1995 Mercedes Benz 280

THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS FOR THE ENGINE, FUEL INJECTION AND REST OF CRITICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE VEHICLE (1995 C280) HAS DISINTEGRATED DUE TO A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE MANUFACTURER SEEMED TO HAVE USED AN INFERIOR AN UNSUITABLE INSULATION FOR THE WIRES, WHICH, FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN TIME, DETERIORATE ALLOWING THE WIRES TO SHORT AND PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM FUNCTIONING AS WELL AS CREATING A HAZARDOUS SITUATION (STALLING IN FREEWAY, FIRE IN ENGINE, ETC). THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE DEFECT BUT REFUSES TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION OR TO ASSIST IN ANY WAY. WE HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE NEW AND HAVE MAINTAINED IT WITH THE UTMOST CARE. *NM

MY CAR ACTS HAZARDOUS. FROM TIME TO TIME INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS OCCUR LIKE ENGINE STALLS,ENGINE ERRATICALLY INCREASE RPM, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FOR NO REASON, GAUGES NOT WORKING FROM TIME TO TIME, WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINES SEEMS TO STALL BUT RUNS ON 3 CYLINDERS I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND SHUT IT OFF TO RESTART. MY CAR WENT OFF AND TOOK 6 TRIES TO GET THE CAR STARTED. REPLACED HEAD GASKET AT 130K ANOTHER MERCEDES BENZ PROBLEM. *JB

(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