benz ML350 VIN: [xxx] today, my power lift gate stopped operating. I can hear the motor running when I press the open/close button the driver's side door, and also on my remote, but the power lift gate doesn't operate. Upon doing some basic research, I understood that recalls were made on the 2009 and newer ML350 due to a faulty seal with the rear lighting assembly unit, which would cause water to leak into the spare tire assembly area and cause the power lift gate to stop working; it may also cause a fire. Upon removing the spare tire to inspect the area, I saw a large pool of water in the area. There was also water near the left brake light assembly. The water appears to have even caused deterioration of wires associated with the left brake light assembly unit. Following my above observations, I checked recalls and nothing was shown for my 2008 ML350, but clearly this is associated problem of my year as well. How can we go about getting this covered? thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- York, SC, USA