Mercedes-Benz C-Class Complaints (2014)

284 consumer complaints on file.

#11487294September 30, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchased my car one year ago from a Mercedes dealership - 8/31/2021. I brought it in for service at the same dealership a week ago and they told me the rear subframe rusted from the inside out and it FAILED inspection. The parts are $5,100 and not available until some time in Q1 2023. There is no way a car rusts from the INSIDE OUT in one year. I have another vehicle in the same driveway, same everything and there is no rust anywhere. We have had all of our cars at least 10 years. This was a "new" car for us. MBUSA said they could do nothing because I own the car and didn't get financing from them. My dealership so far is not helpful. My service guy (he has been for 10 years) says this is common?? My client (a different car manufacturer) says it is not and it is terrible. I don't know why it rusted but this is a defect in the car because we didn't flood it. It's dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11486036September 23, 2022
STEERING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Steering lock mechanism fails without warning and leaves vehicle and occupants stranded in potentially dangerous location. No onsite repair possible. Vehicle must be towed to authorized dealer for repair. > Safety of car occupants was at risk. > No warning prior to failure. > Repair cost ~!500. Unsure of reliability of replacement unit > My dealer says this is a frequent occurrence. 6+ repairs / month for this model car at this dealer, Expects same frequency at others > Dealer service agent stated he personally believes it should be covered by a recall or free repair. > Filed formal complaint with Company (Mercedes-Benz) but reimbursement was refused. > Similar stranding incident on same car occurred in 05/2021 and car require tow to same dealer who suspected same problem but was unable to duplicate and/or repair the failing component at that time
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11483657September 9, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
Rear subframe of vehicle is starting to become rotted/rusted out and may fall apart at any time. My Mother has the same body style car as me (2011 c300) & she was recently driving at around 60mph and all of the sudden, went to step on the brakes and the car swerved across the highway uncontrollably. She took it to a mechanic who said the car is not drivable and showed me how badly the subframe was destroyed. This is due to a Mercedes Benz manufacturing issue where they tried cost cutting which turned out very poor quality materials for this very important assembly. My car only has ~55,000 miles and is just about 8 years of age. This issue should never happen for a vehicle with such low miles and such a short life, especially from a prominent and distinguished automotive company. This is a Huge Safety Concern, and I am Scared that this subframe will fail without warning and at a high speed, which can likely cause me to be involved in a major accident where people are killed or seriously injured. I would even consider getting rid of this car, which would be unfortunate since it is gorgeous and seems almost brand new, although I cannot afford to sell this & buy another car at this time. I have researched online about this problem, and turns out, it is Very Common with this body style c300 ('08 - '14). There are hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals within the USA who are having this exact same issue with as little as 60,000 miles. Most are happening around the 90,000 mile mark however. They primarily mention in many online forums how scared they were when it happened and how lucky they are it didn’t cause a major accident…yet. It is astonishing how this subframe was not recalled by now and how Mercedes USA has not taken responsibility for this. This issue needs to be addressed and recalled Immediately before people are killed or seriously injured, and before more of these parts break. Please look into this very soon and contact me with any questions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479919August 18, 2022
SUSPENSION, STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Failed component: The subframe on my Mercedes C300 broke on one side and was almost broken on the other. It would be available for inspection as it is sitting in the Mercedes dealer bone yard waiting on the part to be shipped from Germany around September 17th. It also ruined my back tires & now I have to replace them too. I understand that in the UK the Mercedes dealers are fixing this problem free of charge but there seems to be no recalls! Safety: I was entering the freeway on a rainy afternoon. My car was fishtailing very badly. At first I thought is was the highway itself as we had not had rain for quite some time. I tried to accelerate 4 or 5 times with the same fishtailing. I pulled off the busy freeway onto the shoulder & sat for a few minutes to collect my thoughts as I didn't know what was wrong. Then I drove very slowing to the next exit & a few more miles home. I drove very slowly a few miles the next morning to the Mercedes dealership. Inspected: The Mercedes dealer told me the subframe was broken and the car was not drivable! Couldn't find the part in the US so ordered from Germany with at least more than a month to wait. Warnings: There were absolutely no warning lights what so ever! Additional: The dealership did not have any loaner cars. I went for 5 days without a car to drive. I finally purchased another vehicle as I depend on it to do my job. It is going to cost over $4,400 to fix.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479038August 12, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STRUCTURE:BODY
INSIDE HANDLE DOOR left broke 2019 and right broke 8/10/2022, Senior people is hard to open a broken door and if an accident will happen they can not came out of the car. We took the car to Mercedes Benz dealer and they want to charge to fix it. We took to independent mechanic the 1st time on 2019 and they charge us like $1,000. Now the right handle door is broke 8/10/2022. We need Mercedes Benz to fix it ASAP. This issue is happen a lot to Mercedes Benz
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11476971August 1, 2022
ENGINE
The Cam Shaft and the boost pressure need to be replaced immediately. I took my car to a Mercedes Benz dealership in Long Island, NY for a regular oil change (nothing was wrong with my car when it went in for the oil change). When they gave me back my car I literally got 1 and half blocks from the dealership and my car was jerking violently and the check engine light came on and has not gone off since that day. I took the car right back to the dealership and of course they are saying they did nothing to make this happen and are refusing to cover the repairs for the Cam Shaft and boost pressure to make my car run correctly again. This is a dangerous car to drive now because due to this same problem the car has random issues accelerating and has put me in dangerous situations while driving on the highway and on the street. The interesting part is Mercedes Benz knows that this is a serious issue with this car because I was told that by the people that work at the dealership that Mercedes is covering the full repairs for what my car is going through but they are only doing it for people who's cars are under 120,000 miles. My car is at 133,000 miles and they are refusing to cover the repairs for me. My complaint number with Mercedes Benz customer service is 2-29420067413. They are not being helpful because they told me that every Mercedes dealership in the United States is independently owned besides the one in Manhattan NY. They are telling me that even though they are the manufacturer each dealership makes their own decisions. This is absolutely absurd and my car is dangerous to drive at this point. They want $5,000 and counting from me to repair my car for something that they messed up on and that they know is a known issue. Please help me get this resolved. Thank You
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11475808July 25, 2022
AIR BAGS
MANUFACTURER UNABLE TO REPAIR RECALLED PARTS DUE TO THERE ARE NO MERCEDES BENZ AUTHORIZED SERVICE SITE IN GUAM ACCORDING TO THEIR CUSTOMER-ADVOCACY OFFICE. I AM IN THE PROCESS IN SHIPPING MY CAR BACK TO CALIFORNIA, THROUGH THE MILITARY, BUT THIS MAY AFFECT IT UNLESS IT GETS RESOLVED. PLEASE ADVISE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11470521June 22, 2022
SUSPENSION
My 2014 Mercedes C300 4matic currently has a rusted through rear subframe. I know this has been reported to your Bureau numerous times by various people. This affects all 2008-2014 C Class and E Class Mercedes (as I used to work for a Mercedes dealer). Mercedes is trying to avoid liability at the sheer cost and man hours required to replace these parts. This is a MAJOR safety hazard, and has caused numerous drivers to lose control of their vehicle when they do in fact break off at one of the weld joints. The car is 8 years old with approximately 90k miles. This is a STRUCTURAL part of the car, and should never have to be replaced. Subaru dealt with suspension recalls on their vehicles, and I believe Mercedes should be reliable as well. Thousands of these cars are a ticking time bombs on the road. This issue was confirmed by my personal mechanic, and he stated this will not pass the next inspection (luckily I have 6 months left).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466656May 30, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING, ENGINE
Parked the car, did something, came back and car did not start. Key in, no crank, no start, no steering. No lights on the dash, no gear shifting, can’t roll the windows up. All out of nowhere. Think it’s a problem with the Electronic Steering Lock.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455470March 7, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While parked and locked the cars trunk will randomly open on its own. It has happened at home, work, other parking lots. I will check and make sure it’s closed and I will come bs k to the trunk open.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11453544February 22, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My Mercedes started smoking from within the cabin. I traced it down to the speaker in the car. I contacted the Mercedes dealership and told them that my speaker was burning and smoking. The service advisor knew exactly the problem and said that the factory amplifier went bad and is causing an electrical issue in the car. He had seen this before. However, Mercedes is not considering a safety issue nor doing a recall. However, I was told I should not drive the car and have it towed. So, if my car can catch fire while driving from a faulty amplifier, that would be a safety issue. I was told this would be an out of pocket expense.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450424February 4, 2022
SUSPENSION, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This car has 63,792 miles on it and has been continuously garaged and well cared for. All maintenance has been done timely and by Mercedes-Benz of Tysons Corner (Virginia) since it was purchased there on 01/08/14. All required maintenance was completed as advised and the car was covered under a 7 year 75,000 mile warranty. At the recent regularly scheduled yearly maintenance service completed on 12/28/21 we were advised that the that the "rear sub-frame is beginning to rust through and has a hole on the right rear (RR) and the recommendation was the "replacement of rear sub-frame soon" at an estimated cost of $4,242.40. This car has never been in an accident. In speaking to the MB service representative about this issue, I was advised that this problem has happened to several C300's from the period 2009-2014 and that Mercedes Benz was not accepting any responsibility for the issue in the US but had issued recalls in other countries. He said Mercedes maintains that it is a "wear and tear" issue. This car has not been abused and has been well maintained. This is not an area of the country where you would expect to see this type of corrosion unless the part was defective in some manner. In researching the problem on the internet, several people write about experiencing a failure of this part although the cars were older than ours and had more mileage on them. It appears to be a safety issue should the part rust through as it could puncture the gas tank or cause the rear wheels to buckle or cause a loss of control of the auto from the auto fishtailing. I have never seen this happen to a car before and I am 75 years old and have owned a number of automobiles over the years.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11448024January 19, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz C250. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 - 80 MPH, the brakes failed, and the brake pedal was stiff while depressed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with brake vacuum pump failure. The brake vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The brake vacuum pump was previously replaced by an independent mechanic for the recurring failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,535. The VIN was unavailable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11447924January 18, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
Driving on the freeway I-5 Southbound in Orange County, California when my brakes failed. 1) There was no warning in advance of this episode, no squeaky brakes, no leaking of oil or fluid. 2) Car had been routinely repaired and maintained by the mercedes dealership. 3)An independent Mercedes mechanic
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11445095December 27, 2021
WHEELS
The wheel is not tilting up or down. It's stuck I. Top. It will just go out and in but stuck in the top position. This is a safety issue especially with airbags. The problem have been reported to dealers . It's a defective system
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434015September 23, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The contact owns 2014 Mercedes-Benz CL250. The contact stated while driving at night the driver’s side headlight became inoperable. Additionally, while using the left turn signal there was an abnormal clicking noise detected. The check left turn signal, driver’s side low beam, running lights and driver’s side parking light message was displayed. Additionally, while driving at night on another occasion, the passenger’s side headlight became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the gasket had deteriorated, and moisture was in the headlamps. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433064September 15, 2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was trying to merge onto a freeway from a complete stop and because this freeway has an extremely short on-ramp, you need to get up to a high speed in very little time. As such, I put my car in Sport driving mode and accelerated very hard from a complete stop. The car accelerated as normal for a few seconds (I reached approximately 40 to 50 MPH), then I felt the car lag and felt a loss of power. The car was in limp mode and I couldn’t accelerate even though I was pressing the gas pedal all the way to the floor. A few seconds after this occurred, I notice that the check engine light turned on. I was able to maintain a speed around 50 MPH and got off the freeway. I took my car to both the Mercedes dealership and an independent mechanic and both diagnosed a failure of the high pressure fuel pump. I also tried to see if this will happen again and after hard acceleration in regular driving mode, the exact same issues occurred. I have read that there are issues with the high pressure fuel pump with my car model and I ask that you guys please investigate thoroughly to see if a recall would be necessary. Losing power while accelerating is extremely dangerous and a huge safety hazard for all drivers on the road. I could have easily been rear ended by another driver since I couldn’t accelerate to a faster speed. I have not yet replaced the high pressure fuel pump but plan to do so in the next few days. Attached is the diagnostic invoice from the Mercedes dealership. As stated on the invoice, please note that my car only has 43,000 miles, which makes the high pressure fuel pump failure very surprising.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11425686July 20, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz C250. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at various speeds, she depressed the brake pedal but it hesitated to respond. As a result, excessive force was applied to the brake pedal in order to slow down the vehicle. Due to the failure, the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the barrier wall and the metal fence. No air bags were deployed. The contact's daughter sustained a fractured nose, lip laceration, and other unknown facial injuries due to the driver hitting the steering wheel during the impact. No medical attention was contacted yet but will be in the future. A police report was filed. The police transferred the vehicle from the crash site to a tow yard where the police are awaiting the insurance adjustor. Damages were to the front end. The manufacturer nor the dealer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximate 60,000
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11424176July 10, 2021
AIR BAGS
The current vehicle I have, is suppose to have a back up camera as part of being the basic standard for a 2014 C- class mercedes Benz. Ive asked the place I bought he car from and also Ed hicks imports, who also legally sells mercedes Benz in Corpus Christi, to install one, especially because according to the vin reports I bought, it was initially on the vehicle. I was even willing to pay them to install a factory made original MB backup camera that should’ve been there in the first place but they tell me to go buy an aftermarket! After further research, it turns out mercedes Benz makes all their cars with backup cameras or the PARKTRONIC option which is added sensors !!! Before my car was even brought over to the USA in 2014! Yes, all of these issues have been confirmed by another dealer, which is auto nation here!!!! Besides that, Ed hicks imports supposedly fixed two factory recalls with my car, where one was if the airbag on the passenger front side goes off, it would kill or harm, myself, and any occupants in the vehicle due to the metal fragments that would also burst and pierce, or exit through our bodies. However, my airbag notification comes on every time someone is in the front passenger seat as a warning, as well as my own driver side airbag that just started coming up when I turn on my vehicle. The steering is not fully mounted straight either, so it’s causing me a ton of gas to get to the closest places in town, as well as having me turn the wheel twice as much as I normally would need to on a car with a steering wheel properly mounted, which makes the time for me to finally turn my vehicle at any given time to turn a lot slower than other drivers around me. The last thing is the body of my vehicle not be big properly aligned, I did not know the car had been in ANY accidents, and recently discovered it’s been in 7 !!!so it makes sense why the whole chassis resembles a Chopshop car All of these parts of my vehicle are available for inspection
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11419683June 4, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz C250W. The contact stated while attempting to start the ignition when entering the key. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the unknown ignition component to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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