Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 07/25/2012 | 139535 | 1 | |
| I was coming off west rt 46. i came to a stop sign,made a right and as i was driving heard a thump noise....then as i drove a squeaking noise and i pulled over,looked at the car ,around it and under it and didn't see anything. i drove it slowly abt a mile home. when i got home i opened the hood and didn't see anything. i drove it to my mechanic around the corner and he told me i had a spring coil failure. i researched this issue and found that this was prevalent in certain mercedes vehicles and that there was a recall in canada for this failing part. i'm attempting to have mercedes cover some of the costs to have this repaired. *tr | |||
| 07/25/2012 | 139535 | ||
| I was coming off west rt 46. i came to a stop sign,made a right and as i was driving heard a thump noise....then as i drove a squeaking noise and i pulled over,looked at the car ,around it and under it and didn't see anything.i drove it slowly abt a mile home. when i got home i opened the hood and didn't see anything.i drove it to my mechanic around the corner and he told me i had a spring coil failure.i researched this issue and found that this was prevelant in certain mercedes vehicles and that there was a recall in canada for this failing part.i'm attempting to have mercedes cover some of the costs to have this repaired. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 11/08/2009 | 102000 | 1 | |
| While driving, heard a rattling sound from the front end of the car. short while later, started to proceed from a stop and the front passenger side suspension coil spring came off the car and exited out the wheel well with a big bang and rolled down the street about 75 feet. *tr | |||
| 03/05/2008 | 140000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercedes benz e300 diesel. while servicing the vehicle, the contact noticed that the spring perch on the front driver and passenger sides was rusting and separated from the suspension chassis. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the failure mileage was 140,000. | |||
| 01/21/2006 | 115200 | 1 | 12/01/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle was making a noise in the front end. the vehicle was taken to the contact's repair shop and determined the upper spring support on the driver's side broke. the contact welded in a new upper spring support. | |||
| 11/15/2002 | 64000 | 1 | 03/15/1999 |
| Severe rust damage to front passenger suspension component and front frame rail. rust hole big enough to put a human fist into. approximately $3000 in rust repairs, on a car with less than 67,000 miles on it. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | |||
| 09/10/2007 | 80000 | 1 | 05/22/2003 |
| Mr. gary bound mercedes benz 3 paragon montvale nj 07645 dear mr. bound, i would like to request your assistance on a very troubling matter. i have 1997 mercedes e 420, , (it has 81,000 miles) which recently developed a serious driving safety issue, more precisely a lack of steering control. i was so alarmed by the handling; i took my vehicle to the closest repair shop for an analysis of the problem. (i didn't feel safe driving the vehicle the extra distance to a mb dealer). after a quick examination they told me that the coil spring tower had become detached from the frame. they said the repair was possibly in the thousands of dollars range. they also told me they had seen this problem many times, particularly with the e series. according to them it has to do with the type of steel used, the welds, and an unusual amount of extraordinary metal fatigue regardless of miles or age of vehicle. they also informed me that mercedes benz was aware of this issue, and mb was considering absorbing the costs of these repairs, even though this issue has occurred after the warranty has expired. i also understand that nhtsa is so concerned about a pattern of these failures that they are urging an official recall. but understandably mb would prefer not to deal with an official recall. now obviously i'm concerned about my safety, as well as getting a quality repair to the vehicle asap-- without paying thousands of dollars for this to be resolved out of my pocket.. i was given your name by a man named mitch carr, of mitch?s auto service in kensington maryland. as you may be aware he specializes in mercedes repairs. he explained that you had first hand knowledge of this problem; apparently either you or your staff have visited his shop to see mercedes vehicles with this problem. mark slimp, mslimp@aarp.org *tr | |||
| 09/07/2007 | 200750 | 1 | 09/06/2007 |
| On a 1997 mercedes e300d, the right front spring perch is corroding consistent with the manner described in complaint pe07021. *jb | |||
| 07/27/2006 | 129600 | 1 | |
| Driving straight at about 25 mph when the left front spring perch broke. i was able to stop car with no injury or damage to the car. *nm | |||
| 01/15/2006 | 78000 | 15 | 06/30/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 mph on normal road conditions, the vehicle's front end started shaking. the problem was getting worst. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop for inspection who notified the perch, which supported the coils springs, were separated from the structure. the manufacturer referred the contact to a dealership who acknowledged the defect and notified the cost would be covered by the contact. | |||
| 03/13/2006 | 79000 | 1 | 07/01/2000 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the front passenger side coil spring fell off. the vehicle has not been seen by a mechanic. | |||
| 10/24/2005 | 77635 | 07/22/2005 | |
| While driving at 35 mph down a small hill the front passenger spring mount (perch) on my 1997 e 300 diesel (w210) broke off causing the coil spring to fall off of the car. this was an unbelievably dangerous occurrance and luckily it did not happen when i was going 65 mph. i have brought the car my autobody shop and we are still working on who will cover the cost of my repairs (insurance or mb) | |||
| 09/29/2004 | 104000 | 1 | 03/21/2003 |
| Dt: the consumer found out this morning that the spring housing was corroded. the front coil spring housing corroded and broke away from the body on front passenger's side. this was discovered by the consumer while he was rotating his tires. he felt the spring could come out and cause the loss of vehicle control. there has been no repair or replacement at this time. the consumer planned to contact the dealer this afternoon. there were other complaints listed on the nhtsa website and other websites as well. the mercedes owner website had a number of complaints listed. the vehicle is an e420. the chassis number w210.*ak | |||
| 09/21/2005 | 100100 | 1 | 10/01/2000 |
| Spring perch is cheaply welded to the wheel well on the mercedes 210 chassis (1997 e420). all other cards have it attached to a solid bar. mercedes welded it to very thin sheet metal which mercedes knows has been failing at an alarming rate (dealer admitted this to me - they see this problem every week). 18 inch long suspension spring popped out of my car while moving. i could have been killed as car is uncontrollable after suspension gives out. inexcusable design flaw that mercedes knows is a daily problem for anyone with the 210 chassis (and the heavier engines (420, 430 etc.) where there is additional weight on the front suspension). service rep at dealer even told me that he has seen it happen on the highway and knew exactly what was going on b/c he sees it so often. luckily, the car he witnessed was able to get to the break-down lane/shoulder for safety. this is a potentially deadly failure of the suspension on the mercedes 210 chassis. *nm | |||
| 03/17/2005 | 57000 | 1 | 01/13/2004 |
| Loud pop and car became difficult to drive. front spring support (perch) came loose from the frame rail. front suspension was removed, new support was welded to the frame and suspension replaced. after reading owners forums on the internet, it has become quite obvious that many mercedes benz w210 chassis cars (e class) have had this problem. apparently it has to do with a sealant failing that allows water to sit in the joint where the support is welded to the frame.*ak | |||
| 08/26/2004 | 80000 | 1 | 08/28/2003 |
| Left front spring mount failed while car being driven approx. 45 mph failure due to poor weld. dealer reimbursed only 50% of cost. there are approximately 14 of these same failures on your site. please investigate.*ak | |||
| 09/10/2004 | 2 | 08/24/2004 | |
| Removed left front wheel and found upper suspension spring perch breaking away from body, could see possible loss of steering. no incident yet but an accident avoided. dealer has this particular part in stock and asked if it had come apart yet because they had seen it before.*ak | |||
| 10/20/2003 | 90000 | 1 | |
| I am a mercedes benz technician of 20 years experience and have become aware of an outrageously dangerous situation that needs immediate investigation. on certain models of mercedes benz 210 bodies the support that holds the upper portion of the coil spring in place is rusting off of the frame. if it breaks all of the way the entire front suspension will collapse. it is only happening to the right from and not the left belief is an improper weld or defective metal in the mount itself. my understanding is that it effects 96-98 cars so far. the dealers are not covering this under warranty. you can confirm how many cars are being affected by simply asking mercedes how many of the right side supports they have sold in the last 18 months as opposed to the left side. my guess is that it will be better than a 100 to 1 ratio only time a part like this should ever need replacement is accident damage. they are telling customers that they must have hit a pothole and so you will most likely not get many consumer complaints do not know what it takes to trigger an investigation but i hope that my years of exclusive mb experience will carry at least some weight to consider the complaint as worth a phone call to mercedes about the number of mounts they have sold.i am happy to talk to you but need to be protected from repercussions from mercedes for obvious reasons. if you need an actual car let me know and i will supply you with that info rmation. *ak | |||
| 08/19/2003 | 93000 | 1 | |
| Fax fm tom and helen silver (nj) re the defective front coil springs on their 1997 e 420 merecedes benz. *mr while the vehicle sat idling, the right front coil spring detached (probable partial detachment) from its welded position and caused the right front ability to support that portion of the vehicle. the dealer stated that the left front coil spring was about to give away. (e 420) *scc *jb | |||
| 05/19/2000 | |||
| Front drivers side spring flew off car while driving and took a large chunk of the tire with it. *nlm | |||