Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM | |||||
| 22-P-052325 | 08/11/2011 | 10044180 | Xentry: 'airmatic- service required' or 'elc- service required' in display- 'fc5151- b22/3 (rear axle sensor): signal implausible' stored. *js | 05/17/2012 | |
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 | |||
| 04/09/2012 | 131000 | ||
| I was driving down a back road in my 1996 mecedes e320 when i heard a bang and the passenger front side dropped. the front coil spring had popped out. if i had been going any faster i would have lost control of the car. i have heard that the front coil spring mounts in this model corrode due to inproper undercoating. | |||
| 10/10/2006 | 67000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1996 mercedes e320. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the front end suspension springs fractured, causing the contact to loose control of the vehicle. the contact crashed into the side rail on the highway. the contact spoke with a mechanic who stated that he had never experienced the type of failure described. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 67,000. kmj | |||
| 10/10/2006 | 67000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1996 mercedes e320. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph the front end suspension springs broke on the vehicle. this caused the contact to loose control and hit the side rail on the highway. the contact spoke with a mechanic who stated this had been problem with the vehicle. the vehicle had not been to the dealer. the failure mileage and current mileages were 67,000.rl | |||
| 03/23/2004 | 70000 | 1 | |
| While backing out of the drive way, the consumer heard a loud thump coming from the front of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic who found the front suspension had broken away from the chassis. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 10/15/2007 | 227850 | 1 | |
| I recently heard a loud pop from the front of my car while traveling at highway speed. i stopped to inspect the noise and found that the car was slightly leaning to the right. not seeing anything on the roadside, i drove it home slowly to inspect further. information i read online informed me of a design flaw involving the failure of spot welds that attach the front, top coil spring perch to the chassis. upon deeper inspection i found my r side spring perch welds were 80% failed and the force of the coil spring had bent the spring perch up 45 deg. from normal. evidently the noise i heard were the welds breaking! the coil spring was bulging outward, about to pop out. thankfully, the spot welds did not fully let go on this curvy road. if they had fully failed at highway speeds the car most certainly would have lost control and death could have been the result. i called the dealership and they offered to weld a new spring perch in for $440. the l side had already been corrected by a previous owner. i have photos and the failed part in my possession. i was totally unaware of this problem when i bought the car. i had it inspected but the defect was missed. at a minimum, owners of this make, year and model should be contacted and warned of this problem. the manufacturer should recall and repair at no charge. *tr | |||
| 04/12/2009 | 134000 | 1 | |
| Front spring perches must have been rusted at the welding seam. when i was driving at 35 mph i heard a big snap and the front of the car hit the ground at which point i lost steering control. the front perches must have dislodged and almost caused accident while i was driving. this is a vital part of the suspension/steering system and should be recalled. the dealership would not help out replacing this part. this is clearly a manufacturing issue and should be recalled. luckily i was driving on a local road, or it could have caused an accident or death, at which point they would have had a lawsuit on their hands. i also had 2 additional passengers at the time of the occurrence. this event could have been prevented by a recall as i've also heard the same issues from other owners. the car is a mercedes benz 1996 e320 with 134,000 miles on it. *tr | |||
| 07/08/2008 | 1 | ||
| Mercedes have a front suspension problem. consumer states that the front driver side dropped and wants to know why there is not a recall for this. *nj the technicians found the problem to be the perch, which had to do with the front suspension letting go, which caused the frame to drop. *jb | |||
| 08/02/2006 | 1 | ||
| The left front upper spring perch failed causing the suspension to collapse. this occurred due to poor design of the perch attachment to the frame. the failure occurred in my driveway, luckily not at speed on the road where total loss of control would have occurred. the perch and spring was replaced. *nm | |||
| 10/27/2004 | 44000 | 1 | |
| The consumer was pulling out of the driveway and hit the brakes. the consumer got out of the vehicle and discovered that the suspension of the vehicle had dropped down to the ground. it was also discovered that 3 spot welds had failed. the consumer notified the manufacturer and was told that there was a repair kit for this problem. provide further details. *jb | |||
| 07/07/2003 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states theatfront suspension is rusted, all suspension brackets collapsed. dealer notified. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | |||
| 04/05/2007 | 135000 | 1 | |
| 1996 mercedes benz e320. front suspension collapsed due to faulty spring perch. this seems to be a common problem among w210 chassis vehicles. *ak | |||
| 05/28/2006 | 110000 | 1 | |
| Highway driving 45-50 mph when there is a loud clunk from underneath car followed by a slight loss of handling looked in rearview mirror and saw a spring lying in the street. upon stopping to inspect the vehicle and retrieve the spring i noticed the drivers side front was very low. i looked underneath the car and saw what appeared to be a rusty mangled can. come to find out it was the spring top mount and it had rusted completely away from the frame. had to have vehicle towed over 60 miles away to have repaired. had to have parts re-welded and fabricated at the shop to solve the problem. *jb | |||
| 05/09/2005 | 1 | 01/15/2001 | |
| Corroded driver side spring housing on 1996 e320 mercedes benz. corroded to the extent that it spring could have dislarged. reports have been made in other locals that this has occured. manufacturer contacted and investigating, but hasn't recalled part. | |||
| 02/15/2005 | 63999 | 1 | |
| Front coil spring top support corroded and broke away from the body. when driving vehicle became unstable. currently vehicle cannot be driven. *ak consumer heard that this was a common problem with the 1996 e class mercedes . *bf | |||
| 05/08/2003 | 61000 | 1 | 10/14/1996 |
| While driving the front left coil spring failed. *jb the coil spring failure caused the consumer to lose control of the vehicle.*ts *jb | |||
| 09/14/2001 | 1 | ||
| The front left upper spring support bracket rusted and bent under normal daily driving conditions, this allowed the spring to become partially exposed. *slc | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY - HANGER,BRACKET | |||
| 06/02/2007 | 1 | ||
| Front spring perches are rusted at the welding seam. it is only a matter of time before perch dislodges and may cause accident or death while driving. this is a vital part of the suspension/steering system and should be recalled. the best deal the dealership can give is half off repair bill. this is a manufacturing issue and should be for free!!! *tr | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 03/05/2002 | |||
| There is a bolt that disconnects from the frame of vehicle, causing some noise. bolt dis onnects from way bar mount. *ak | |||