Mercedes Benz 300e 1998

Model 300e made in 1998 by Mercedes Benz got 9 consumer complains as well as 1 investigation. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to engine and engine cooling and exterior lighting. The car had one investigation (suspension).

300e year 1998

Defect investigations
Consumer Complaints

Car dealers

Model 1998

Investigations

NHTSA ID	Manufacturer	Date open	Date close	Subject
SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS
PE07021	MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC.	04/19/2007	08/09/2007	FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRING EJECTION
	Odi has focused this investigation on assessing the risks posed by a separated spring as (1) a road hazard and (2) the potential for vehicle control to be compromised after the front coil spring has been ejected from its intended position in the vehicle.both risks are associated with corrosion, flexing, and fracture of the upper front suspension mounting bracket.time-in-service failure rates are notably higher in salt belt states since corrosion is a primary contributor to the failure mode.since a number of incidents have occurred while the vehicle was being operated, odi is skeptical that owners can always detect the subtle side to side difference in ride height and/or inspect or notice that the upper suspension bracket has been compromised by corrosion.(1) road hazard - although the (approx. 7 lb.) front suspension spring that may be ejected at highway speeds could pose a serious road hazard to pedestrians and other vehicles, the occurrence rate has been low (.03% based on 51 reported incidents occurring and an initial population of 172,781 vehicles after 9 - 12 years of use / exposure) and there are no known injuries, fatalities, or property damage reports due to an ejected spring.also, many of the 51 incidents occurred at low speed or while the vehicle was stopped or parked.(2) vehicle control - vehicle handling and control could be affected by the fracture of the upper suspension mount and/or the associated spring ejection.odi first identified its concern about corrosion in the upper suspension bracket of subject vehicles in 2002, at which time mercedes provided a video that showed that a vehicle could be steered, stopped, and controlled through various maneuvers at high speeds with a front coil spring completely missing from the vehicle. during pe07-021, in addition to reviewing the 2002 video-tape, odi engineers drove an exemplar vehicle with the spring removed and simulated various combinations of steering angles to assess whether there were any possible conditions / displacements in which the separated spring might interfere with the wheels. in a vehicle with the front spring removed, the top of the wheel can lightly contact the bottom area of the wheel fender during high angle turns typically associated with slower speed maneuvers such as city driving. the light tire contact generated an obvious grinding noise and would likely abrade or bend the edge of the fender with continued use.however, the extent of the interference was not sufficient to affect vehicle steering and does not occur at smaller turning angles associated with highway driving.odi has not identified a safety related defect trend at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that a safety related defect does not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if future circumstances warrant.

Consumer Complaints

Fail date	miles	occurences	Purchase date
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
		2
	While traveling at any speed vehicle stalled, consumer lost control of the vehicle. manufacturer failed to provide a suggestive remedy, and the dealer was not able to duplicate problem. this has been going on for several years. *ak
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - DIESEL
11/19/2003	106223	2	05/20/1998
	Unintended sudden acceleration resulting in crash, resulting from oil into intake from seal on turbo charger. car had been routinely serviced 5 days prior, with error message on air mass sensor. part was replaced. this error message also occurred 15 months before, and was also replaced then. car had been running normal prior to both servicing. no engine indicator warnings ever came on prior to crash. seat belt apparatus also broke upon impact on drivers side when my head struck it. *jb
11/14/2002
	Consumer attempted to start vehicle with no success. checked oil and dipstick was dry. consumer added additional oil and vehicle started. rechecked oil and realized that it was overfilled. took vehicle to dealer who diagnosed car has a defective shut-off valve. dealer informed consumer that if car is parked on an incline the oil and fuel will drain to an area outside of shut off valve making the car think it has no oil or fuel. consumer stated contacted manufacturer who acknowledged that problem does exist. ts
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - OTHER FUEL TYPES - TURBO-CHARGER
05/12/2004	65000		05/29/1998
	I was driving in the middle lane of a 3 lane eastbound interstate 10 in gulfport, ms in a light rain ( it had been heavy 2 hours before ) with cruise control on at 65 mph. i had just come over the lorraine cowen (spelling?) exit and a little after the car was on the flat road, the car without warning spun 180 degrees and we were backward on the interstate. seeing the tracks on the shoulder the next day, the car came off the interstate backwards at about a 15 to 20 degree angle, spun another 270 degrees at the lower extent of the cleared embankment, and went into the woods. it miraculously missed all large trees and the 3 passengers sustained no injuries at all. no air bags deployed as there was no severe impact, the most severe area of impact damage being somewhile in the ride hitting the left rear door area more severely, as the largest dent was there. the spin-out was not proceeded by any hydroplaning from the front end. there was no evidence of pooled water on the road at that point. i was completely baffled at why when going absolutely straight, with no brake or wheel movements and not encountering notable water, the car should suddenly spin. after thinking about this, i theorize that the car picked up speed going downhill from the elevated overpass of the road crossing the interstate. the area of spin out would be consistent with when the slowing car would have again gotten power from the cruise control. the car was an e300 turbodiesel and it on acceleration from starting has always had a turbo lag with a very noticeable burst of power when the turbo comes in. it is not like the other diesels i have had in that it delivers considerable torque--243 ft.lb.@ 2600 rpm. i hypothesize that the sudden application of torque on the wet road threw the rear end around. if this problem has been encountered in other cases, at the least, a warning to never use the cruise control in the rain should be put out. i have given up cruise control for good.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS

	Certain new mercedes have headlights with a blue tint which causes a safety hazard to other drivers because of the brightness and glare.
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL
11/19/2003	106223	2	05/20/1998
	Unintended sudden acceleration resulting in crash, resulting from oil into intake from seal on turbo charger. car had been routinely serviced 5 days prior, with error message on air mass sensor. part was replaced. this error message also occurred 15 months before, and was also replaced then. car had been running normal prior to both servicing. no engine indicator warnings ever came on prior to crash. seat belt apparatus also broke upon impact on drivers side when my head struck it. *jb
SEAT BELTS - FRONT
11/19/2003	106223	2	05/20/1998
	Unintended sudden acceleration resulting in crash, resulting from oil into intake from seal on turbo charger. car had been routinely serviced 5 days prior, with error message on air mass sensor. part was replaced. this error message also occurred 15 months before, and was also replaced then. car had been running normal prior to both servicing. no engine indicator warnings ever came on prior to crash. seat belt apparatus also broke upon impact on drivers side when my head struck it. *jb
TIRES
11/15/2001		1	07/01/2001
	Tire on left rear of vehicle blew out. tire was less then one year old and had only 25,000 miles on it. michelin insisted it was a road hazard even though tire was left rear. *ak (tiresize: 215/55r-16)

Car dealers selling

State	City	Zip	Name	Phone
FL	PENSACOLA	32505	CENTENNIAL IMOPRTS INC.	850-4329903
TX	BEDFORD	76021	PARK PLACEMOTORCARS-MIDCITIES	817 359 4700