Mercedes Benz E350 wheel problems

WHEELS

The rear subframe needs fixing. And they are putting my car on hold for 3 weeks, denied a loaner car, and I have to get back to work.

NHTSA complaint #11693224 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

Broken rear sub frame.

NHTSA complaint #11630893 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

Rear subframe corrosion and failure. Based on my queries this apparently a common issue. I am adding my report to add weight to this common issue. Vehicle is approximately 13 years old, is in good condition, and has not suffered any accidents affecting the rear subframe. Overall only minimal rust or corrosion is found during a visual inspection while on a lift. This vehicle has passed annual inspections as required by Virginia state law. The rear subframe has rusted from the inside. This corrosion was not visible from the outside, which is why it was not found in the annual inspections. Due only to this internal corrosion, the left-hand (driver) side of the rear subframe has broken loose where the rear wheel's control arm is attached. This removes one of the rear wheel's primary attachment points, making the vehicle unsafe to drive.

NHTSA complaint #11544758 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

The rear subframe of my vehicle failed at the lower trailing arm mounting point (passenger side). This resulted in the car swerving to the right when I applied pressure to the brake pedal, which was worse at higher speeds. This had been getting progressively worse for a few weeks until I almost spun out on the highway while braking. The next day, I randomly got a flat tire on the rear right side while driving at 30MPH near Valley Street in Providence. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to the failure. I immediately replaced the tire and brought it to Midas on Mineral Spring Ave in North Providence, RI, so that they could inspect the vehicle. They discovered that the rear subframe was almost completely disconnected at the lower trailing arm mounting point due to excessive rust that had wore a hole in the part from the inside-out, which was not visible at the time of the last inspection. Midas immediately informed me that the car was unsafe to drive more than the distance back to my house. They also informed me that 3 tires needed to be replaced, including the flat, as a result of excessive wear on the inner wall and the inner edge of the tread. None of these three tires had reached the wear bars yet, and Midas confirmed they would not have had to be replaced if not for the subframe defect. I had the car towed to Mercedes-Benz of Warwick after Midas replaced the 3 tires (RL, RR, FR) because I heard that Mercedes had recently extended the warranty period for rear subframes (only months after a class action lawsuit was filed about the issue). Mercedes inspected the vehicle and confirmed the issue, and is currently replacing the rear subframe under the new extended warranty program for rear subframes. However, they refuse to reimburse me for the other issues directly caused by the corroded rear subframe (which they admit liability for when they replace the part free of charge), stating they have been instructed by corporate that related issues are not covered.

NHTSA complaint #11516430 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

Recently, I took my 2012 Mercedes E350 4Matic for an oil change and after inspecting the vehicle, I was informed by my mechanic that the car had a rusted sub-frame, with visible holes near the right rear wheel. I was told this needed to be immediately addressed as it was a safety issue. He explained that if not fixed, the wheel could detach from the vehicle while driving and could result in a crash or serious injury/death. My mechanic indicated that Mercedes Benz of America is aware of this issue and they do not offer any assistance with the necessary repair. However, I did some research online and learned that if you own a Mercedes, have this same issue and also live in Germany, you can take it to a dealer for a free repair. I find it outrageous that this is not a valid safety recall and even more so, having to pay nearly 3K for the repair in order to make the car safe to drive.

NHTSA complaint #11484413 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

The component that failed was the front passenger wheel. The safety of others were not affected, however, because of the nature of the incident, the vehicle had to come to a stop in the middle of the highway and then the driver, my husband, was able to pull the car over to the shoulder. My husband originally thought he had a flat because the car was hard to steer, but upon further investigation after removing the front passenger tire/wheel, he noticed that the wheel had a large crack that had broken away from part of the tire. No warning indicator lights appeared on the dashboard before or during the incident.

NHTSA complaint #11426879 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

REAR WHEEL CRACKED AT THE BEAD. PARALLEL TO THE AXLE. RIGHT TO LEFT. THIS IS A RESULT OF FATIGUE. AFTER BEING IN THE AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS THE MOST OF MY LIFE THIS IS NOT ABBUSE.

NHTSA complaint #11366897 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

2ND RIM TO CRACK UNDER NORMAL USE [IN FL, NOT THE NORTH EAST WITH POTHOLES] MERCEDES MECHANIC TOLD US THAT THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE MOUNTED LOW PROFILE TIRES ON THIS RIM. THE TIRES DO NOT OFFER ENOUGH PROTECTION FOR THE RIM FROM NORMAL DRIVING HAZARDS. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM AS A CRACKED RIM CAUSES FLATS, AT HIGH SPEED THAT CAN BE DEADLY

NHTSA complaint #11311633 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

I HAVE HAD 6 BLOW OUTS OR BUMPS IN MY TIMES IN 2.5 YEARS WITH THESE CONTIPROCONTACT 245/40 R 18 97V TIRES IN NORMAL, URBAN DRIVING. THE REP AT THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THESE TIRES AND HE DOES NOT RECOMMEND THEM TO ANYONE. THE MOST RECENT BLOWOUT HAPPENED WITH I WAS DRIVING 40 MPH AND I DID NOT HIT A POTHOLE OR BUMP. THAT TIRE WAS ONLY 3 MONTHS OLD WHEN IT BLEW. IN THE PREVIOUS 10 YEARS, I HAD 2 BLOW OUTS ON MY PREVIOUS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE

NHTSA complaint #11234826 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

REPEATED FLAT TIRE/TIRE DAMAGE WHILE DRIVING OVER SMALL POTHOLES IN ROAD IN WASHINGTON DC METRO AREA(SMALL ROADS/HIGHWAY). FREQUENTLY 2 TIRES ARE DAMAGED ON THE SAME SIDE. . REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF NINE TIRES SINCE 2015 WITH FIVE TIRES CHANGED OVER THE LAST 5 MONTHS(SINCE AUGUST 2018).APPARENTLY, LOW PROFILE CONTINENTAL TIRES(245/40R18) USED BY MERCEDES FOR THE E350 ARE KNOWN TO BE A ROAD HAZARD. ON ONE OCCASION, A "BUBBLE" WAS NOTED DURING INSPECTION OF TIRE. I WAS TOLD NO OTHER/MORE DURABLE TIRES CAN BE USED WITH THE E350 MODEL! CLEARLY, THIS TIRE MODEL IS PRONE FOR FREQUENT FAILURE AND MAY PRESENT A ROAD HAZARD FOR DRIVERS AND CAR OCCUPANTS.

NHTSA complaint #11163167 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

ORIGINAL CONTINENTAL CONTI PRO CONTACT TIRES (245/40/18) FOR MERCEDES BENZ E350 WITH APPROX. 15,000 MILES ON THEM AND MY TIRE BLEW ON HIGHWAY. AND SIDE RIM OF TIRE HAS BIG CUT.IT WAS AT THE TIME OF TRAFFIC AT 5 PM AND I WAS VERY CLOSE TO HIT SIDEWALL OF HIGHWAY. LAST WEEK AGAIN I DISCOVERED THAT OTHER TWO TIRES CONTINENTAL CONTIPROCONTACT ON SAME CAR HAS A BUBBLE ON THE SIDEWALL. THE BUBBLE IS WITHIN A QUATER TO HALF OF AN INCH TO THE RIM. AFTER A DAY ONE TIRE WAS FLAT AND BIG CUT I SEE AT SAME PLACE WHERE BUBBLE WAS. I CALLED MERCEDEZ BENZ AS MY CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT HAS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF POTHOLE AND YOU HAVE TO REPLACE ALL THE 4 TIRES. I ONLY DRIVE CAR FOR WORK AND I NEVER HIT POTHOLE IT LOOKS LIKE THERE IS MANUFACTURING DEFECT WITH TIRE. I AM SORRY TO SAY THAT EVEN CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY MERCEDES IS NOT DOING ANYTHING AND THERE IS NO RECALL ON TIRE. I HAVE NOTICED MANY PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT BUBBLE ISSUE WITH THE TIRE. CONTINENTAL TIRE SHOULD BE TAKING CARE OF THE TIRE AS IT ONLY HAS 15K MILES

NHTSA complaint #11099872 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

I PURCHASED A PRE-CERTIFIED 2015 MERCEDES-BENZ E350 4MATIC SPORT WITH 19,550 MILES ON 3/9/18. WITHIN THE FIRST 175 MILES DRIVEN I HAVE EXPERIENCED A FLAT TIRE FROM COMPLETE SIDEWALL FAILURE IN ONE TIRE (WHICH WAS A NEWER, NON-ORIGINAL) AND TWO SIDEWALL BUBBLES ON TWO OF THE OTHER ORIGINAL TIRES. THE SIDEWALL FAILURE WAS DUE TO HITTING A SMALL POTHOLE WHILE THE BUBBLES SEEM TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY NORMAL DRIVING. THE TIRES ARE CONTIPROCONTACT 245/40R18 WHICH SEEM TO HAVE COMMON SIDEWALL ISSUES FROM THE COMPLAINTS. FOR SAFETY CONCERNS I HAVE ORDERED MICHELIN PILOT SPORT A/S 3+, SO WILL BE OUT AROUND $1,000 (PLUS THE $255 COST OF REPLACING THE FIRST BLOWN CONTIPROCONTACT, WHICH HAS ABOUT 50 MILES ON IT, BUT I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING ON IT).

NHTSA complaint #11081580 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

MY VEHICLE WEARS THE INSIDES OF FRONT AND BACK TIRES. HAVE DONE WHEEL ALIGNMENTS, TOE-INS AND OTHER REMEDIES. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS THAT YOUR TIRES WEAR DOWN PREMATURELY AND THE UNSUSPECTING DRIVER DRIVES AND THE TIRES WEAR DOWN TO THE THREADS AND EXPLODES. THIS IS BECAUSE THEY DID NOT EXPECT THEIR TIRES TO LAST HALF OR LESS OF THE THREAD LIFE DUE TO THIS UNUSUAL WEAR, AND NO ONE CAN FIGURE OUT WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. ALSO, BECAUSE OF THE AREA THAT IT WEARS THE AVERAGE PERSON WOULD NOT EVEN NOTICE IT. VEHICLES GOING HIGHWAY SPEEDS (55-70 MPH) COULD HAVE BLOWOUTS AND KILL THEMSELVES AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD.

NHTSA complaint #11081408 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH CONTINENTAL CONTIPROCONTACTS 245/40R18 TIRES THAT CREATES A SIDEWALL BUBBLE/BLISTERS. I REPLACED 2 FRONT TIRES ALREADY WITH VEHICLE MILEAGE LESS THAN 7,500 MILES. NOW BOTH REAR TIRES THAT HAVE LESS THAN 11,000 HAVE BOTH ESTABLISHED SIDEWALL BUBBLES/BLISTERS. ALL TIRES ARE CURRENTLY CONTINENTAL TIRES.

NHTSA complaint #11014001 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT USED WITH 10000 MILES IT NOW HAS APPROX 25000 SO IN 15000 I'VE HAD 6 TIRES CHANGED ON THE VEHICLES DO TO FLATS. IN ONE OF THE INSTANCE I GOT A DOUBLE FLAT AT THE SAME TIME AND SINCE THE TIRES ARE NEW ON THE VEHICLE I UNFORTUNATELY HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRES WITH THE SAME TIRES. THESE TIRE GO FLAT AT A BLINK THE SIDE WALLS ARE THIN AND GET SLICED EASLY THE TREAD PART OF THE TIRE GETS PUNCTUED EASILY AND OFTEN THE REPAIR SHOP TELLS YOU THAT THE FLATS HAVE DAMAGE THE TIRES AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED SO YOU HAVE TO BUY A NEW ONE @$275.00. I HAVE NEVER OWNED A VEHICLE THAT HAS HAD THIS MANY TIRE PROBLEMS. I BELIEVE THESE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE AND ARE GOING TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THEY ARE EASILY DAMAGED. THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THESE TIRES AND CONTINENTAL NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEGING PEOPLES COMPLAINTS, SOME ONE NEEDS TO CHECK THESE OUT.

NHTSA complaint #11010389 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

I OWN THE CAR FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS. SO FAR I HAD TO REPLACE 7 TIRES, MERCEDES IS SAYING THAT THE PROBLEM ARE THE ROADS IN MICHIGAN. THESE TIRES ARE LOW PROFILE TIRES, I DO NOT FILL SAFE TO DRIVE THE CAR. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT MANY OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I GUESS I WAS LUCKY TO BUY TIRE AND WHEEE INSURANCE. I AM 66 YEARS OLD AND HAD MANY CARS BUT I HAVE NOT HAVE THESE KINDE OF TIRE PROBLEMS.

NHTSA complaint #10935446 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.