Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| SB-32-22-78 | 05/06/2009 | SB-32-22-78A | 10028686 | Mercedes: air matic visit workshop displayed within instrument cluster. models 164, 211, 219, 221 and 251. included 4matic, amg (compressor) amg, bluetec and wagon. model years unknown. *pe updated 9/18/09. | 05/14/2009 |
| 2005060008 | 03/01/2006 | 2005060008 | 10016646 | Implausible or illogical messages can appear in the instrument cluster. *tt | 09/26/2005 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||||
| 2005070017 | 04/01/2006 | 2005070017 | 10016632 | The alternator regulator may fail to prevent voltage values ranging beyond the specified tolerance limits. *tt | 09/26/2005 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - SOFTWARE | |||||
| 2007100003 | 11/01/2007 | 10023784 | Models e320, e500, e55, e350, e550, e63, ml350, ml500, ml63, ml320, ml550, gl450, gl320, gl550 with diesel engine om 642 my 2006-2007 -- update engine control module software. *nj | 01/31/2008 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||||
| SB-59783 | 12/10/2010 | 10037653 | Mercedes-benz: there are electrical production quality issues that cause the air bag warning light to illuminate. *rm | 06/01/2011 | |
| SB-59783 | 12/10/2010 | 10037653 | Ready | 06/01/2011 | |
| LI-54-18 | 11/20/2009 | 10034567 | Mercedes benz (xentry): wiring harness is damaged in area of roof frame. vehicle can not be started because the chassis can bus and/or interior can fault codes stored in quick test. *pe | 12/06/2010 | |
| SB-32-22-78 | 05/06/2009 | SB-32-22-78A | 10028686 | Mercedes: air matic visit workshop displayed within instrument cluster. models 164, 211, 219, 221 and 251. included 4matic, amg (compressor) amg, bluetec and wagon. model years unknown. *pe updated 9/18/09. | 05/14/2009 |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | ||||||
| PE10017 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 05/14/2010 | 11/24/2010 | Driver Air Bag Circuit High Resistance | ||
| Mercedes-benz usa (mbusa) has reported a high number of warranty claims for air bag warning lamp illumination due to a diagnostic fault code 9103 or 9123 indicating a high resistance in the driver's frontal air bag firing circuit.mbusa's testing and evaluation have shown that this condition is the result of a faulty connector (specifically, improper wire crimp) but that it will not prevent proper deployment of the driver's frontal air bag.the faulty connector can cause the air bag circuit resistance levels to exceed the threshold that illuminates the air bag warning lamp, but they do not exceed a higher limit at which proper deployment of the air bag may no longer occur.the agency believes that further expenditure of agency resources does not appear to be warranted at this time.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency will monitor the issue and reserves the right to take future action if warranted by the circumstances.during the investigation, odi learned that mbusa will initiate a warranty extension program to address the faulty connectors in subject model year 2005 and 2006 e-class and other mbusa model/model year vehicles.this action will extend the warranty coverage for this issue to 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first.mbusa will notify all affected vehicle owners of this action.a bulletin describing this program is available in the investigative file. | ||||||
| PE10017 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 05/14/2010 | Driver's Frontal Air Bag Wiring Failure | |||
| Odi has received four complaints of steering column module wiring harness failures on my 2005-2006 mercedes-benz e-class vehicles.in december 2005, mercedes-benz usa issued a technical service bulletin (tsb no. p-b-91.60/99) and subsequently issued several minor revisions to the original tsb.the tsbs address reports of air bag warning lamp illumination accompanied by a diagnostic fault code 9103 or 9123 indicating a high resistance in the driver's frontal air bag ignition squib 1 or 2 (the air bag firing circuits), respectively.this condition may result in failure of the driver's first stage and/or second stage inflator to deploy in the event of an above deployment threshold frontal crash.according to the tsbs, the repair involves significant lengthening of the steering column module wiring harness by cutting and splicing each wire in the harness.thus, it appears possible that the wire ends in the original, shorter harness could pull out of the connector block thereby causing an open-circuit condition in the driver's air bag circuits.additionally, the tsbs cover my 2003-2009 e-class and my 2006-2010 cls-class vehicles.although odi has not received complaints involving all of these vehicles, odi will inquire about all vehicles covered by the above tsbs. | ||||||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | ||||||
| PE10017 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 05/14/2010 | 11/24/2010 | Driver Air Bag Circuit High Resistance | ||
| Mercedes-benz usa (mbusa) has reported a high number of warranty claims for air bag warning lamp illumination due to a diagnostic fault code 9103 or 9123 indicating a high resistance in the driver's frontal air bag firing circuit.mbusa's testing and evaluation have shown that this condition is the result of a faulty connector (specifically, improper wire crimp) but that it will not prevent proper deployment of the driver's frontal air bag.the faulty connector can cause the air bag circuit resistance levels to exceed the threshold that illuminates the air bag warning lamp, but they do not exceed a higher limit at which proper deployment of the air bag may no longer occur.the agency believes that further expenditure of agency resources does not appear to be warranted at this time.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency will monitor the issue and reserves the right to take future action if warranted by the circumstances.during the investigation, odi learned that mbusa will initiate a warranty extension program to address the faulty connectors in subject model year 2005 and 2006 e-class and other mbusa model/model year vehicles.this action will extend the warranty coverage for this issue to 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first.mbusa will notify all affected vehicle owners of this action.a bulletin describing this program is available in the investigative file. | ||||||
| PE10017 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 05/14/2010 | Driver's Frontal Air Bag Wiring Failure | |||
| Odi has received four complaints of steering column module wiring harness failures on my 2005-2006 mercedes-benz e-class vehicles.in december 2005, mercedes-benz usa issued a technical service bulletin (tsb no. p-b-91.60/99) and subsequently issued several minor revisions to the original tsb.the tsbs address reports of air bag warning lamp illumination accompanied by a diagnostic fault code 9103 or 9123 indicating a high resistance in the driver's frontal air bag ignition squib 1 or 2 (the air bag firing circuits), respectively.this condition may result in failure of the driver's first stage and/or second stage inflator to deploy in the event of an above deployment threshold frontal crash.according to the tsbs, the repair involves significant lengthening of the steering column module wiring harness by cutting and splicing each wire in the harness.thus, it appears possible that the wire ends in the original, shorter harness could pull out of the connector block thereby causing an open-circuit condition in the driver's air bag circuits.additionally, the tsbs cover my 2003-2009 e-class and my 2006-2010 cls-class vehicles.although odi has not received complaints involving all of these vehicles, odi will inquire about all vehicles covered by the above tsbs. | ||||||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | ||||||
| PE10017 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 05/14/2010 | 11/24/2010 | Driver Air Bag Circuit High Resistance | ||
| Mercedes-benz usa (mbusa) has reported a high number of warranty claims for air bag warning lamp illumination due to a diagnostic fault code 9103 or 9123 indicating a high resistance in the driver's frontal air bag firing circuit.mbusa's testing and evaluation have shown that this condition is the result of a faulty connector (specifically, improper wire crimp) but that it will not prevent proper deployment of the driver's frontal air bag.the faulty connector can cause the air bag circuit resistance levels to exceed the threshold that illuminates the air bag warning lamp, but they do not exceed a higher limit at which proper deployment of the air bag may no longer occur.the agency believes that further expenditure of agency resources does not appear to be warranted at this time.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency will monitor the issue and reserves the right to take future action if warranted by the circumstances.during the investigation, odi learned that mbusa will initiate a warranty extension program to address the faulty connectors in subject model year 2005 and 2006 e-class and other mbusa model/model year vehicles.this action will extend the warranty coverage for this issue to 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first.mbusa will notify all affected vehicle owners of this action.a bulletin describing this program is available in the investigative file. | ||||||
| PE10017 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 05/14/2010 | Driver's Frontal Air Bag Wiring Failure | |||
| Odi has received four complaints of steering column module wiring harness failures on my 2005-2006 mercedes-benz e-class vehicles.in december 2005, mercedes-benz usa issued a technical service bulletin (tsb no. p-b-91.60/99) and subsequently issued several minor revisions to the original tsb.the tsbs address reports of air bag warning lamp illumination accompanied by a diagnostic fault code 9103 or 9123 indicating a high resistance in the driver's frontal air bag ignition squib 1 or 2 (the air bag firing circuits), respectively.this condition may result in failure of the driver's first stage and/or second stage inflator to deploy in the event of an above deployment threshold frontal crash.according to the tsbs, the repair involves significant lengthening of the steering column module wiring harness by cutting and splicing each wire in the harness.thus, it appears possible that the wire ends in the original, shorter harness could pull out of the connector block thereby causing an open-circuit condition in the driver's air bag circuits.additionally, the tsbs cover my 2003-2009 e-class and my 2006-2010 cls-class vehicles.although odi has not received complaints involving all of these vehicles, odi will inquire about all vehicles covered by the above tsbs. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 09/05/2012 | 72488 | 1 | |
| 2006 mercedes benz model e350. strong fuel odor emanating from rear area (trunk) of vehicle on the outside. car would not start and towed by aaa to mercedes benz dealership/car repair. aaa tow driver stated that the odor of gasoline was so strong he was tempted in calling the fire department. mercedes benz service representative informed us at first that car was full of water. originally the mechanic claimed he found a pool of water inside the car's trunk. the service representative informed the technician of our complaint of a strong odor of fuel coming from both inside and outside the vehicle. it was at this time the technician stated that he found a heavy pool of fuel in the trunk area of the vehicle. they were unable to identify the source of the fuel leak. they changed the gasoline tank and fuel pump but were uncertain of the actual cause of the leak. the vehicle remained at the dealership for one week. mercedes benz service manager refused to acknowledge the fuel leak was caused by a factory defect and not by wear and tear of the parts and we were charged for all the repairs. we are aware that similar incidents have been reported for the same mercedes benz model in other states. we feel this needs to be addressed urgently before someone either gets hurt or loses their life. *tr | |||
| 09/05/2012 | 72488 | 1 | |
| 2006 mercedes benz model e350. strong fuel odor emanating from rear area (trunk) of vehicle on the outside. car would not start and towed by aaa to mercedes benz dealership/car repair. aaa tow driver stated that the odor of gasoline was so strong he was tempted in calling the fire department. mercedes benz service representative informed us at first that car was full of water. originally the mechanic claimed he found a pool of water inside the car's trunk. the service representative informed the technician of our complaint of a strong odor of fuel coming from both inside and outside the vehicle. it was at this time the technician stated that he found a heavy pool of fuel in the trunk area of the vehicle. they were unable to identify the source of the fuel leak. they changed the gasoline tank and fuel pump but were uncertain of the actual cause of the leak. the vehicle remained at the dealership for one week. mercedes benz service manager refused to acknowledge the fuel leak was caused by a factory defect and not by wear and tear of the parts and we were charged for all the repairs. we are aware that similar incidents have been reported for the same mercedes benz model in other states. we feel this needs to be addressed urgently before someone either gets hurt or loses their life. ## vin passed ## mercedes benz e350 2006 ## *tr | |||
| 06/22/2012 | 77000 | ||
| My e350 is 6 years old and has 77000 miles. the electrical wiring for the signal lights has desintegrated exposing bare wires and causing wires to short-circuit creating an extremely hazardous situation that prevents the vehicle from functioning correctly. this is creating a serious safety hazard with possible fire in engine area.this problem is a manufacturing defect. mercedes benz tells me that because my car is out of warranty i have to pay for the repair which is about $1000.00 dollars.the wire insulation should last a very long time if car is properly designed and this wiring problem should be corrected by the manufaturer with no cost to the car owners. due to the seriousness of this problem i recommend the national highway traffic safety administration to order mercedes benz to investigate this problem and issue a safety recall. the manufacturer is aware of this widespread defect but refuses to order a recall. cm | |||
| 01/03/2011 | 66215 | ||
| Check engine light illuminated followed by another light indicating check oil level at next refueling. had vehicle immediately examined by mercedes benz dealer. engine oil level okay. no codes came up for oil sensor. car has 66,239 miles. was told by mbz dealer that balance shaft needs replacement due to sprocket failure (coming apart); gear is worn. needs $6,200 of repair. called mercedes benz of north america who said that to date, no recalls or campaigns have been initiated for this complaint. car has been maintained according to mbz scheduled maintenance using mbz synthetic oil and mbz parts, if and when necessary. the internet is replete with complaints of this same type from all over u.s. and canada. | |||
| 11/21/2011 | 65000 | ||
| My check engine light is on so i took it to the mb dealer and they stated that it was a balance sensor located inside the engine and it cost $7000.00 to fix cause the entire engine has to be taken out, my car only has 70,000 miles and i have noticed that many people are complaining about this issue with their mb cars as well. there are hundreds of people complaining about this problem with their benz and therfore there should have been some recall on it by now. | |||
| 08/10/2011 | 48090 | ||
| I just was advised by my mercedes only independent garage that the on-going cel on my 2006 e350 (48000 miles) is for the camshaft wear mentioned in this lawsuit. the mechanic advises repair cost is $6200. he has the bulletin and has seen this issue in multiple cars. i will be complaining to the nhtsa and hoping nhtsa can recover my damages for this obvious and known defect.check engine lights star diagnosis indicated : code 1200 and 1208 ( p0016 and p0017) for mb e350 2006 48000 mil mercedes has known about this problem since 2007 and has failed to notify any owners of the problem. probably because the repair is so expensive ranging from $4,000-$8,000 and with most, the problem doesn't show up until after the warranty has expired. so it's a win-win situation for mercedes. i don't feel all warm and fuzzy inside because mercedes offered to put a little goodwill cash towards a repair that cost me thousands that they should have covered in full. and their 2 rules for qualifying for goodwill assistance for the repair has nothing to do with the repair. it's not preventable. if your vehicles falls between the serial numbers, your balance shaft will fail. on facebook specifically for the balance shaft you can get information and a number of vehicles affected. http://www.facebook.com/groups/edit.... please help me to resolve this issue!!! many thanks, yan reznik | |||
| 05/22/2011 | 54000 | ||
| The main wiring harness for the engine, lighting, fuel injection and rest of critical functions of the vehicle has disintegrated due to a manufacturing defect. the manufacturer has used an inferior and unsuitable insulation for the wires, which, is brittle, cracking and falling off exposing bare wires, creating an extremely hazardous situation. the wire insulation deterioration is causing the wires to short and prevents the vehicle from functioning correctly. this is creating a serious safety hazard. (possible, fire in engine, etc). due to the seriousness, i recommend the national highway traffic safety administration order the manufacture to properly investigate and issue a safety recall. the manufacturer is aware of this widespread defect but refuses to order a recall. i purchased this vehicle new and operated it under normal conditions. the vehicle has been regularly serviced and maintained by mercedes benz authorized dealers since it was new. the vehicle has been well kept and maintained. your assistance would be greatly appreciated! thank you! gregory chassin | |||
| 12/27/2009 | 86605 | 1 | |
| Srs system shut down on 2006 mercedes benz 350e 4-matic. light came on dash notifying me of the failure of the system. took to dealer who informed me of code 9103 resistance in drivers airbag informed that harness in steering column was designed too short and when steering wheel is telescoped out the wire will eventually break shutting down the srs system. replacement part # 211-440-4509 is a longer harness demonstrating that mercedes is aware of the defect. r&r requires removal of steering column cover, 3 hours of labor, costing over $600 including diagnosis. since the problem is known to the manufacturer and results in an ineffective safety system, these harnesses should be recalled. *tr | |||
| 02/25/2008 | 2000 | 1 | 09/05/2005 |
| I had my car maybe 2 months before i started having problems transmission first they said a transmission module was burned out and it had a recall i took it back several times i wasn't notified of this issue but kept having it. (park place dallas) then i took it to austin they worked on it several times same issue now nov the issue was so bad i was going down the street 25 mph couldn't go any faster and when they picked up the car they said they couldn't find it but a solenoid switch had burned out i thought it was the heater they said it was a recall on this part also 3 weeks later burning again dragging again when driving they said the solenoid switch recalled again. they kept the car until 2/25/2008 since christmas eve . i called corporate and they had a rep who contacted mercedes of georgetown ,tx their resolution was for me to pay another 15-20 thousand dollars and they would give me a new vehicle . i called an attorney who said they could switch vin numbers with my lender and replace this junk that i am driving. i came to mercedes looking for a dependable car gave them $20,000 down on a $58,000 car thinking that for at least 7 to 8 years for this price i would have a dependable car this car is junk why must i continue to add on to my payment due to their mess every item recalled has been recalled at least 2 times it's also not fair they didn't notify other buyers what will they do when they no longer have warranties . *tr | |||
| 01/14/2007 | 10000 | 4 | 06/17/2006 |
| Car will not start. the car is 8 months old and there is an electrical problem of sorts that will cause the radio to die, navigation system to die, phone on master panel to die and then power steering will be lost. within 12 hours of this happening the car will not start and the electronic key will not open the door as the entire car is dead. the mercedes dealership has checked out the car and replaced the entire master panel, and the instances still occur. they have performed many diagnostic tests over a 7 day period, and they still can not determine what the cause. the uncertainty and unreliability of the car makes it unnerving for a female traveling sales person. you just never know when you will get stuck. *nm | |||
| 08/01/2006 | 1 | 11/01/2005 | |
| Submission for defective 2006 mercedes e-350 station wagon from plaza motors company. *ts the consumers purchase station wagons because they often purchase items that cannot be carried in a sedan. the operator's manual gives direction as to how to lower the back seats to expand the cargo compartment. the problem is that when the rear seats were lowered the front passenger seat could not be slid back, using the controls on the side of the door, for an adult passenger to ride in the front seat. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who indicated that this was a design problem originating in germany. *nm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK | |||
| 02/01/2010 | 1 | ||
| 2006 mercedes benz e350w. consumer states problem with license plate lights not working and third brake light stopped as well. consumer was notified by dealer that this happens to vehicles with automatic trunk opening and closing *tgw the dealer informed the consumer that the electric cable from the engine to the trunk could fail for unknown reasons. | |||