— Mercedes-Benz 722.9 7G-Tronic transmission problems have caused a class-action lawsuit on behalf of affected owners and lessees in Kansas and California.
The 722.9 7G-Tronic lawsuit alleges the transmissions were defective from the time they were built due to defects in the valve bodies and conductor plates that caused the transmissions to fail prematurely.
The plaintiffs claim Mercedes has known about the transmission problems based on technical service bulletins (TSBs) sent to dealerships. The problems have allegedly been so severe that at one point Mercedes was unable to keep up with orders for replacement 722.9 transmissions.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges Mercedes blocked independent repair facilities from buying replacement parts.
Owners complain about the dangers of driving when the transmissions enter limp mode.
"I was nearly rear ended by a tractor trailer while entering I-91 in ct just last week when the vehicle unexpectedly went into what mb calls "limp mode" when the check engine light comes on and the vehicle speed is restricted to 30 mph immediately. There is a systemic problem with the Mercedes Benz 7G tronic 722.9 transmission control module which causes the vehicle's transmission to, without notice, fail to shift out of 2nd gear which creates a serious safety hazard while driving including entering the freeway and attempting to merge into traffic."
The owner also mentioned the same problem as mentioned in the lawsuit concerning independent repair shops unable to get parts.
"Adding insult to injury, mb restricts the sale of the tcm so that the repair can only be made at an authorized mb dealership adding to the consumer's cost to repair the vehicle. The estimate repair cost is $1,500 at the dealership."
The failed valve body or conductor plate allegedly causes serious safety issues as the transmission tries to shift from first to second or higher gears while driving. The vehicle will enter limp mode no matter what speed the vehicle is traveling, causing drivers and others on the highway to cope with the sudden hazards.
Despite this, the automaker has allegedly failed to take action to protect customers and fix the transmissions, especially when failures occur outside the warranty periods. Owners also claim they are stuck paying huge bills to replace the 7G-Tronic transmissions when Mercedes should be responsible for the alleged defects.
One of the plaintiffs says his vehicle suffered from transmission failure and he was stuck with the bill.
Plaintiff Terry Hamm owns a 2006 Mercedes Benz CLK-350 he purchased in 2013 when the vehicle had about 75,000 miles. Months later Hamm noticed the car would occasionally go into limp mode wherein the car got stuck in a low gear and wouldn't accelerate.
The plaintiff says he took the vehicle to a mechanic who said the problem would be tough to diagnose because it happened sporadically. Hamm claims the vehicle continued to enter limp mode every six months, but by 2015 the problem got worse and the engine light illuminated.
Mr. Hamm then brought his vehicle to a repair shop that said the 722.9 7G-Tronic transmission needed the conductor plate replaced and the valve body reprogrammed. Mercedes-Benz allegedly denied to assist the plaintiff and he was forced to pay more than $1,000 for repairs.
Hamm claims he repeatedly asked for help from Mercedes and its dealers but was refused at every corner because the warranty expired.
According to the class-action lawsuit, the 722.9 7G-Tronic transmission was first launched overseas in C-Class vehicles in 2000, then in the U.S. in 2005 in various models. The lawsuit alleges this shows the automaker had five years to admit the transmissions were defective.
The Mercedes-Benz 722.9 transmission lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division - Hamm v. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
The plaintiffs are represented by the Katriel Law Firm, Braun Law Group, P.C., and Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman, P.C.
