Mercedes-Benz C-Class Complaints

3,817 consumer complaints on file.

#11454235February 26, 2022
SUSPENSION
Rear subframe failure caused me to loose control of vehicle almost resulting in a serious highway accident. Rear driver side stabilizer subframe mount was completely corroded and broken away from the subframe. There is no other significant corrosion on the subframe. MB claim normal corrosion however the pictures tell a different story.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11453988February 25, 2022
STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS
Sudden steering pull when braking . Mechanic found rotten left rear suspension cross member .part number 2043500141 Mechanic reports very Common issue with this model . Mercedes Benz is aware but will not repair or supply replacement parts . Note the replacement part is not available in US currently . Stuck with unsafe auto lacking support from Mercedes Benz . Some one is going to be injured / killed as the manufacturing defect shows rust failure from inside out and not detectable during routine maintenance . Hard braking pull is first indication that the defective part failed . Should this occur at highway speed the auto can flip resulting in major injury or death .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11454009February 25, 2022
ENGINE
My Mercedes C300 2018 only have 33k miles on it, but I was leaking oil and gas from the positive crankcase ventilation valve which is not environment friendly. As I know many other who own Mercedes also have the same problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11453890February 24, 2022
SUSPENSION
While performing service inspection, technician found REAR SUB FRAME RUSTED AND READY TO BREAK. Told they needed to show me the problem on the lift, as it was a serious SAFETY ISSUE and should be IMMEDIATELY REPLACED. Dealer and service acknowledged that this is a KNOWN and WIDESPREAD PROBLEM in C Class vehicles. Cost to replace quoted at $4200. No warning - thankfully inspection found before I was in a serious accident! Mercedes should issue recall for failed/corroded frame. Not the "safe" vehicle that Mercedes claims. (Car has been dealer serviced regularly, garaged, and 34,000 miles.) Owners shouldn't have to suddenly come up with $4,200 in order to drive their seemingly normal car. DANGEROUS.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11453794February 24, 2022
ENGINE
The engine in my car died and after inspection by a Mercedes mechanic they concluded the failure was caused by faulty camshafts that have been common in the year and model this car. Mercedes has issued and extended warranty to cover the repairs recognizing this was a manufacturing issue but they are refusing to cover the full cost of repairing my car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11453550February 23, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
When starting the car in the morning there is fuel smell that gets into the cabin. Additionally, as the car is idle during the drive, the smell of fuel is very obvious. Windows have to be rolled down to avoid the smell
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11453645February 23, 2022
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, there was a burning odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated the passenger side air bags was enabled warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated the vehicle made an abnormal noise. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer but was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
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
#11453142February 20, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY, SUSPENSION
2013 MB C300 4matic with 63K miles. It was taken to an MB dealership for yearly maintenance (Service A). A certified maint. tech provided me with an inspection video of the underneath of the car outlining an issue with the rear subframe. The right side has a hole rusted through it and the left side is rusted, but not rusted through...yet. Replacement is recommended, as it will not pass state inspection in it's current condition because it's a safety issue. They also advised that they have seen a few instances of this problem and have contacted Corporate. This is a 8-9 yr. old vehicle with low mileage and has had consistent maintenance at an MB dealership. The car was inspected in May 2021. There was no indication given at that time, that the subframe was rusting, could be a safety issue, and result in a replacement totaling over $5K. Once the information was provided during the recent service, I did research and found that this is an issue going back a few years. Some owner's have had this part break while driving causing a dangerous and potential life threatening situation. I then contacted MB customer advocacy to go over the issue and cost involved. I was advised that MB does not assist in repairing the vehicle. However, they would investigate and get back to me. I supplied information to them on 2/9/22 and am waiting for a response. I purchased this vehicle because of the quality of the brand, MB's reputation and longevity. I will not drive the car due to its diagnosis and other owner evidence that the subframe could potentially break while I am driving. It is unacceptable that a major structural component could fail on a vehicle of this age. This requires a recall of the subframe and MB's responsibility for the cost of the repairs.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11452804February 18, 2022
SEAT BELTS
On both front seatbelts. After disconnecting, they both do not retract. Often they get stuck hanging below door after closing the door (both sides). I have brought the car to Mercedes Benz service dept in Mobile AL. I am told that as long as I can manually feed them back there is no problem. This explanation is absurd!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11452814February 18, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Rear taillight ground wire melting. Dealer said that this recall was performed previously, so now I had to pay for the repair parts. NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V177000
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11452817February 18, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Automatic emergency braking system & forward collision warning. I experienced a medical emergency and blacked out, hitting 3 cars. The incident happened the morning of Dec. 31, 2021 and my car still has not been evaluated by Mercedes. I was taken to the ER and spent 3 days in the hospital.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11452412February 17, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, SUSPENSION
The rear suspension subframe rotted. The car has 140,000 miles and is kept in a garage. There was no warning regarding the damage. I nearly lost control of my car on a highway, it was I reported this to Mercedes to see if there was a recall. There was no recall on the part, Mercedes did not take responsibility for repairs. I paid to have the car repaired. There were no warning lamps that alerted me to the problem. The car was towed to a Mercedes dealer and I opened a claim with Mercedes.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11452103February 15, 2022
SUSPENSION
This is a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 4matic Luxury model, with about 110K miles. It started making beating noise and pulling to the right when brakes were applied. Driving became quite dangerous especially at a higher speed, and the driver had to steer the car very carefully to compensate the fish-tailing. It also affected braking as well. There was no warnings from the car, but the noise, the fish-tailing and uneven braking were really bad. A M-B certified mechanic inspected the car, and identified the problem as the rear sub-frame that has rusted out, and lost 1 of the 4 anchors. The whole sub-frame will have to be replaced. Estimated costs will be USD4k-5k, and may take a month due to shortage of parts. For a major structural part on a premium-brand car to rust, within 10 years, to the extent that driving is rendered dangerous, it is not acceptable. A safety recall should be issued on this, and M-B should bear the costs.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11451935February 14, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
Per the dealership in connection with a regular service, the rear subframe rusted out and became structurally weak and was a safety hazard. The problem was confirmed and repaired by an independent repair shop. From Google searches, this issue does not appear to be an uncommon problem. Car is garaged and receives regular underbody washes for road salt.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11451693February 12, 2022
STEERING
I haven't had an issue with this yet but have heard others having this issue. Mercedes Benz fitted cheap plastic Electronic Steering Lock (ESL) in these models that are prone to failure. Unexpectedly, this device will fail and will lock out the steering which can happen anytime and can cause a serious accident. The car will have malfunctioning steering when this device fails and should have a recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11451261February 9, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
rear sub frame rotted out and I nearly had an accident from this poor design and lack of notice from Mercedes. This should be a recall!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450733February 7, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Fuel leak from fuel lines from high pressure fuel pump. This is a common problem for C300s from 2015 to 2019, especially in cold weather. Fumes in cabin and fire risk in engine compartment.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450360February 4, 2022
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Car has 51,000 miles , no check engine light or any other warning light .driving in on the freeway at 70 mph when I hear a pop sound and my car loses power , I pushed on the gas and it started to shake violently and I panicked as the construction on the freeway was not allowing drivers a shoulder to pull over on . I was lucky enough to be driving at 2am and with the construction going on , drivers were already slowing down . My car also started blowing a thick white smoke through the back exhaust that could have made it harder to see that late night as it was already foggy here in California . At first I didn’t realize I was smoking through the back until my car began smelling like burnt oil . I wasn’t able to get off the freeway until the next exit all while thinking that my car was going to explode from the smell of the burning oil . When I pulled over and got out of the car I made sure I didn’t see any fire and then I waited to let it cool down , opened the hood and saw oil everywhere . I had it towed to Mercedes and I got the problem and the estimated cost to repair it . The problem turned out being a cracked piston in cylinder one , when it cracked it allowed oil to mix with the gasoline and that’s what was causing all the white smoke out the rear , the burnt smell was from the oil that was leaked all over my engine getting too hot from the engine. I found out a few days ago that Mercedes’ has a technical billeting regarding a faulty wrist pin that was causing the pistons to eventually crack . In the bulletin the faulty pin problem is fixed by replacing all the pistons and adding a upgraded pin and many other parts . So there are many other drivers that are experiencing this and driving with faulty wrist pins . Prior to all this happening the car always made a tap tap tap sound from engine and Mercedes’ said it was normal for 4cylinder turbos to make this sound, sounded like a diesel . But it turned out being from the loose wrist pin . Mercedes lied to us . THE CONSUMER REQUESTED THAT MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLE
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450392February 4, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
Rear Cross Member Sub frame rusted through and broke in half causing lack of control of the car when braking. It is very difficult to control the car at low speed (25mph or less) and would be virtually impossible at highway speed. Had this component failed under a highway speed situation, the loss of control could have resulted in loss of life and property. Component has been removed from vehicle and is available for inspection. Video of the removal available for review as well. Mercedes dealership was contacted. They were unwilling to discuss the failure and referred us to the corporate office who have not responded to calls. There were no indications that the part was in danger of failing. Car had passed inspection in November. After the failure we conducted research online and found that this is a common and known problem on this model car. It is time for it to be addresses. Under no circumstance should a car that is 8 years old have a structural component of that nature fail.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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