Mercedes Benz C220 1996
Model C220 made in 1996 by Mercedes Benz got 43 consumer complains as well as 2 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to air bags and electrical system. Technical service bulletines regarding service brakes, air.
Model 1996
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - ANTILOCK | |||||
| PB-42-30-103 | 01/13/2009 | 10028624 | Mercedes vehicle: the anti-lock brake system (abs) return flow pump running without control with corresponding fault code c1401, clean and insulated the connector for the return flow pump relay. models 202 and 208. model years unknown. | 05/12/2009 | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - ANTILOCK - CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | |||||
| PB-42-30-103 | 01/13/2009 | 10028624 | Mercedes vehicle: the anti-lock brake system (abs) return flow pump running without control with corresponding fault code c1401, clean and insulated the connector for the return flow pump relay. models 202 and 208. model years unknown. | 05/12/2009 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 1 | |||
| During vehicle front end collision there was no deployment of the air bags which resulted in injury to the consumer (attorney for consumer). *mjs | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 06/10/2010 | 146000 | 1 | |
| While accelerating the mercedes c220 will surge, stall and cut engine power or cut out. idle is unstable. wiring harness insulation is crumbling. *tr | |||
| 06/10/2010 | 146000 | ||
| While accelerating the mercedes c220 will surge, stall and cut engine power or cut out. idle is unstable. wiring harness insulation is crumbling. | |||
| 11/30/2011 | |||
| Wiring harness damaged causing decreased performance, check engine light, and lower fuel economy | |||
| 03/03/2011 | 60000 | ||
| Engine wiring harness wire insulation is beginning to biodegrade and crumble apart. car will not be able to pass emissions without a replacement part, which costs no less than $1350 (for a wire bundle and hookups that are doomed to fail again in the same way), plus 4-7 hours of labor costs. car has less than 60k miles on it and is in otherwise great condition. after speaking with the mechanic, he said anyone who owns this make of car will have a mandatory $2000 wire harness replacement fee somewhere along the way (at least once, if not every few years). even with a replacement, it will only postpone the issue until the new one inevitably begins to break down. extremely poor automotive design! mercedes should be held accountable for what appears to be a massive design flaw affecting all cars of several similar models within a half-decade or more time frame. the makers of the faulty part are making bank off of mandatory repairs and part replacements due to their own negligence. that is absolutely wrong and unethical, and the makers should be held accountable and be forced to recall the part. | |||
| 09/01/2008 | 1 | ||
| I have a 1996 mercedes benz. the car literally shuts off on the road. i have replaced maf and o2 sensors repeatedly to no avail. i'm told by my mechanic that the problem is a corroded engine wiring harness. *tr | |||
| 08/07/2008 | 138000 | 1 | |
| Car surges, stalls, idles rough, and also revs at about 4000 rpm. took to repair shop, was told electrical harness was deteriorating causing these problems and also other problems. mechanic stated this was a common problem for early 90s mercedes. wiring harness cost $1,198.75. have not repaired at this time. *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 04/14/2007 | 78000 | 1 | 02/01/1996 |
| My mercedes benz 220c went dead at stop light causing danger to who ever was driving. i took auto to mercedes dealer who informed me that wire harness was deteriorating after only 80,000 miles on car. also air flow was bad. *tr | |||
| 07/11/2007 | 169000 | 15 | 01/10/2004 |
| Engine keeps shutting off while accelerating. this happened several times while driving sometimes in the left lane and then have to coast to the side. very scary and unsafe!. ! i took vehicle to the mechanic and he said the engine wire harness needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 01/11/2007 | 1 | ||
| The engine light came on and the engine surges up and down. vehicle is difficult to drive. *nm | |||
| 06/14/2006 | 78393 | 1 | 07/22/1996 |
| Severe degradation of the engine wiring harness which shorted out the air mass meter and throttle actuator. the vehicle stalled in heavy rush hour traffic. this wiring deterioration could have easily resulted in a vehicle fire, as has occurred in other mercedes-benz vehicles with this defect. mercedes has denied any responsibility. *jb | |||
| 11/28/2003 | 74250 | 10 | |
| Wiring harness on a 1996 mercedes c220 with 74,000 miles intermittently failing, and causing car to stall on freeway and surface streets. this is putting me and my family in danger, as well as other drivers. mercedes does not recognize this as a problem, there are numerous websites dedicated to this issue, hundreds of cases, and no response. this part which should outlast the car, is failing on cars with less than 100,000. i am afraid to drive my car! i don't know if it is going to completely stop in the middle of the freeway... and get me into an accident. *la | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 10/10/2005 | 3 | ||
| The 1996 mercedes c220 had a defective engine wiring harness. the check engine light came on and i serviced the car. the mechanic mentioned that mercedes used a recycled wiring cover that with the high temperature cracked and even melted. i was told by the service technician that he changed a few, and there was no charge. my car was not included, and i was requested to pay for everything. this was unexplainable. i had to pay twice for the diagnostic ($120) and for the labor ($700.). the engine wiring harness costs $1400.00. i am negotiating with customer service if they could cover the costs because it was an issue of poor workmanship or quality. i have never herd of engine wires cracking and melting on a car!! the service person was very nice and mentioned that this was not the first time and some even resulted in fires. i do believe that this should be recalled in all cars that mercedes benz cars that have been equipped with this type of recycled wire covering. it is a danger to all that drive this cars and others that it may effect if an accident results. to ignore this issue after it has been brought to the attention of customer service is to hold them liable in all accidents, deaths and injury that involve these vehicles. *ak | |||
| 04/20/2007 | 169000 | 1 | 07/01/2005 |
| 1996 mercedes c220 - wiring has deteriorated to the point of the car no longer running, but they want to charge me $1080 just for the 30 feet of wiring harness to replace it - not to mention labor charges. driving down the highway and the car just flooded out, started smoking, and quit. now it will start then immediately die. mechanic showed me the inside of numerous engine wiring channels where exposed copper wires lay next to each other with crumbly dry-rot looking rubber material which used to be insulation. this car has been meticulously taken care of. i have searched and found this problem reported all over the internet with people complaining but mb refuses to repair for a cheaper charge for their own factory defect. the dealer says that many left the assembly line already cracked back in 1996 as they had to replace many under warranty back then. this sounds like a deliberate scam to force customers to pay high repair costs for a known factory defect. *jb | |||
| ENGINE | |||
| 06/10/2010 | 146000 | 1 | |
| While accelerating the mercedes c220 will surge, stall and cut engine power or cut out. idle is unstable. wiring harness insulation is crumbling. *tr | |||
| 06/10/2010 | 146000 | ||
| While accelerating the mercedes c220 will surge, stall and cut engine power or cut out. idle is unstable. wiring harness insulation is crumbling. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 08/10/2011 | |||
| I was driving home, when i heard the seat belt start squeaking, then after a while i smelled smoke and then smoke started coming out of the hood and the engine died suddenly in the middle of the road. i pushed the car to the side of the road and opened the hood to let the smoke out. i was thinking i was out of coolant, but the reservoir tank was full. i waited for at least one hour to let the engine cool off, before restarting the car. the car started after the 3rd try, but the squeaking was getting louder as i started driving home. i went drove to the store with my other car to buy a belt dresser or belt spray and sprayed it on the belt. i went to check online to find the closest mercedes benz repair shop and ran across the edmond.com website and found there was a recall on the 1996 mb c220 regarding the drive belt pulley with recall# 96v058000 and t hen called mbusa to inquire about the recalled model, but she told me that my car's vin# was not on the recall list. so what can i do about the problem described on edmond.com when the recall symptoms are the same. i don't understand why the same year and model of my car has not been recalled. updated 08/31/11 *bf | |||
| 08/09/2011 | 75000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1996 mercedes c220. the contact stated the engine started making a squeaking noise and then started smoking. the contact stated the vehicle stalled after the it started smoking. the contact feels the failure is caused by the drive belt pulley. the vehicle had not been inspected. the failure mileage and current mileages were 75,000.rl | |||
| 10/15/2008 | 1 | ||
| The car is very hard to start (doesn't fire immediately), the idle speed races higher and lower without driver input. the car looses power at highway speeds without driver input. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 01/11/2007 | 1 | ||
| The engine light came on and the engine surges up and down. vehicle is difficult to drive. *nm | |||
| EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL - AIR CONDITIONER | |||
| 2 | 05/01/1996 | ||
| Failed part within the air conditioner unit. | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY | |||
| 1 | 02/08/1996 | ||
| Gas gauge failed. | |||
| PARKING BRAKE - CONVENTIONAL - MECHANICAL - LINKAGE AND CABLE | |||
| 12/21/1996 | 1 | 12/01/1995 | |
| Emergency brake cable failed. | |||
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - ANCHORAGE | |||
| 1 | |||
| Seat belt failed. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Brakes failed. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | |||
| 1 | |||
| Brakes failed. | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR | |||
| 03/17/1996 | 1 | 03/16/1996 | |
| Door handle failed. | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 06/10/2010 | 146000 | 1 | |
| While accelerating the mercedes c220 will surge, stall and cut engine power or cut out. idle is unstable. wiring harness insulation is crumbling. *tr | |||
| 06/10/2010 | 146000 | ||
| While accelerating the mercedes c220 will surge, stall and cut engine power or cut out. idle is unstable. wiring harness insulation is crumbling. | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AR | LITTLE ROCK | RIVERSIDE MOTORS | ||
| CA | LAGUNA NIGUEL | 92677 | MERCEDES-BENZ OF LAGUNA NIGUEL | 949-347-3860 |
| LA | ALEXANDRIA | 71301 | HIXON |