Mercedes Benz E430 1998
Model E430 made in 1998 by Mercedes Benz got 15 consumer complains there are 2 investigations as well as 2 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to air bags, electrical system and engine and engine cooling. Technical service bulletines regarding exterior lighting, steering. The car had some investigations: engine and engine cooling, suspension.
Model 1998
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - FOG LIGHTS | |||||
| 8210196 | 06/04/2008 | 8210196B | 10015377 | Revised repair procedure and additional applicable models. model 170, 202, 208 and 210 models. front fog lamp(s) inoperative. mercedes-benz. *tt model years: 1994-2004. updated 09/09/08. *pe | 07/15/2005 |
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||||
| 462046 | 12/04/2008 | SB-46-20-46A | 10020460 | Play in the rack and pinion steering system. models 203, 209, 210, 211, 215, 220, 230. mercedes benz. *kb updated 5/13/09. *pe | 10/23/2006 |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | ||||||
| PE03058 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 12/17/2003 | 04/22/2004 | ENGINE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY FAILURE | ||
| The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure that could result in loss of power-steering assist.odi has received a total of 546 non-duplicative reports that allege engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure on all mercedes-benz vehicles using the subject component.the subject component failures are progressive in nature and only a small percentage of the complaints and warrant claims involved a failure that had progressed far enough to effect power steering performance (6 of 55 odi complaints reference increased steering effort).there have been no crashes or injuries related to the alleged defect.a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and 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 by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see summary report attached for further detail. | ||||||
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 11/09/2001 | 1 | 04/05/2001 | |
| While driving 10-15 mph another vehicle hit consumers vehicle on drivers side. seatbelt did not restrain consumer properly as he was tossed from side to side. *ak consumer was injured in accident. vehicle stalled while driving. acid damage from battery due to missing vent hose. brakes squeaked, dealer replaced front pads and rotors. glove compartment broke. *slc | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 01/09/2012 | 150045 | ||
| The vehicle has exhibited symptoms for 15 months resulting in $2,000 in attempted repairs: replaced ignition and key, k module, and air regulator. any and all the following symptoms may and do occur without warning: engine light goes on, bas asr, bas, emergency break light, defective display light, defective bulb, all warning lights go on at once. all the lights will clear when restarting the car, and the engine light will turn off in a day or two. mechanically the fuel gauge and rpm gauge will swing wildly while the speedometer swings or drops to zero while in operation (hazard 1), typically the smell of burning wire (hazard 2), the transmission fails to go from a stopped position past the first gear, down shifts abruptly to the point of almost being jerked into the windshield, nearly causing an accident in october 2010 on college road, olive branch ms (hazard 3). this is a result of electrical issues because the transmission issues do not accur until a certian sequence of electrical events occur. the symptoms are always present in some form daily but hazards are intermittant. they are escalationing again. there is no doubt to the cause being a deteriorating wiring harness and the car is unsafe. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 11/09/2001 | 1 | 04/05/2001 | |
| While driving 10-15 mph another vehicle hit consumers vehicle on drivers side. seatbelt did not restrain consumer properly as he was tossed from side to side. *ak consumer was injured in accident. vehicle stalled while driving. acid damage from battery due to missing vent hose. brakes squeaked, dealer replaced front pads and rotors. glove compartment broke. *slc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 08/18/2005 | 110000 | 30 | 01/01/2003 |
| Yesterday i got rear ended by another vehicle. this accident happened because my engine stalled while i was approaching an intersection and i was slowing down to make a turn. the cause of the accident was related to a known mechanical problem with mercedes benz. failure of the cps (crankshaft positioning sensor) or also known as the reference sensor. i checked several mb forums and this problem is not unique, it has happened to many people already. i have been driving mb vehicles for over 15 years, and i find it hard to believe that mb has not done something about this type of failure. i am driving a '98 e430. thanks. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 09/07/2005 | 54878 | 1 | 08/29/2005 |
| My wife was driving the 1998 mercedes e430 at 65 mph on a two lane frontage road along i-4 in lakeland florida on august 7, 2005. the road had curves and stop signs. without any warning or check engine lights, the vehicle lost power steering and anti-lock power brakes. my wife ran through a stop sign and into a field before regaining control, although limited, of the vehicle. the harmonic damper had disintegrated taking out the whole front of the engine. the failure caused an immediate seizing of the engine as the damper parts wedged between the remaining part of the damper and the engine oil pan. my wife was startled by the noise, then the quiet and the loss of the power steering and the power brakes. my wife, a woman of 125 lbs had all she could do to stop and steer the car. the car was towed at owner's expense ($75) to the nearest mercedes dealer for repair. the dealer replaced 47 parts/gaskets on the front of the engine under the recall. the owner had to replace the mass air sensor and the air conditioning compressor at a cost of $1500.00. the vehicle still has a rumbling vibration getting worse at 50-60 mph that it did not have before the recall. the engine is consuming oil or leaking oil now also. *nm | |||
| 11/09/2001 | 1 | 04/05/2001 | |
| While driving 10-15 mph another vehicle hit consumers vehicle on drivers side. seatbelt did not restrain consumer properly as he was tossed from side to side. *ak consumer was injured in accident. vehicle stalled while driving. acid damage from battery due to missing vent hose. brakes squeaked, dealer replaced front pads and rotors. glove compartment broke. *slc | |||
| OTHER | |||
| 08/18/2005 | 110000 | 30 | 01/01/2003 |
| Yesterday i got rear ended by another vehicle. this accident happened because my engine stalled while i was approaching an intersection and i was slowing down to make a turn. the cause of the accident was related to a known mechanical problem with mercedes benz. failure of the cps (crankshaft positioning sensor) or also known as the reference sensor. i checked several mb forums and this problem is not unique, it has happened to many people already. i have been driving mb vehicles for over 15 years, and i find it hard to believe that mb has not done something about this type of failure. i am driving a '98 e430. thanks. *jb | |||
| 10/01/2002 | 90000 | 05/02/1998 | |
| Our phone/radio is not working properly. mercedes says there is no replacement (they no longer stock the part). i thought that manufacturers had to stock replacement parts for so many years. our car is a 1998 model. i consider this a safety problem because my wife can no longer get a hold of anyone by the phone in case on an emergency. *nlm | |||
| SEAT BELTS | |||
| 11/09/2001 | 1 | 04/05/2001 | |
| While driving 10-15 mph another vehicle hit consumers vehicle on drivers side. seatbelt did not restrain consumer properly as he was tossed from side to side. *ak consumer was injured in accident. vehicle stalled while driving. acid damage from battery due to missing vent hose. brakes squeaked, dealer replaced front pads and rotors. glove compartment broke. *slc | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC | |||
| 11/09/2001 | 1 | 04/05/2001 | |
| While driving 10-15 mph another vehicle hit consumers vehicle on drivers side. seatbelt did not restrain consumer properly as he was tossed from side to side. *ak consumer was injured in accident. vehicle stalled while driving. acid damage from battery due to missing vent hose. brakes squeaked, dealer replaced front pads and rotors. glove compartment broke. *slc | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||
| 11/09/2001 | 1 | 04/05/2001 | |
| While driving 10-15 mph another vehicle hit consumers vehicle on drivers side. seatbelt did not restrain consumer properly as he was tossed from side to side. *ak consumer was injured in accident. vehicle stalled while driving. acid damage from battery due to missing vent hose. brakes squeaked, dealer replaced front pads and rotors. glove compartment broke. *slc | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | FRESNO | HERWALT MERCEDES | 559 438 0300 | |
| FL | ORLANDO | 32807 | AUTOHOUSE | 407-273-8555 |