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. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 09/27/2005 | 117574 | 2 | 11/18/1998 |
| My 1999 ml 320's engine recently (27 and 29 sept 05) instantaneously stalled without warning while driving-no check engine light, just died in the middle of the road!. good wx, no rain, dry, daytime. it restarted after 5 mins. traffic went around me. ml is well maintained,vehicle has 117k miles. mechanic could not duplicate (no codes). fuel pump checked ok. at my request, the mech changed out the crankshaft position sensor (cps) on 30 sept. cost to repair $251.96. ml320 has run fine so far (7oct). i feel that this sudden engine failure (cps) while driving is a significant safety issue. do you have any information on this type of ml 320 engine failure caused by a failed cps-problem. *jb | |||
| 06/15/2003 | 45000 | ||
| I have problems with my check engine light from and faulty oxygen sensor, the car was repaired under warranty. then i had a hose disconnect and lost power steering prior to the recall on the hose cloamp and i paid the towing and repairs myself. now i have had a major mechanical problem and on august 5th, my car lost power steering, air conditioning, the battery light came on and then my car began overheating. apparently the crankshaft broke and it shredded one of the major belts, which damaged the oil pan and water pump. i immediately pulled over and had the car towed 20 miles to the dealer. the bill is going to be $3000. i saw a similar complaint on the nhtsa web site. i am concerned that other consumers may have similar problems and may not be able to pull over safely, not to mention the cost of repairs. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 08/23/2005 | 84000 | 1 | 07/10/2002 |
| I was driving across the verrazano narrows bridge from brooklyn to staten island. just past the tolls, my harmonic balancer failed, causing the serpentine belt to sizes and stopping the engine. consequently, i lost steering and braking became very hard. i was more-or-less pointing to an shoulder/embankment between the main highway and the exit immediately past the tolls. i coasted to that embankment and used its slope in part to help stop the vehicle. i was subsequently towed to ray catena mercedes in edison, nj. i was informed by the service advisor there (mr. hessert) that this failure was part of a campaign and that it would be repaired along with any collateral damage for free by mercedes. i asked since when was this campaign in effect, they stated since april of 2005. i asked why i was not notified of this as i am the registered owner. we both together then called mercedes customer service and were informed that there was no 'notice' and that this was not a formal recall. had this failure happened 40 minutes earlier while i was on the long island expressway, or 10 minutes later when i would have been on the goethals bridge, i would have been at the very least severely injured if not dead not to mention any other vehicles and individuals who would inevitably been involved. i am told that the _defective_ harmonic balancer will be replaced along with the serpentine belt and the upper oil pan as that part was damaged during the failure. i will request that these parts be retained. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 12/13/1998 | 16 | 12/12/1998 | |
| Transmission failed, repaired four times, electrical system, battery failed, replaced, oz sensor failed replace 3 times, fuel system pump and sensor replaced, front passenger restraint system failed | |||