49 of the
1,788 complaints filed about the Mercedes Benz C300
are about the suspension —
3% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2009.
The entire rear subframe of any W205 body model including but not limited to the C class from 2009-2014, CL class, SL, class ETC. suffers admittedly from MB USA, premature rust, deterioration etc. there is an active recall for these same models in Canada and all of Europe but not the USA. My garage kept 2009 C300 has suffered extensive rear end damage from a factory defect that Mercedes refuses to recognize in the Continental U.S. but will admit the same issues occurred in the EU and Canada. Keeler Mercedes, USA, of Colonie New York, stated they completed my subframe repair under the MB rear subframe extended warranty. The vehicle was driven home and inspected only to find out Keeler Mercedes of NY did NOT replace this crucial safety component under MB-USA extended warranty issued for this defect. This is pure negligence. When asked why the subframe wasn’t replaced as the work order stated it did, they stated “a mix up in paper work” I believe Mercedes-Benz USA and Keeler Mercedes of New York conspired together to push this massive safety defect aside and lie about completing the work in fear of the payment from warranty not being worth the labor hours required by the technicians. This oversight COULD have been a multi million dollar lawsuit if any injury was sustained after said repairs were done in belief the vehicle was safe to drive. Keeler Mercedes’ has also had this vehicle in their possession from June 14th 2024, to todays date, July 5th 2024 with no word on when repairs to subframe will be completed. Subframe replacement stated on MB website states it is an 8 hour labor job. We’re on day 18 now. MAJOR safety issue and shady dealing by dealership
NHTSA complaint #11599329 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
After noticing brake fluid leaking I took my car to a local automotive shop and when he raised it to checkout the break line when he found the leak from the rust . he noticed a more serious problem that the subframe was rusted out on each side. He told me to contact Mercedes immediately because the car is unsafe to drive.
NHTSA complaint #11581568 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My rear suspension, right lower control arm I believe it's called. Snapped out of the subframe do to corrosion . My hole rear subframe is getting worse, eating up by corrosion
NHTSA complaint #11570202 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
As I was driving from work, I noticed that when I started using the brakes I starting hearing a metal sound coming from the back, the day after I looked down and realized a whole part from the sub frame was completely broken and the part is corroded.
NHTSA complaint #11556371 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My car has a rotten rear subframe and has holes in it and the dealer doesn't want to repair it and Mercedes announced that it had a 20 year extended warranty. I'm from Manchester, New Hampshire. They inspected it and say they can't change it for free. The warranty doesn't cover it. I don't know what's going on. with that
NHTSA complaint #11554672 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The caption and case number is Sowa et al v. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC et al., [XXX] MBUSA has extended the warranty on the rear subframe of several vehicles. The link to this in on your website: [XXX] One the last page of the PDF file on your website it states: When will customer letters be mailed for this warranty extension? The warranty extension customer notifications are scheduled for mailing on: March 10, 2023, and continue in waves through May 19. We have three cars in my family that are in this "extended warranty" at three different households. No letter was received at any of the three households regarding any of the three cars. If you look up the three cars Vin #'s, all three have no recalls on them and nothing relating to an extended warranty on a rear subframe. So, MBUSA, has brilliantly side stepped issuing a recall which would come up on a Vin $ search. They have not sent out the letters of notification. So, almost all owners will not be aware of the deadly impending time bomb they are driving. As these cars age further the ones that have yet to fail will fail and people will die. I called today, 10/24/2023 Reference # for the call [XXX] to let the NHTSA know the above and that if you allowed MBUSA to NOT issue a recall because they agreed to send letters of notification - well they did not do that and people are at risk. This seems like a loophole to me. No recall, we will extend the warranty and then not let anyone know much lower cost than recall and fixing. The NHTSA - should get the contact information for all the customers affected and hire a third party to send the notices and have MBUSA billed for that service. This would ensure people are notified. I was advised by the NHTSA staff on my call to file a claim with the BBB. That seems ridiculous. I will keep a copy of this filing; so, I can send it to the news channels to show how the NHTSA given due notice did nothing. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11551656 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Was told by a mechanic that there is a safety recall for sub frames on Mercedes vehicles. After an inspection the mechanic noted that it was suggested to replace due to a recall on the c-class models. After looking up the VIN it suggested that a 2009 does not have a recall - same sub frame issue.
NHTSA complaint #11545117 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
rear subframe corrodes and detaches from car. a class action lawsuit has been filed in georgia and california. this effects many mercedes models. dealer stated the lawsuit extends to 08 models as well.
NHTSA complaint #11544393 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
i was driving in the highway 50 mph and i was braking and my car slipped in the other line of the highway and almost had and accident !!!! and cars switched off when driving almost had incident!!!! i saw that many people have the say problem like me about rusted component please do something because people are losing their lifes.
NHTSA complaint #11511806 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Car was inspected by Mercedes Benz of St. Paul (MN). The rear subframe of the car was corroded (inside out) and the crossmember became disjointed from the rear subframe. I could have been in an accident while driving my C300 with a corroded out rear subframe. I was extremely lucky not to be in an accident while I was driving my C300 with a major defect like corroded rear subframe that caused crossmember to become disjointed from the rear subframe. I was lucky enough to avoid serious injury to myself and/or someone else if the rear subframe had collapsed due to unexpected corrosion. Mercedes Benz USA is aware of this defect since 2018 but they have not issued any recall. Since the rear subframe rusts out from inside, there will be no visible defect until the rear subframe fails.
NHTSA complaint #11502002 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving noticed that the car was making a clunking noise from the right rear and car was not stable while making a turn and started to swerve to the right while braking. Jacked up the car this afternoon and see that one of the rear links rusted off from the rear subframe due to rust. Subframe is made of very thin metal that is not resistant to rust. Fortunately I didn't need to perform emergency braking since car is very difficult to control now. Car no longer drivable and needs a new rear subframe to be installed. ~ $5,000 dollars.
NHTSA complaint #11496967 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The stability control is off in the rear. No warning lights or noise. Other models of this same year make and model have been recalled for something having to do with this. Please help me our family can’t afford this rn. We have a beautiful 1 year old that needs rides to dr apt
NHTSA complaint #11492990 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I bought this car for my 18 year old son based on Mercedes reputation for safety and longevity, only to discover that Mercedes has a widely acknowledged issue with rotted sub-frames -- it's a serious safety issue and recalled in other countries. My son was was driving on the highway and the tire exploded. He was so close to being killed because the car went out of control. After getting it towed to my mechanic, he advised me that alignment adjusters were stuck, the subframe was rotted, the lower control arm subframe mounts were broken from the subframe and they were hitting the gas tank. Luckily, the tire only exploded as oppose to the entire vehicle bursting in flames. There were no warning lights or messages, only the feeling that the tires needed to be aligned. We bought new tires and were told an alignment was done from Town Fair Tires, which was untrue. My son's life was in immediate danger. Shame on Mercedes for not recalling this subframe. This is the first of many avenues I am taking to have this rectified and hopefully prevent a tragedy
NHTSA complaint #11489563 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle swayed on the roadway. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rear subframe was corroded and needed to be replaced. The mechanic contacted the dealer to order the replacement part and was informed by the dealer that there was a recall for the subframe; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
NHTSA complaint #11485314 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear subframe corrosion discovered by Mercedes Benz Service.105,000 miles on the vehicle. Presents a safety hazard, possible loss of control the vehicle. Frames rots from the inside out, which leads to discovery after vehicle performance and safety is compromised.
NHTSA complaint #11482786 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Suspension Cross-Member - Mercedes-Benz (204-350-01-41) Driving regularly suddenly fill like the rear passenger side tire moved unevenly, then went to the tire shop, and when they take out the tire see how the rear frame was rusted and broken in a straight line exactly in the middle of the tire hole area. Then start to check used cars to donate that part and All of them have the same trouble in that piece, so I decided to review the frame and discover that the rust begins to damage the opposite side too, so I'm pretty sure is a component failure in metal and materials more than simple rust.
NHTSA complaint #11479521 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The rear subframe is rusted and failing it is unsafe to drive. Mercedes is aware of the problem and has fixed the issue in Canada the UK and Germany free of charge. It would cost me around $4600.00 to fix out of my pocket. I have emailed the dealer where I take my car for service as well as corporate Mercedes in Germany and I am waiting for a reply. Why should I pay when they know it’s not safe and it’s a manufacturer defect ? Are they waiting for a catastrophe before they recall?
NHTSA complaint #11478297 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, he heard an abnormal clunking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the road. After looking under the vehicle, the contact noticed that the subframe located next to the gas tank was fractured. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear subframe had fractured from the weld point. However, the parts to do the repair were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
NHTSA complaint #11473744 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Take my car to the dealer and told me my rear subframe is rusted out and is dangerous to drive. Total cost replace they said around $5800 . Why there isn’t recall for the problem in the USA ? I find out there is one in Canada and Germany for this car. What I’m supposed to do with the car? Take it to a junkyard because Mercedes’
NHTSA complaint #11473026 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.