I had the car serviced by the dealer and asked that they specifically check for any leaks or other abnormalities as I would be out of the 50,000 warranty period. About three weeks later I noticed an oil drop on the floor of my garage. I took the car to the dealer and they said that the seals in the steering were the cause of the leak and needed to be replaced. I argued with them about paying for this repair as the car only had 53000 +_ and this should not fail unless it was a defect design. Eventually they agreed to fix it with mb paying 1/3 and I pay 2/3 some $1200. When I went to pick up the car they told me that in addition to seal failure that the bearing on the firewall that holds the steering column was also defective and had to be replaced. I told them I would not pay for the repair and to go back to mb and tell them this is ludicrous and they will have to pay. The final upshot was that they increased the amount that mb would pay to 2/3 and that mb would also pay for the entire bearing repair. In my opinion this is a design defect as this car has never been off road or otherwise abuse and has been serviced as required by the manufacturer. It is my wife's car and get very little use. I was advised by the dealer that they have had other similar claims. This should be a recall item.

- Hayden Lake, ID, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz ML350. The contact stated that there was a fuel leak. The vehicle was taken to dealer who diagnosed that that the steering assembly would need to be replaced. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 08V682000 (steering:hydraulic power assist system) but the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 51,000.

- Springfield, MO, USA

We took the 2008 Mercedes Benz ml 350 in to a local mb dealer for a schedule a service and transmission flush and asked that an oil leak on the front driver's side axel be inspected. We were told that the vehicle needed the steering rack input shaft valve assembly replaced. We called a local shop to get a second quote for the work and were told that they wouldn't quote us or touch it because of a recall on the model and year -- NHTSA campaign id# 08V682000. We called mb back, and they told us our VIN wasn't included in the recall, but we could request to have a post-warranty coverage or partial coverage determination made. This is still up in the air, but I'm anticipating they decline partial or full post-warranty coverage and would just like to know more about how this VIN was excluded from the affected population.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz ML350. While driving at any speed, the steering wheel feels loose. The contact has taken the vehicle to the dealer on numerous occasions for inspection, but they have been unable to find any failures. The contact believes that the steering wheel is maneuvering too easily and is concerned that he may lose control while driving. The failure mileage was 8,000 and current mileage was 13,000.

- Yorktown Heights, NY, USA