74 of the 303 complaints filed about the Mercedes Benz C320 are about the electrical system — 24% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2002.
74
Complaints
24%
Share of all complaints
2
Crashes
3
Fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The secondary instrument fuse block located on the driver's side of the dashboard erupted in flame while the vehicle was being driven, endangering its occupant, causing significant damage to its interior, and resulting in a local law enforcement "traffic hazard" determination.
NHTSA complaint #11714189 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Battery drains after being parked overnight, 58,000 miles, dealer maintained since new. Driven by a little old lady until I bought it. Took it to the dealer and they replaced one of the seat modules. Soon afterward, the problem recurred. Took it back to the dealer and they said it was a defective fuse box and replaced it for $650. Went to pick up the car and the battery was dead again. After some complaining, they refunded the bill. They looked at it again and said the problem was somewhere in the dashboard and it would cost $2300 just to take it apart and look for a bad module. They offered $2300 trade in toward a new or CPO car, and said my car would be sent to the crusher. I took the car back and installed a remote operated battery cutoff, and have been driving it ever since. Other than disturbing the engine computer, it's been running well for three years and 20,000 miles. Lovely car otherwise.
NHTSA complaint #11612725 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2003 Mercedes-Benz C320. The contact stated that the sunroof had failed to open, and the sunshade cover failed to close, causing the sunrays to penetrate the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown assessment was made. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the horn was inoperable. The SRS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with front driver's side air bag failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.
NHTSA complaint #11606841 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While changing one of the lights in the headlight housing, I found the wiring's insulation rotting off all the wires, exposing the bare copper presenting a fire hazard.
NHTSA complaint #11549902 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WHILE DRIVING, MY SON WAS USING THE HEATED SEAT FUNCTION AND NOTICED A BURNING SMELL, THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT WAS SMOKING, WHICH BURNED A HOLE IN THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE SEAT BACK AND ALSO BURNED A HOLE IN THE BACK OF MY SONS SWEATSHIRT.
NHTSA complaint #11394282 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ C320. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BATTERY WAS DRAINED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE WHICH CAUSED THE BATTERY TO DRAIN. THE MODULE WAS UNPLUGGED TO PREVENT THE BATTERY FROM BEING DRAINED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000.
NHTSA complaint #11320137 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
MERCEDES BENZ POSSIBLE RECALL / EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR FUEL SYSTEM... INVOLVING A C CLASS 2003 WITH SAME ENGINE AS THE E CLASS. THE CAR FUEL SYSTEM IS TOTALLY MESSED UP, WILL ONLY FILL A HALF TANK AND RUNS OUT OF GAS BECAUSE THE FUEL TANK SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. CAR WILL NOT FILL. ONLY ONE TANK TAKING AND SENDING FUEL APPARENTLY. DASH IS MESSED UP, LIGHTS OUT, FUEL SYSTEM TOTALLY MESSED UP. I ALMOST WENT OFF A CLIFF IN THE CAR, SLID BACKWARDS ON A HILLSIDE WHEN THE CAR RAN OUT OF FUEL UNEXPECTEDLY. NO GAS, NO POWER, MY CAR WENT BACKWARDS, BRAKES NOT WORKING, I WENT INTO A DITCH AND ALMOST INTO A STEEP HILLSIDE, VERY SCARY. A CAR BRANCH SAVED MY DEMISE, HOLDING THE TOP OF THE CAR AND KEPT ME FROM GOING DOWN INTO A RAVENE. DENT ON THE BACK ROOF IS STILL THERE. MERCEDES BENZ REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE ANY PROBLEMS ALTHOUGH THE PROBLEM IS APPARENTLY PROLIFIC IN CARS THIS YEAR AND TYPE. SAME FUEL SYSTEM ON A C320 AS AN E320 SAME YEAR. SAME ENGINE TOO. MY MECHANICS ARE BAFFLED, NO ONE CAN FIX IT, MERCEDES SHOPS DON'T WANT TO HELP, NO ONE CAN HELP.
NHTSA complaint #11020951 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
BATTERY DRAINING
NHTSA complaint #11013539 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I OWN A 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ C320 FOR THREE YEARS AND ALWAYS HAVE ISSUES WITH THE SOFTWARE, THE ENGINE KEEPS SHUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING, AND THE STEERING WHEEL GET LOCKED, NO MATTER WHERE I AM AT, A CITY STREETS OR A HIGHWAY. MANY PHONE CALLS TO MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER AND THE HEADQUARTER, THEY DIDN'T TRY TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES I'M HAVING WITH MY CAR!!! MERCEDES-BENZ WANTS PEOPLE EITHER FORGET ABOUT THE SAFETY ISSUE! DIE NATURALLY OR SELL THEIR CARS.
NHTSA complaint #10993929 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
MY BATTERY KEEPS DRAINING. WHEN I LOOK AT THE DISPLAY SCREEN IT ONLY STATES THAT THE FRONT RIGHT LIGHT IS OUT. WHEN I HAD TWO MECHANICS LOOK AT IT AND THEY STATED THAT MY BATTERY IS BEING DRAINED DUE TO MY SEAT FUNCTION NOT WORKING PROPERLY. AFTER NOT USING MY BATTERY FOR HOURS IT DIES. I KEEP HAVING TO JUMP IT. MY BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED LESS THAN A MONTH AGO SO I KNOW THE BATTERY IS NOT AN ISSUE. MY DISPLAY SCREEN GIVES ME A FEW DIFFERENT MALFUNCTIONS AND THAN ONE MOMENT IT DISPLAYS NO MALFUNCTIONS. AFTER CHARGING MY CAR AND THAN LEAVING IT A STRANGE CHURPING SOUND GOES OFF IN MY CAR CAUSING MY BATTERY TO DIE AGAIN. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN MY CAR HAS DIED IN AT NIGHT IN STRANGE AREAS AND I HAVE TO ALONE AND UNSAFELY JUMP MY CAR AND SIT UNTIL MY JUMPER PROVIDES MY BATTERY WITH ENOUGH JUICE TO START MY CAR. WHEN I AM DRIVING MY FUNCTIONS STOP WORKING BECAUSE MY BATTERY ISN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO POWER THE EVERYTHING. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS.
NHTSA complaint #10885314 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR AND TWO DAYS LATER THE SMART KEY WON'T TURN, CAN'T UNLOCK THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE SHIFFTER THE GOOD THINK THE CAR WAS PARKED ON MY DRIVE WAY CALL TOW TRUCK TAKE TO THE SHOP AND THEY SAY I NEED A NEW KEY AND IGNITION CONTROL MODULE BUT ONLY DEALER CAN DO THAT, $1,400.00 DOLLARS JOB
NHTSA complaint #10861059 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WHEN ESP, BAS AND ABS LIGHTS SHOW UP, AND SPEEDOMETER DISPLAY STOPS WORKING - SPEED READING GOES TO ZERO, THOUGH THERE IS NO REDUCTION IN SPEED. GET TO DESTINATION. ON RETURN IT HAPPENS AGAIN. THIS TIME I GO TO REST AREA, STOP THE CAR, REMOVE THE KEY AND RESTART. THE CAR REFUSES TO MOVE OUT OF PARK. CALL ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND GET INSTRUCTION TO OVERRIDE PARK, DRIVE HOME WITH FLASHERS ON - VERY ROUGH RIDE QUALITY. TOW TO DEALER NEXT DAY, THEY ARE NOT SURE IF NEW PART WILL FIX IT, EVEN IF $1850 PART IS REPLACED. LOTS OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS OVER THE YEARS. TURN LIGHTS GO OUT ROUTINELY. CHANGED CD CHANGER. SEAT DRAINS BATTERY,HAD TO DISCONNECT IT. POOR ELECTRICAL SENSORS ALL AROUND. NOW IT ALSO HAS RUST DAMAGE, ALL OF A SUDDEN, AT THE BOTTOM OF DOORS.
NHTSA complaint #10747123 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES C320. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT AFTER AN HOUR, THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 123,384.
NHTSA complaint #10704418 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
AT 55 MPH THE FRONT LEFT BRAKE ENGAGES WITHOUT APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL AND AFTER A FEW SECONDS RELEASES, THE BAS AND ESC FAULTS ARE THEN VISIBLE ON THE DASH. THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WAS REPLACED BY MERCEDES TWO TIMES, BUT THIS CONDITION SHOWS UP AFTER A FEW DAYS OF DRIVING , CODES SHOW THAT THE YAW RATE SENSOR OR CONNECTION IS AT FAULT. EVEN WHEN THE CAR IS IN PARK WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING ON A FLAT LEVEL SURFACE THE FAULT WARNING DASH LIGHTS ESC AND BAS WILL COME ON WITH NO MOVEMENT IN THE CAR. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR A COLLISION FROM A VEHICLE FOLLOWING ME AND RUNNING INTO ME . MANY OTHERS POSTED THE SAME PROBLEM. WHY IS THERE NO RECALL ? I HAVE 8 GRANDCHILDREN THAT YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT.
NHTSA complaint #10618834 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THE "MULTI FUNCTION DISPLAY" (MFD) SCREEN IN THE DASH FADES WITH INTERIOR HEAT (IN SUMMER) AND EVENTUALLY FAILS OVER TIME. THE MFD DISPLAYS ALL CRITICAL VEHICLE OPERATION INFORMATION (SUCH AS COOLANT TEMPERATURE WARNINGS, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL ACTIVATION, ETC.), AND ALL NOTIFICATION OF VEHICLE FAULT CODES THAT OCCUR. WITHOUT THE INFORMATION VISIBLE, THE OWNER CAN'T KNOW IF THERE IS A SAFETY PROBLEM. THERE ARE NO MECHANICAL GAUGES SERVING AS BACK-UP. FURTHER, THE VEHICLE ODOMETER IS ONLY VISIBLE IN THE MFD. WITHOUT AN OPERATING MFD, THE OWNER CANNOT VIEW, OR CERTIFY THE CORRECT ODOMETER MILEAGE, REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW WHEN SELLING THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER OR SUBSEQUENT OWNER. THIS IS A WELL-KNOWN FAULT ACROSS SEVERAL MERCEDES MODELS. DEALERS OFFER TO REPLACE THE MFD, AT CONSIDERABLE OWNER EXPENSE. HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE ODOMETER ISSUE, I BELIEVE THAT MERCEDES SHOULD FIX THE DISPLAY AT ZERO COST TO THE CONSUMER.
NHTSA complaint #10617540 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
MY 2001 MERCEDES-BENZ C320'S BATTERY WAS CONSTANTLY GOING BAD AND HAVING TO BE JUMPED AFTER NOT STARTING IT OR DRIVING IT FOR APPROX. 24 HOURS. FINALLY, AFTER A CERTIFIED MERCEDES MECHANIC INVESTIGATED THE PROBLEM, HE INFORMED ME THAT THE PROBLEM ORIGINATED FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT MODULE, WHICH WAS DRAINING MY BATTERY. HE INFORMED ME THAT IF I UNPLUGGED IT FOR THE TIME BEING, MY BATTERY WOULD NO LONGER DRAIN. SURE ENOUGH, AFTER UNPLUGGING THE SEAT MODULE, I NO LONGER HAD ISSUES WITH MY BATTERY DRAINING. THE SEAT MODULE CONTROLS SEAT ADJUSTMENTS AS WELL AS STEERING WHEEL ADJUSTMENTS, SO THIS IS VERY INCONVENIENT, AND UNSAFE, BECAUSE THERE ARE TIMES, WHEN I HAVE TO PLUG THE MODULE IN ADJUST MY SEAT OR STEERING WHEEL, AND IT DOES NOT WORK, AND I'M STUCK WITH THE SEATS OR STEERING WHEEL IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION. I HAVE ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH BRAKE (STOP) LIGHTS, TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS, ETC., IN WHICH THE VEHICLE INDICATOR STATES THAT PARTICULAR LIGHTS ARE MALFUNCTIONING, AND THEN AFTER AWHILE IT GOES AWAY, AND THEN DAYS LATER, THE LIGHTS ARE INOPERABLE AGAIN. I HAVE SPENT QUITE A BIT OF MONEY REPLACING BULBS. I ORIGINALLY PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN 2004 WHEN IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY.
NHTSA complaint #10585499 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
REALLY DAD EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH DRIVERS AND PASSENGER SIDE SEAT CONTROL MODULES DRAINING BATTERY WHEN KEY OFF MY CAR STARTED ON FIRE UNDER THE HOOD .!! TWO TIMES.
NHTSA complaint #10560656 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THE TRUNK LID WOULD OCCASIONALLY OPEN UP ON ITS OWN, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, BLOCKING REAR VIEW. THIS WAS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES OVER A PERIOD OF ONE-TWO MONTHS.
NHTSA complaint #10557156 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
POWER CONTROL SEAT & STEERING COLUMN MODULE/REGULATOR WENT OUT & BEFORE IT DID IT USE TO DRAIN THE BATTERY WHERE CAR WOULDN'T START IF SAT FOR LESS THAN 24HRS, SO HAD TO UNPLUG BUT NOW THE ENTIRE SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK PLUGGED IN. I CAN BARELY REACH THE PEDALS TO DRIVE PROPERLY, THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD & NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. IT ALSO NEEDS TO BE A WAY TO MANUALLY ADJUST. THANK YOU
NHTSA complaint #10543177 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THERE HAVE BEEN TWO WARNING LIGHTS FOR REAR LIGHTS AND AFTER DRIVING FOR 4 HOURS, A WARNING CAME ON FOR ELECTRICAL STABILITY AND MY CAR QUIT WORKING COMPLETELY. THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL AND I HAD TO RESTART IT. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS.
NHTSA complaint #10525598 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.