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For many, the Mercedes-Benz represents the height of automotive engineering, or something. For many others, it's a status symbol. The latter it most certainly is. The former some of our readers aren't so sure about.
One reason for the recent spate of complaints may have to do with the growing reliance on electronics in today's cars and porked-up SUVs. European cars have always been known for, shall we say, delicate electrical systems. Adding gadgets of the complexity now common in the Benz is a recipe for big trouble -- and very big repair bills.
Here are a few of the more recent complaints ...
tamer of alexandria, Egypt June 8, 2009
I Just Bought From ANA The Official Dealer Of Mercedes Benz At alexandria Egypt A New C200 Chassis No. 2040415 L
Since 08/04/2009
The Car Air cOndition Was Faild Down Suddenly On 05/06 So I Send The Car To The Service CEnter Of ANA Up To Now Thay Didn't Know What The Error Come From , So It's Prenew Car i Need From Mercedes Benz Head Office At Germany To Let Them Replace The Car By New One Hope of West Bloomfield , MI May 27, 2009
I took my mercedes c320 in for the same issue about 5 times. the gas gauge kept falling and it wont allow you to fill the tank. the only thing they kept doing was resetting the gauge. now the warranty expired and they tell me its 2000.00 to fix. well the never fixed it but now want me to pay for it. Ahmad of Riyadh: 11451, Saudi Arabia May 20, 2009
I Filed a complaint in Mercede car agents, in connection with air bag manufacturers defect. And got a response of shame, from the name of outstanding reputation in the automotive industry. The story is about a traffic accident, less than the simple within the city, so the car did not get damaged from the front. However, the front airbags deployed In the face, and hit the right eye of my daughter, age 14 years. She lost her vision. The eye damage happened because of protrusion of the air bag sewing, to the surface of the face Toucher. Review by the doctors need to remove the eye and put a glass eye
mehrdad of tehran, AL May 11, 2009
I have bought a mercedes benz from the your agent in Iran SETAREH IRAN co (TOP KHODRO)in march 2008
model E200 K
Your agent sold the car with the Special guarantee( golden card)
the problem was and is from begining
Run flat tire indicator always is on till now and after several inspection by yr agent service people still the car has this problem plus the front and rear wheels are not balanced
but Your agent could not solve the problem due to lack of instrument and due to the above reason the REAR TIRES are completly damaged and when the car passes the curve surface the car will diversify to the left or right but your agent after several monthsis telling me that this matter and problem is not covered by the guarantee!!!!!
I have never driven with confidence from the first day by this car and with this history i will never buy another Mercedec again
Lynn of Charlestown, RI April 17, 2009
On April 8th 2007 it was Easter Sunday. I was driving down a main st. Started to feel a little light headed passed out. Woke up covered in blood, cracked windshield telephone pole completely out of the ground cracked in half...car totaled woke up to a woman yelling at me not to get out of the car because of the live wires. Police officer came over to me. Notice the airbags did not go off. But since the airbags did not go off, and yes I had my seat belt on. I had got a skull fracture..concussion, 12 stitches to the head still an awful scar there terrible job on the stitches. Bruising black eyes you name it. Lost time at work then the PTSD came on.
Found out this car had alot of electrical problems I did not know about and that the SRS system had been worked on prior to me buying it. Why I don't know. My car was totaled...hit dead on and the officer o the scene, who does reconstruction of acccidents said that airbag should have gone off. I want to know of other situations since this has happened I have heard of alot of other similar issues, because I work with the public, and they have seen everything i have gone through, and have told me of other issues with Mercedes. I thought I was buying a strong reliable car.
Dr. after Dr. trying to find help and relief fianlly was sent to a Dr. who sent me to Neuropsycologist who did Brain testing found out I had mild Brain injury from this accident. Still 2 years later have problems with memory, conprehension and crying. It has been a nightmare! I am seeking counsel..just finding out there are many cases with problems with the airbag systems and wonder why they are not checked better, to insure proper deployement. It is a real shame people have to go throught this when they think they are buying a safe vehicle
Mary of Montgomery, AL April 15, 2009
Not even 1,000 miles on this new Mercedes CLK-550 and a hole developed at the top of tire. The ride is terrible! These tires have a lumpy feel to the ride that only disappears after the tire warms up. Very POOR performance!
I found the problem before a blowout could occur. Pretty scary!
Rhonda of Belvedere, CA April 7, 2009
When arriving at the local Mercedes dealership last week I was recognized by first name. I'd been in there alot since purchasing a SL55 in 2004. The folks there are nice and it's not their fault that they are the middleman motivitated to make money for the dealers service department on a product that is no longer warrants the iconic Mercedes name. During the conversation my advisor advised me that I really should have purchased an extended warranty. I sat there baffled that the car I purchased for a legacy of reliability was no more reliable than a US car maker and therefore I should feel guilty that the car keeps breaking down and I didn't buy an extended warranty.
Quite frankly, it's reliability is the worst I've ever experienced in 35 years of driving. With a new ad campaign coming out highlighting how Mercedes won the world's first auto race in 1894 and the company is still in a race with itself for quality, consumers are advised that the reliability of this car is so poor that an extended warranty is a must. I was told that the problem (a defective shift module) is an unusual problem in this car. That is a lie. I've spoken to five other mercedes owners in the past week just in my local neighborhood...they all have had to have the shift module replaced for a supposed liquid must have seeped into it accident which none of us can recall.
There are more common problems with this car, yet instead of recalling the non-functioning parts and technology that has been replaced in newer models, the pioneers of the early releases are treated like a mere guinea pig who is paying parts and labor after parts and labor for bringing Mercedes up the learning curve of their defective manufacturing and technology. A great car company would pay for their own mistakes by recalling the defectively engineered parts, thanking their customers for their patience with their learning curve mistakes, and doing the right thing. I'm not alone when voicing that I will never rely on Mercedes reliability and technology again.
Everytime it's simply another 1,000 to fix.
Isaac of Fenton, MO April 4, 2009
2003 Mercedes ML350, The driver side seat warnmer burn. It burn a small spot on the seat.
Mohan of San Jose, CA April 2, 2009
Mercedes Benz Extended Warranty Consumer Fraud. Mercedes is engaged in deceptive business practices in violation of the Consumers Legal Remedies Act by representing that a transaction had certain benefits (warranty coverage) which it does not have. This practice should not be continued and must be stopped. They are intentionally concealing facts from the consumers in the Sale Contract. They state terms and conditions in the Service Contract offer which are different form what they sell to you as an Extended Warranty. All, Mercedes Benz owners who purchased the Extended Warranties will be a part of this class action law suite. Every one of them paid about 2000 to 3000 for this service. They did not know the fact that their car could be out of warranty before 100,000 miles or 84 months as offered in the sale contract.
I question the validity of the Service Contract offer for 84 months and 100,000 miles for a given price. Minutes after the Service Contract is offered, Mercedes changes the terms and the conditions of the offer by having you sign the Mercedes Care New Vehicle Extended Limited Warranty, which modifies or alters the terms and conditions of the original Service Contract. This is misleading and unethical practice. Here are some specific facts: During the final negotiations of the Sale Contract, Mercedes sales person offered to us the option to purchase a Mercedes Care - Service Contract for 84 months or 100,000 miles for 2240.00.
We opted to buy this Service Contract, presented to us as an Extended Warranty that will cover our car for 84 months and 100,000 miles. Upon acceptance of the Service Contract, Mercedes sales person asked my wife to sign the Mercedes Care Contract CC 0019898. For the Type of Contract Purchased: Sales person had checked: 36 additional months * of Premium Coverage. * From expiration of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty or to a total of 100,000 accumulated miles, whichever comes first. NOTE: No where on the Sale Contact or the Mercedes Care Contract: The terms and the conditions of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty are explained or defined. (All car dealers have different new car warranties.)
By purchasing this warranty we had a piece of mind that any costly repairs would be covered till May 6, 2008 or 100,000 miles. According to Mercedes Benz my car warranty had expired on 10/07/2006, since my car went over 50,000 miles on 10/06/2003. (Presumably the New Vehicle Limited Warranty is 48 months or 50,000 miles whichever comes first.) I also surveyed the local car dealers; none of them sell Extended Warranty like Mercedes. Toyota, Infinity, BMW, Honda all sell you Extended Warranty and 84 month 100,000 miles means that your vehicle will be covered for 84 months and 100,000 miles no conditions applied, it is inclusive of the warranty that comes with the new car. If you would like to obtain further facts about the case please email me at mohanmahal@pacbell.net or call me 408-314-3454
All Mercedes owners who purchased the Extended warranty did not receive what they were offered. Their cost of 2000 to 3000 should be refunded. Also in my particular case they denied the repair cost of over 7200.00. My car still has less than 100,000 miles and could not be used for last two years.
Jim of Dayton, OH March 23, 2009
last week i was driving on a stretch of interstate in dayton ohio. i was driving my 1999 mercedes benz c-230 kompressor. all at once for no reason the car seized up and went wildly out of control.i managed somehow to pull at the steeering wheel and get the car off of the road. when i got out to see what was wrong, i noticed that the front end of the car was sitting on the front drivers side tire. when i looked under the car ,a large spring was lying on the ground near same tire.
i have never experienced a spring breaking, so at first i just assumed that perhaps i had overlooked something in the cars regular maintenance. after my mechanic got it in to his shop , he informed me that he had never seen a problem like this. it appears to him that there is a factory defect in the welds on the frame that the spring is attached to. only one side is broken. the metal is completely sheered off and the other side appears to be rusting from the inside out. he insructed me to contact mercedes to make them aware of the possible defect and to contact the ohio department of transportation.
we have bbeen trying to download mbusa with no luck today. it wont load. i am the second owner of this vehicle and prior to me it was a fleet vehicle with a perfect maintenance history. my mechanic inspected this car before we bought it and after seeing the sructural damage has told me that there would be no reason for an onspection to include sructural welds as the car had never been involved in an accident prior to purchase. ha believes that this may be the tip of the iceberg. if this is a factory defect, then other owners may be in danger and if it is an outrighr design flaw on this model, then every other owner may be in danger. what should we do?
well the car seems to be totaled. i am less interested in lawsuits and more interested in speaking with the manufacturer about the replacement of the car. or if it is possible, having the defect repaired properly.
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