1995 Mercedes Benz 280

(1) WHILE DRIVING MY 95 MERCEDES C280 ON I-44 HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION I HIT A SMALL BUMP. IMMEDIATELY THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON, BUT THE ENGINE SEEMED TO OPERATE NORMALLY. I WAS ON MY WAY TO THE DEALER FOR ANOTHER PROBLEM, SO THEY CHECKED THE WARNING LIGHT AND FOUND THE WIRING HARNESS TO BE DETERIORATED, WHICH THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE ORIGINAL HARNESS. AT $1745 TO REPLACE AND WITH IT OPERATING NORMALLY AND WITH THEIR ASSURANCE IT SHOULD NOT CAUSE A FIRE OR ANY OTHER PARTS TO FAIL, I HAVE NOT HAD IT REPAIRED. WHEN I TALKED WITH CAROL, A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AT THE NATIONAL MERCEDES OFFICE, SHE REFERRED ME TO KENNETH HOLLAND AT ELITE, THE DEALERSHIP IN SPRINGFIELD, MO FOR A REDUCED COST BUT HE REFUSED BECAUSE MERCEDES DID NOT AUTHORIZE IT. I AM CONCERNED AFTER READING OF OTHERS WHO HAVE HAD ACCIDENT RESULTING FROM FAILED WIRING HARNESS ON THIS MODEL. *NM

MULTIPLE ENGINE FAILURE EVENTS WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE CAR WOULD COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN. LOCAL MERCEDES REPAIR SHOP INVESTIGATED AND INFORMED ME OF THE MAIN ENGINE HARNESS WIRING DETERIOATING AND THIS WAS NORMAL FOR THIS MODEL YEAR CAR (WIRES ARE BIODEGRADABLE). MY WIRES HAD FELL APART AND WAS SHORTENING OUT DUE TO BARE WIRES TOUCHING AND EXPOSURE TO THE ELEMENTS. THUS, THIS REQUIRED RE-WIRING THE CAR WITH A NEW HARNESS. CHECKED WITH THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE WIRING ISSUE WAS DUE TO WEAR/TEAR AND THEY WOULD REPLACE THE WIRING AT FULL PRICE FOR PARTS & LABOR. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SCENARIO FOR A CAR AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD. THE REPLACEMENT WIRES ALSO HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE FORCED TO RECALL THIS ITEM AND REPLACE WITH A IMPROVED (NON-BIODEGRADABEL) WIRING HARNESS. *JB

MY HUSBAND WAS CHANGING THE IGNITION WIRES AN WHEN DOING SO NOTICED THAT ALL THE WIRES UNDER THE HOOD ARE CRACKING DETERIORATING. WE ARE WORRIED THAT THIS WILL CAUSE A FIRE SOON. THE IGNITION WIRES ARE SEALED IN THICK RUBBER HE CUT IT APART AND FOUND THAT ALL THE WIRES INSIDE WERE ROTTED CRACKED BARE WIRE RUNNING TOGETHER. WHICH IS WHY THE CAR WOULDN'T START. WHAT'S NEXT? *NM

SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING MY MERCEDES BENZ C-280 FROM A PRIVATE PARTY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE LOCAL MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP STATED IT WAS THE WIRING HARNESS AND IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY DID NOT STATE THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL OR YEAR. THE ESTIMATE TO REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS WAS $1600. GIVEN THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM FROM THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS HERE, MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL ON ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES BECAUSE THIS PROBLEM IS A SAFETY HAZARD NOT ONLY TO THE DRIVER OF AN AFFECTED VEHICLE, BUT TO ALL CARS ON THE SAME ROAD AS SAID VEHICLE THAT COULD STALL, OR WORSE, CATCH ON FIRE WHILE BEING OPERATED! *JB

COMPLAINT RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL."IN THE EARLY MORNING OF SEPT. 24, 2004, I WENT TO START MY 1995 MERCEDES C280. WHEN I TURNED THE IGNITION KEY THERE WAS A VERY LOUD BANG AND THE IGNITION AND THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WENT DEAD. I CALLED A TOWING SERVICE AND HAD THE CAR TAKEN TO MY SERVICE CENTER (MERCEDES BENZ OF ESCONDIDO, 1101 WEST 9TH AVE, ESCONDIDO, CA 92025, 1-760 745 5000). I WAS TOLD THE BATTERY HAD EXPLODED, AND DESPITE MY PROTESTS THAT I HAD BROUGHT THE CAR IN SCRUPULOUSLY AND REGULARLY FOR SERVICE, THE MERCEDES SERVICE CENTER SAID THEY WERE NOT ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE EXPLOSION. MY QUESTION: SHOULDN'T THEY BE? DON'T BATTERY EXPLOSIONS TAKE PLACE ONLY IF THE FLUID LEVELS HAVE NOT BEEN MAINTAINED AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR? I SUBSEQUENTLY RESEARCHED MERCEDES AND BATTERY EXPLOSIONS ON THE WEB AND DISCOVERED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL OF SOME 65,000 MERCEDES C280S MADE IN 1998 AND 1999. *JB

MY SON'S CAR QUIT RUNNING. THE MECHANIC AT THE GARAGE DISCOVERED THAT THE UNDERHOOD WIRING HARNESS HAD COMPLETELY DETERIORATED. HE SPOKE WITH A MERCEDES MECHANIC WHO TOLD HIM THIS WAS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS ERA CAR WITH THIS ENGINE. I SPOKE WITH A MERCEDES CUSTOMER SERVICE REP WHO SAID THAT THEY WERE UNAWARE OF AN ISSUE. I POINTED OUT THAT I WAS SEEING COMPLAINTS ON THE NHSTA SITE. HE DENIED THEIR EXISTENCE. HERE ARE THE ODI ID NUMBERS I FOUND IN A QUICK SEARCH. THEY ALL DESCRIBE THE SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM: 769109 10059002 10005610 8014541 742685 737212 836664 733503 720365 720365 10016993 898986 714914 767707 NOW, I AM IN INFECTION CONTROL AND EPIDEMIOLOGY. IF I WERE TO SEE THESE 14 RECORDS ALL ABOUT 1994 AND 1995 MODELS, IT WOULD SUGGEST A CLUSTER AND REQUIRE SOME ACTION ON MY PART. I DON'T KNOW IF THE NHTSA WORKS THAT WAY, BUT REMEMBER THIS DATA IS FROM THE VERY FEW ANGRY CUSTOMERS THAT KNOW HOW OR HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET INTO THIS AGENCY. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET. THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE WAS IN THE $2000.00 RANGE. TO THIS POINT MERCEDES HAS BEEN UNWILLING TO HELP OR COOPERATE. HIGH AND LOW VOLTAGE EXPOSED COPPER WIRES UNDER THE HOOD, NEXT TO A POTENTIAL GROUND CAN BE AN EXTREME FIRE HAZARD.*JB