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 | |||
| 02/20/2013 | 182000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1999 mercedes e320. the contact stated that while exiting a driveway, the front drive shaft fractured and all of the air bags inadvertently deployed. the contact did not crash into anything prior to the failure. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic where they advised that they could not determine why the drive shaft was fractured. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 182,000. kmj | |||
| 02/20/2013 | 182000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1999 mercedes e320. the contact was pulling out of a driveway and the front drive shaft broke on the vehicle and all of the air bags deployed. the contact did not hit anything prior to the failure. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic and they stated that they could not determine why the drive shaft broke. the vehicle had not been repaired. the 182,000.rl | |||
| 09/29/2011 | 143700 | ||
| Front spring perch: this component is heavily corroded. it started to separate from the body work. spring is noticibly bent and touching the struts which is causing grinding and vibration. spring is very close to falling off which will cause the front end of the car to drop which i believe is very dangerous if the part fails while driving especially in the highway. please have mercedes benz issue a recall regarding this matter. i would hate for people to lose their lives if it's something that could've been prevented. | |||
| 07/21/2011 | 117000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1999 mercedes benz e320. the contact stated the spring perch that holds the spring assembley failed. while pulling out of the driveway at 5mph the structure body of the vehicle fail and went down on the tire. the vehicle was towed to a mechanic shop who stated he was not sure if he can repair the vehicle he has to order the parts. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 117,000....mw | |||
| 08/01/2009 | 80000 | 2 | 09/12/1998 |
| Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) september 12, 1998 i purchased a 1999 e320w.] i am the only owner of the car. the car is driven leisurely. to date, it only has 92,000 miles on it. i have been regularly obtaining the a & b maintenance services. the electrical system has been malfunctioning for months and mb allegedly can't diagnose it; and i have been using an excessive amount of oil. a second opinion mechanic said it is oil slugging which was recalled but mb won't honor. he also said my engine / motor now needs to be replaced. there is also an intermittent scraping on the passenger side. during all of the services to mb they never told me about the recall nor provided service to ensure that my car was not affected. they said it was not a total recall but a case-by-case situation and i am not eligible. i am very fearful when i am driving. each time i go out i fear what might happen. i do not have the funds to pay for a engine. please help me. i can provide a timeline of the history of my vehicle which with hindsight looks like i purchased a lemon. the second opinion mechanic informed me of the recall/class action but mb concealed the information. *tr the locks were inoperable and the key would not come out of the ignition, the check engine light illuminated, the serpentine belt, ball joints, tie rod ends were all replaced. the fuel sensor level was replaced. there was a shimmy in the suspension. the dealer replaced the tires and left rim. the valve stem was leaking, the left rear window was inoperable. the crankshaft position sensor was replaced. all of the dashboard lights intermittently, but regularly turn into line bars. the tail light circuit board and the right rear tail lamp, right front head light and left front parking bulbs were had to be replaced updated ivoq 05/27/10.*jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 04/28/2011 | 120000 | ||
| The suspension spring perch broken and spring coil fell out. | |||
| 05/07/2009 | 115000 | 1 | |
| After turning into the parking lot of a repair shop, the front of the vehicle dropped to the ground. further investigation by the repair shop found that the front spring perch had failed. *tr | |||
| 08/04/2008 | 98412 | 1 | |
| Funny noises from front end, then suspension dropped, disengaging from frame.*tr the consumer stated the bracing that held the shock and spring failed. updated 10/09/08. *jb upadted 03/01/10 | |||
| 09/06/2003 | 98000 | 1 | 03/26/1999 |
| The vehicle collapsed without any warning. the driver managed to get control of the vehicle. the driver checked the vehicle and noticed that the front suspension broke. the vehicle was towed to the dealership. *nlm the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the consumer tried to drive the vehicle into the garage when the right front collapsed. the consumer was told this was due to rusting. *sc *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - AIR SUSPENSION - SPRINGS/BAGS | |||
| 06/11/2004 | 85000 | 1 | |
| While backing the vehicle out of the garage the front dropped to the ground. after examining the vehicle consumer found that the entire front suspension collapsed. the suspension springs fell to the side of the vehicle. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||
| 04/25/2005 | 50000 | 2 | 01/21/2002 |
| Dt: front wheel bearing on car exploded causing damage to hub and spindle also damaging brakes. this incident happened on the right passenger side and last year on the drivers side. the first incident happened at 50,000 and the second time happened at 60,000. it is a contained unit, so it can not be maintained as though you could just add lubrication. service dealer was surprised at how this occurred at such low mileage. *tt *sb *nm | |||