12 of the 44 complaints about the 2000 Mercedes Benz C230 are about the electrical system — 27% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 80,000 miles.
12
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I'VE BEEN UNABLE TO READ MY MILEAGE FOR MANY YEARS NOW. I HAVE A 2000 C230. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THE CLUSTER HAD TO BE REPLACED @ AROUND $1000.00. FOUND THIS TO BE UNACCEPTABLE SINCE THE CAR AT THE TIME WAS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD. IT'S A SHAME MERCEDES BENZ DOESN'T RECALL THIS PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #10505953 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES-BENZ C230. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ODOMETER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT HE WOULD NEED TO REPLACE A CLUSTER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,000. UPDATED 04/15/11*LJ THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER IT WOULD COST $800 TO REPAIR/REPLACE THE ODOMETER. UPDATED 10/07/11
NHTSA complaint #10390595 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES-BENZ C230. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ODOMETER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT HE WOULD NEED TO REPLACE A CLUSTER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,000. UPDATED 04/15/11*LJ THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER IT WOULD COST $800 TO REPAIR/REPLACE THE ODOMETER. UPDATED 10/07/11
NHTSA complaint #10390595 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES C230. THE CONTACT STATED THE ODOMETER FAILED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE GAUGE CLUSTER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000.
NHTSA complaint #10386656 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
2000 C230K MERCEDES. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION AND EXPRESSES DISSATISFACTION WITH DEALER *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS SMOKE EMITTING FROM THE EXHAUST. THE TRANSMISSION PAN WAS DISTORTED AND BENT. ALSO, THE LOW BEAM LIGHT WAS OUT ON THE DASHBOARD.
NHTSA complaint #10378885 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ C230. THE CONTACT STATED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN FOR STATE INSPECTION AND DID NOT PASS DUE TO THE ODOMETER BEING INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED FOR THE FAILURE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES SINCE PURCHASE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THERE WAS NOT A RECALL THE FAILURE AND WOULD NOT ASSIST WITH REPAIRS. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 80,663.
NHTSA complaint #10343507 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PIXELS WENT OUT ON ODOMETER FOR MY CAR WHICH SEEMS TO HAPPEN WITH ALL MERCEDES. 1. PIXELS STARTED TO GO OUT OVER THE MONTHS. 2. 3 YEARS AFTER I BOUGHT IT. 3. REPLACED INSTRUMENT CLUSTER $1,000.
NHTSA complaint #10256159 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
TL -THE CONTACT CALLED REGARDING A 2000 MERCEDES C230. THE CONTACT STATED THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 112,000. THE CONTACT HAS TAKEN THE VEHICLE IN AND THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AS NEEDING A NEW INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. KB
NHTSA complaint #10184340 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
FAILURE OF THE TURN SIGNALS, WIPERS AND POWER WINDOWS AND THE LOCK SYSTEM THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THE EIS SYSTEM OR THE KEY SYSTEM. THIS CAUSED A SAFETY HAZARD OF WHICH NO CONTROL OF ABOVE SYSTEMS. THE CAR WAS IN THE DEALERSHIP 7 DAYS TO THE TUNE OF OVER $800.00 .
NHTSA complaint #10166647 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ENGINE LIGHT FLASHES ON AND OFF WHILE DRIVING. RINGS ON THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF RINGS. *AK THE DEALER DID NOT HONOR THE VEHICLE'S WARRANTY. THE SPEAKERS WOULD INTERMITTENTLY CHANGE THE RADIO SOUND, CENTER CONSOLE DID NOT OPEN PROPERLY, VOLUME DID NOT WORK, THERE WAS A WIND NOISE COMING FROM BEHIND THE DRIVER WHILE IN MOTION, DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER WAS EXTREMELY HOT, BLOWER MOTOR WAS INOPERATIVE AND THE FAN SPEED CONTROL SWITCH ILLUMINATION WAS INOPERATIVE AT TIMES. *SC
NHTSA complaint #10034123 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THE VEHICLE'S EXHAUST SYSTEM RATTLED, THERE WERE NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON INTERMITTENTLY AND WAS RESET BECAUSE THERE WAS NO PROBLEM FOUND, THERE HAD BEEN A POSSIBILITY OF PROBLEMS WITH THE SEAL ON THE FUEL INJECTION AND AIR INJECTION VALVES, THE CLIMATE CONTROL UNIT WAS FAULTY, THE HEATED DRIVER SIDE SEAT DID NOT WORK PROPERLY, AND THE MIDDLE CONSOLE DID NOT CLOSE. SCC
NHTSA complaint #10008600 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
I HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURES WITH MY 2000 MODEL YEAR C230K MERCEDES. THESE HAVE MOSTLY EFFECTED THE CARS SAFETY SYSTEMS WHICH IS A MAJOR CONCERN TO ME. THE FIRST FAILURE WAS A COMPLETE DRAIN OF THE BATTERY CHARGE FOR NO APPARENT REASON AND THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS THE SENSORS OF THE ABS SYSTEM FAILED AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS THEN AUTOMATICALLY LOCKED IN PARKING POSITION AFTER THE NEXT STOP AS A SAFETY FEATURE. MORE RECENTLY FAILURES IN THE SRS SYSTEM HAVE RESULTED IN MERCEDES REPLACING SECTIONS OF MY STEERING COLUMN AND THE WHOLE WIRING HARNESS IN THE CAR. I HAVE JUST MOVED FROM THE USA TO BELGIUM FOR A 2-3 YEAR WORK ASSIGNMENT AND THE CAR IS NOW IN TRANSIT TO BELGIUM. I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW IN THE USA. I WAS VERY UPSET WITH THE WAY MERCEDES HANDLED MY CASE AND I STARTED RESEARCHING ON THE WEB TO SEE IF OTHERS HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES. I BELIEVE THERE ARE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF ISSUES WITH THESE CARS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM BEING POSTED BY OWNERS IN VARIOUS WEB SITES. I HAVE READ REPORTS OF OTHER OWNERS HAVING THEIR BATTERY EXPLODE. ANOTHER OWNER HAD A TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY TOTALLY MELT DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AND MOST RECURRING ISSUES BEING POSTED ARE FAILURES OF THE SRS SYSTEM SIMILAR TO THE FAILURE MY CAR SUFFERED AND THESE FAILURES DO NOT SEEM TO BE LIMITED TO A SPECIFIC MODEL. THE MOST NUMEROUS FAILURE BEING REPORTED IS A FAILURE OF AN ELECTRIC CONTACT IN THE STEERING COLUMN WHICH IS PART OF THE SRS CIRCUIT. THEY ARE REFERRED TO AS "CONTACT RINGS". ON MY CAR THESE WERE REPLACED FIRST AS BASED ON THE TECHNICIANS EXPERIENCE THAT IS WHERE THEY BELIEVED THE PROBLEM EXISTED. THAT DIDN'T FIX THE ISSUE FOR MY SPECIFIC CAR AND AFTER A LOT MESSING 4 WEEKS LATER THE TOTAL HARNESS WAS REPLACED. FOR BACKGROUND THE SRS LIGHT CAME ON CONTINUOUSLY RIGHT BEFORE I HAD PLANNED TO SHIP THE CAR TO BELGIUM. I WAS IN BELGIUM AND DEALT WITH BOTH A DEALERSHIP IN BALTIMORE AND MERCEDES USA TO GET THE ISSUE FIXED.
NHTSA complaint #767562 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.