53 of the
288 complaints filed about the Mercedes Benz 300
are about the engine —
18% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 1987.
ENGINE STOP RUNNING WHILE DRIVING. CAR WAS TOWED TO MECHANIC WHO FOUND THAT ENGINE HARNESS WAS COMPLETELY DEGRADED AND WIRES WERE TOUCHING EACH OTHER THANK GOD IT DID NOT CATCH FIRE INSTEAD IT SHUT OFF. MY MECHANIC SAYS THAT HE SEES THIS ALOT AND THAT THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN TO A VEHICLE LIKE THIS.
NHTSA complaint #10453681 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
DRIVING AT 70 MPH ON CRUISE CONTROL AND ELECTRONICS ON FRONT DASH WENT BLANK, CAR DECELERATED, AND I HAD TO GET OFF THE ROAD BEFORE IT STOPPED. CAR WOULD NOT START FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES. WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND DRIVE TO SAFETY. DROVE CAR HOME AFTER A FEW DAYS - IN AREA AWAY FROM HOME AND HAD TO USE RENTAL. ON RETURN HOME WITH VEHICLE, IT AGAIN STALLED OUT WHILE DRIVING AT 40MPH ON A DRAWBRIDGE AT NIGHT! AGAIN, CAR WAS ABLE TO EVENTUALLY GET RESTARTED AND DRIVEN TO SAFETY. I HAVE HAD CAR AT MERCEDES DEALERSHIP AND TWO OTHER CAR REPAIR CENTERS THAT WERE ENDORSED. NO ONE CAN FIX THE DEFECT. I HAVE SPENT OVER $12,000 OVER LESS THAN 2 YEARS TO NO AVAIL. WE JUST CONTINUE TO GET MILKED FOR MONEY. THE CAR DOES HAVE 156K MILEAGE ON IT, BUT IS A DIESEL AND HAS BEEN WELL CARED FOR DESPITE THE MILEAGE WITH MAINTENANCE CHECKS AS WARRANTED BY THE DEALER.
NHTSA complaint #10088701 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
DRIVING AT 70 MPH ON CRUISE CONTROL AND ELECTRONICS ON FRONT DASH WENT BLANK, CAR DECELERATED, AND I HAD TO GET OFF THE ROAD BEFORE IT STOPPED. CAR WOULD NOT START FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES. WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND DRIVE TO SAFETY. DROVE CAR HOME AFTER A FEW DAYS - IN AREA AWAY FROM HOME AND HAD TO USE RENTAL. ON RETURN HOME WITH VEHICLE, IT AGAIN STALLED OUT WHILE DRIVING AT 40MPH ON A DRAWBRIDGE AT NIGHT! AGAIN, CAR WAS ABLE TO EVENTUALLY GET RESTARTED AND DRIVEN TO SAFETY. I HAVE HAD CAR AT MERCEDES DEALERSHIP AND TWO OTHER CAR REPAIR CENTERS THAT WERE ENDORSED. NO ONE CAN FIX THE DEFECT. I HAVE SPENT OVER $12,000 OVER LESS THAN 2 YEARS TO NO AVAIL. WE JUST CONTINUE TO GET MILKED FOR MONEY. THE CAR DOES HAVE 156K MILEAGE ON IT, BUT IS A DIESEL AND HAS BEEN WELL CARED FOR DESPITE THE MILEAGE WITH MAINTENANCE CHECKS AS WARRANTED BY THE DEALER.
NHTSA complaint #10088701 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
DRIVING AT 70 MPH ON CRUISE CONTROL AND ELECTRONICS ON FRONT DASH WENT BLANK, CAR DECELERATED, AND I HAD TO GET OFF THE ROAD BEFORE IT STOPPED. CAR WOULD NOT START FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES. WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND DRIVE TO SAFETY. DROVE CAR HOME AFTER A FEW DAYS - IN AREA AWAY FROM HOME AND HAD TO USE RENTAL. ON RETURN HOME WITH VEHICLE, IT AGAIN STALLED OUT WHILE DRIVING AT 40MPH ON A DRAWBRIDGE AT NIGHT! AGAIN, CAR WAS ABLE TO EVENTUALLY GET RESTARTED AND DRIVEN TO SAFETY. I HAVE HAD CAR AT MERCEDES DEALERSHIP AND TWO OTHER CAR REPAIR CENTERS THAT WERE ENDORSED. NO ONE CAN FIX THE DEFECT. I HAVE SPENT OVER $12,000 OVER LESS THAN 2 YEARS TO NO AVAIL. WE JUST CONTINUE TO GET MILKED FOR MONEY. THE CAR DOES HAVE 156K MILEAGE ON IT, BUT IS A DIESEL AND HAS BEEN WELL CARED FOR DESPITE THE MILEAGE WITH MAINTENANCE CHECKS AS WARRANTED BY THE DEALER.
NHTSA complaint #10088701 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, I SLOWED TO TURN OFF HIGHWAY. AFTER COMPLETING TURN TRIED TO ACCELERATE BUT ENGINE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE CAR OFF ROADWAY AT IDLE RPM ONLY. CAR TOWED TO LOCAL SHOP. A PLASTIC PIECE ON THE END OF THE ACCELERATOR CABLE HAD DISINTEGRATED CAUSING THE ACCELERATOR CABLE TO BECOME DISCONNECTED FROM THE ENGINE THROTTLE LEVER. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS FAILURE HAS OCCURRED. THE PLASTIC PIECE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE OF METAL. WHAT IF I HAD BEEN IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF A SIX LANE HIGHWAY WHEN THIS FAILURE OCCURRED?
NHTSA complaint #10081294 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
I DROP MY CAR TO THE SERVICE STATION FOR SMOG CHECK, NEXT DAY I CALLED MECHANIC,TO SEE IF MY CAR IS DONE. HE SAID NO IT STILL HAVE A HIGH READING ON HYDRO EMISSION. HE SAID HE WILL TRY TO INJECT WATER AND OR SOME KIND OF CHEMICAL INTO THE ENGINE TO REJUVENATE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. NEXT DAY HE CALLED ME AND SAID THAT MY CAR NEEDS A NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTER. HE SAID I CAN HAVE ONE PUT IN FOR $480.00. I SAID IT'S TOO HIGH. I TOLD HIM I WIL HAVE MY OTHER MECHANIC FROM CALIFORNIA MUFFLER INSTALL ONE ON IT. WHEN I WENT TO PICK MY CAR IN HIS SHOP I NOTICED THE VERY LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. I ASKED HIM WHAT IS THAT NOISE, HE SAID IT'S SOME KIND OF CARBON DESPOSITE LOGDE IN THE PISTON. IT SHOULD GO AWAY. I DROVE THE CAR TO THE CALIFORINA MUFFLER SHOP AND HAD A CATALYTIC CONVERTER INSTALLED. I TOOK THE CAR BACK FOR RE-TEST AT TEXACO STATION, AND AGAIN IT FAILED. I INSISTED THAT HE SCREWED NU MY ENGINE AND SAID NO. HE ASKED ALL HIS MECHANIC FRIENDS THAT NOISE WILL EVENTUALLY GO AWAY. UPSET ABOUT THE SITUATION I TOLD THE MECHANIC. YOU OWE ME AN ENGINE, HE SAID HE CAN NOT HELP ME BECAUSE HE IS A COMMISION MECHANIC, I HAVE TO BRING MY COMPLAIN TO THE OWNER OF THE STATION. SO I CONFRONTED THE OWNER, HE TOLD MY YOU GOT PROBLEM, HAVE YOUR LAWYER TALK TO MY LAWYER. MEANTIME I HAD MY MERCEDES MECHANIC LOOK INTO HTE NOISE PROBLEM. HE WENT AND DROP THE OIL PAN AND FOUND ALL KINDS OF METAL FILINGS IN IT. HE ALSO TOLD ME #4 PISTON IS THE ONE MAKING THE NOISE. I HAD THEM DROP THE WHOLE ENGINE AND OPENED IT UP. SURE ENOUGH THE #4 PISTON PUSH ROD WAS BENT. PISTON SKIRT WAS HITTING THE CAM SHAFT MAKING THE LOUND NOISE, THAT BY NOW YOU CAN BARELY HEAR IT ANY EXCEPT IF YOU DRIVE THE CAR AND GO INTO TUNNEL OR NEXT TO CONCRETE WALL THAT YOU HEAR THE NOISE. NO WONDER IT WON'T PASS SMOG RE-TEST WHEN BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO HIS SHOP.MY CAR IS STILL AT THE MERCEDES BENZ MECH. IN TORRANCE AUTO HOUSE IN TORRANCE, CA. WAITING FOR AN ENGINE. IT'S BEEN THERE SINCE LAST DECEMBER LAST YEAR. *
NHTSA complaint #761289 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TONY STATED HE HAD REPLACED PARTS BUT PRIOR TO BRINGING THE CAR TO HIM I HAD A DEPUTY SHERIFF MARK MY ENGINE PARTS! AFTER GETTING CAR BACK ALL PARTS HAD MARKS ON THEM! HAD TO BE FIXED AGAIN NOW TONY WANTS 2000.00 MORE BUT I ALREADY PAID $2500.00 THE FIRST TIME!
NHTSA complaint #759219 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHILE DRIVING WOULD HEAR METAL CLANKING NOISES. HAD VEHICLE CHECKED BY MECHANIC. WAS INFORMED THAT ENGINE BLOCK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO LOSING COMPRESSION FOR DIESEL.
NHTSA complaint #888867 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE MODELS OF THE SAME CAR THAT HAVE THE SAME FAILURE, PLEASE ISSUE A RECALL ASAP, THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCEDENT. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED.
NHTSA complaint #744412 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
DRIVER'S RESTRAINT DOES NOT RETRACT WHEN DRIVER LEANS FORWARD AND BACK. DEALER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK WHEN MAKING A U-TURN, THE ENGINE DIES WITHOUT ANY APPARENT REASON.
NHTSA complaint #875955 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WIRING-HARNESS FAILURE CREATED EXTREEM SAFETY CONCERN. GASOLINE FLOWED OPEN INTO CYLINDER #1 UNBURNED THRU TAILPIPE & C. CONVERTER(USED 10 GAL GAS IN 50 MILES). SHORT IN HARNESS ALSO SHORTED OUT HFM CONTROL. GAS LADEN OIL FILLED THE CRANKCASE
NHTSA complaint #733503 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THIS IS THE SECOND 1992 300SD THAT I KNOW OF THAT HAS HAD THE SAME FAILURE, IN THE RELATED CASE MBZ REPLACED THE ENTIRE ENGINE DUE TO FAILED HEAD GASKET AND CRANKSHAFT BEING TOO SOFT, OR NOT STRONG ENOUGH, BUT THEY REFUSE TO HELP US, HE OTHER CASE WAS AN ACQUAINTANCE FROM CONNETICUT
NHTSA complaint #732846 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.