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 | |||
| 10/29/2011 | 165000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mercedes benz e320. the contact stated while driving 20 mph, he heard a cracking noise underneath the front end. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the front driver's spring perch fractured. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 165,000. | |||
| 10/29/2011 | 165000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1997 mercedes benz e320. the contact stated while driving 20 mph, he heard a cracking noise underneath the front end. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the front driver's spring perch fractured. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 165,000. rvk | |||
| 10/29/2011 | 165000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1997 mercedes benz e320. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph, he heard a cracking noise coming from under the front end. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the front driver's spring perch fractured. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 165,000. sm. | |||
| 09/09/2011 | 197000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mercedes benz e320. while driving 40 mph, the front end of the vehicle collapsed without warning. the dealer was contacted but did not offer any assistance. the manufacturer was made aware of the vehicle. the vehicle was not inspected or repaired. the current and failure mileages were 197,000. | |||
| 05/10/2006 | 90000 | 1 | 06/27/1997 |
| Car (1997 e 320 with 90k miles) was in for routine 90k maintenance and mechanic found cracked spring perch assembly. dealer called to tell me it must be fixed, car is unsafe to drive and that a fatal crash could result at high speeds. but told me that because car is out of warranty, they will not pay for it. later told me they will pay for half as part of goodwill warranty. half??? what if there was a crash due to this? what if i had not brought it in for routine service? i was told by an unnamed source at the dealer that they see tons of these problems with the e class, from 1996-2000 models. he also said that there should be a recall on the affected e class. another service manager told me that they have no idea when the other one could break. but that they would not proactively replace it before it shows signs of trouble. he basically told me that i should take the 50% goodwill warranty and shut up or they would pull the offer off the table!!! unbelievable that a company like mercedes benz would tolerate that kind of customer abuse from a punk service manager. i thought i would be a lifelong mercedes customer, but after this horrible customer service, i will never buy another. too bad, because the loaner car i am driving while my repair is being done is a fantastic car (i'm in the market for a new one) and i'd buy one tomorrow if it were not for this. instead, i will be buying a lexus. mercedes should be very concerned about safety with this well-documented problem instead of protecting corporate profits. shame on you mercedes benz. this is bad business. *nm | |||
| 96500 | 1 | 04/01/2003 | |
| The left and right suspension springs were rusted.*mr *ts *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 02/17/2011 | 74000 | ||
| 1997 e320 4 doors sedan was driving down the stree on the hwy and a very loud noise scare me. pull over over, then drive slowly to the gaz station and was told very bad news driver side front spring perch broke off and separate from the car | |||
| 07/15/2009 | 110800 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercedes benz e320. while the contact was driving 65 mph he noticed that the front end of the vehicle suddenly dropped on the ground. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the front brace spring needed to be replaced. the current and failure mileages were 110800. | |||
| 03/25/2008 | 112000 | 1 | 08/01/2006 |
| Driving my 1997 mercedes benz e320 at 30 mph along a semi-rough road when a loud clanking began for no apparent reason. after a mechanic looked at it, it was found that the spring perch had become detached from the chassis. *tr | |||
| 02/19/2006 | 169800 | 1 | 06/01/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 mph the front suspension coil spring detached. the vehicle was driven to the dealership where they replaced the left front coil spring bracket, left front body apron, left front coil spring, and restored corrosion protection. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM | |||
| 98000 | 1 | ||
| While driving upper spring mount detached and the spring assembly fell onto the pavement. this resulted in front end failure, which almost caused loss of control. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | |||
| 09/18/2005 | 108000 | 1 | 11/25/2004 |
| While driving down the road at approximately 30 mph the coil spring from the left front of the car flew off. it nearly missed a car driving in the opposite direction and a pedestrian. apparently, the spring perch broke off the car allowing the spring to fly out. i have never heard of this problem with any other make and model of car. if this had happened at a higher rate of speed there may have been a death. the dealer claims this is a rare defect although research on the internet says it is very common. *jb | |||
| 05/10/2004 | 80000 | 2 | |
| While vehicle was parked consumer heard the front springs snap. consumer had the vehicle towed. dealership repaired the problem once, but problem recurred. *ak | |||
| 03/27/2001 | 1 | ||
| While traveling at 10 mph rivet which secured coil spring brace to frame rusted, allowing bracket which hold the coil spring to pull away, causing vehicle to drop and driver lost control. dealer was notified, and informed consumer that they would replace rivet at 50% off repairs. please feel free to provide us with any further details concerning this matter. *ak | |||