2006 Mercedes Benz C230

BOUGHT THIS CAR WITH 38000 ON IT. THE GET UP AND GO SEEMED SLUGGISH BUT MECHANIC SAID IT CHECKED OUT. HAD SOME MAJOR ISSUES. CAR WOULD BARELY GO, WENT DIRECTLY TO MERCEDES DEALERSHIP. DEALER SAID FUEL PUMP WAS OUT $793. ALSO SAID I NEEDED TO SERVICE THE TRANSMISSION, $350. THEY ALSO SAID I HAD A MUCH GREATER PROBLEM. A BALANCE SHAFT INSIDE THE MOTOR AND QUOTED ME $4600. THE CAR NOW HAS 55,000 MILES ON IT. THE WARRANTY WAS FOR 4 YEARS OR 50,000. THE CAR IS ONE YEAR OR 5,000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY. IT IS HARD UNDERSTAND WHY THIS TYPE OF CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IS OCCURRING SO SOON AFTER THE WARRANTY IS UP. I CHECKED THIS OUT ONLINE AND IT SEEMS LIKE I'M FAR FROM THE FIRST OWNER TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I SAW A LAWSUIT, TOO BAD I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PARTICIPATE. I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED THAT MERCEDES ISN'T DOING THE RIGHT THING ON ITS OWN. PLEASE HELP! *TR

ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED: TWO DIAGNOSTICS SUGGESTED TWO SEPARATE PROBLEMS, WORN OUT BALANCE SHAFT AND ISSUES WITH THE INTAKE AND EXHAUST CAMSHAFT. CAR IS SLUGGISH ON ACCELERATION AND OCCASIONALLY WILL NOT SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR. CAR MUST BE PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF, AND THEN THE COMPUTER RESETS. THIS IS A PERIODIC PROBLEM AND IS A PARTICULAR HAZARDOUS PROBLEM ENTERING HIGH SPEED HIGHWAYS, WHICH I MUST DO ON A DAILY BASIS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ C230. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE MISFIRED AND THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND CAM SENSOR, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT WAS WAITING FOR A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE MANUFACTURER TO PROCESS A COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 92,000.

RECEIVED A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NOTICE. TOOK C-230 (2006) TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CODE INDICATED A WORN TIMING GEAR PROBLEM AND WOULD REQUIRE MAJOR ENGINE REPAIR. THE COST ESTIMATE WAS $4000 TO $5000 TO TAKE THE ENGINE APART AND DETERMINE IF THE GEAR WAS WORN AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. PERFORMED A INTERNET SEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE ENGINES. CAR HAS 85,000 MILES AND WAS PURCHASED IN 2008 WITH 40,000. HAVE NOT HAD THE REPAIR PERFORMED YET. *TR

I WAS INVOLVED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT (REAR-ENDED) ON DEC 21ST 2010. THE COLLISION RESULTED IN MY VEHICLE BEING PUSHED IN TO ANOTHER VEHICLE (TRUCK) IN FONT OF ME. THE RESULTING CRASH PRODUCED DAMAGES TO THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE CAR TOTALING 15K. I NOTICED THAT MY DASHBOARD WAS LIT UP WITH WARNING SIGNALS AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AT THE SEEN OF THE COLLISION. THE REAR LIGHT WAS EXPLAINABLE AS THE LIGHT WAS KNOCKED OUT IN THE CRASH. THE ENGINE LIGHT HOWEVER WAS A BIT OF A MYSTERY. I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR REPAIRS THREE DAYS LATER AFTER CONSULTING WITH THE DRIVER AT FAULTS' INSURANCE COMPANY. THE REPAIR COMPANY NOTED THE LIGHT ALSO. I COULD ARRIVE AT NO OTHER CONCLUSION BUT THAT THE COLLISION WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ENGINE LIGHT SUDDENLY COMING ON. THE INSURANCE COMPANY ARGUES THAT THE COLLISION HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT PARTICULAR LIGHT COMING ON. THE MATTER IS BEING DEALT WITH IN COURT. IN THE MEANTIME, I DID SOME RESEARCH AND RAN ACROSS HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON LINE, BY MERCEDES BENZ DRIVERS, COMPLAINING OF A CAM SHAFT PROBLEM THAT IS IDENTIFIED BY AN ENGINE LIGHT INITIALLY. IT APPEARS THAT A PART WAS DEFECTIVE YET NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED BY MERCEDES. I'VE REACHED OUT TO MERCEDES BENZ OF AMERICA. AFTER SEVERAL CALLS RESPONDING TO MY INQUIRY, THEY STOPPED INFORMING ME OF ANY FURTHER FINDINGS. THIS AFTER PROMISING TO APPRISE ME OF THE STATUS OF MY COMPLAINT. MY ISSUE IS TWO FOLD. HOW MUCH EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY BEFORE IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS PRODUCT AND THE SERIES OF CARS THAT ARE IMPACTED BY IT, WARRANTS A RECALL? SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS WIDE-SPREAD ISSUE? I MUST TELL YOU THAT AS A CONSUMER, IT IS NO MYSTERY WHAT MOST HAVE LOST TRUST IN GOVERNMENTS ABILITY TO SERVE AND PROTECT IT'S CITIZENS IN THESE MATTERS. I FOR ONE AM DISAPPOINTED IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROCESS. I INITIALLY CONTACTED THIS OFFICE EIGHT MONTHS AGO AND HAVE HEARD NOTHING. REGARDS,[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *KB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ C230. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND CONTINUE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,037.

2006 MERCEDES C230 HAS A DEFECTIVE BALANCE SHAFT GEAR INSIDE ENGINE WHICH DRIVES THE TIMING CHAIN. MERCEDES BENZ KNOWS THAT THE MATERIALS USED WERE INSUFFICIENTLY HARDENED, CAUSING PREMATURE WEAR AND POSSIBLE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER RESULTING IN NO POWER STEERING OR POWER BRAKES WITHOUT WARNING , THEREBY PRESENTING A DANGER TO VEHICLE OCCUPANTS. MERCEDES HAS MODIFIED THE GEAR ON LATE 2006 MODELS BUT NEVER TOOK RESPONSIBILITY TO THE DEFECTIVE PARTS ALREADY SOLD IN THE EARLY 2006 PRODUCTION. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN NOTED THROUGH OUT A LARGE NUMBER OF VEHICLES IN THE MERCEDES LINE. SILENT RECALL HAS BEEN NOTED TO THE TECHNICIANS BUT NOTHING IS BEING DONE TO REPAIR THE DEFECT. MAYBE SAVE SOME LIVES IN THE PROCESS. ALSO NOTE THEY ARE CHARGING OWNERS APPROX $5000 AND DEALERS STATE IT IS HAPPENING OFTEN BETWEEN 30,000-100,000 MILES. NO WARNING OR SYMPTOMS UNTIL IT "JUST HAPPENS". *TR

AT THE END OF JAN 2011, MY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN MY 2006 C230 MERCEDES ' BENZ. I TOOK MY VEHICLE INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET A DIAGNOSTIC INSPECTION ON FEB 1, 2011. THE INSPECTION DETERMINED THE VEHICLE NEEDED A BALANCE SHAFT. MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 58,705 MILES ON IT AND WARRANTY EXPIRED ON IT AT 50,000 MILES. IF DRIVEN LONGER WITH THE ENGINE LIGHT ON, THE VEHICLE WOULD OF MALFUNCTION. THIS SAFETY ISSUE MAY OF CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO MISFIRE AND STOP DRIVING. MERCEDES ' BENZ USA HAS RECEIVED SEVERAL COMPLAINTS PERTAINING TO THIS ISSUE FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS AND NOTHING IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT. ALSO, SEVERAL CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS HAVE BEEN FILED ABOUT THIS ISSUE. A RECALL SHOULD BE PUT ON ENGINE M272 & M273 BALANCE SHAFT GEAR / IDLE GEAR. THIS DEFECT IN THE ENGINE IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND MAY CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT OR FATALITY. THE PRICING ON THE SERVICE IS REALLY RIDICULOUS. PARTS $ 478.15 AND LABOR $1946.26. THIS PRICE WAS A GOODWILL GESTURE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ C CLASS 230. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 15 MPH WHEN THE RED ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO RAN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND DISCOVERED THAT THE CAM SHAFT WAS SPINNING FREE AND WOULD NEED REPLACING. THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000.

THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON IN MY 2006 C230 MERCEDES (CURRENT MILEAGE 57,000) SINCE SEPT 2010. I LATER CONFIRMED IT'S THE PROBLEM IN THE BALANCE SHAFT, WHICH DIRECTLY IMPACT ON THE ACCELERATION AND FAILURE OF THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE SUDDEN STOPPED RUNNING FEW TIMES IN MY COMMUTE TO WORK IN A FREEWAY. LUCKILY, IT WAS DURING THE RUSH HOUR AND THE TRAFFIC WAS MOVING SLOWLY. MANY TIMES WHEN I ENTERED TO THE FREEWAY IN A MERGE LANE, THE ACCELERATION DIDN'T WORK AT ALL AND I ALMOST GOT HIT BY THE OTHER CARS IN THE MERGE LANE. THE MECHANIC ADVISED IF CONTINUE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITHOUT REPLACING BALANCE SHAFT WILL LEAD TO A BIG DANGER TO THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SINCE THE ENGINE CAN BE STOPPED ANYWHERE AND ANYTIME. REPLACING THE BALANCE SHAFT COST $6,000 (FROM THE DEALER) AND MERCEDES USA REFUSE TO COVER ANY PORTION OF THE REPAIR SINCE MY CAR EXCEEDS 50,000 MILES/4 YRS WARRANTY. I TALKED TO THE DEALER AND THE SERVICE ADVISER. THEY SAID THIS IS A COMMON KNOWN PROBLEM FOR MANY OF THE MERCEDES MODELS. IN FACT, IT WAS IN THEIR SERVICE BULLETIN SINCE 2007. UNFORTUNATELY MERCEDES WOULDN'T COVER ANY REPAIR UNLESS THERE?S A RECALL OR SOMEONE DIE FROM IT. I WONDER IF MERCEDES WILL WAIT UNTIL MORE INJURIES BEFORE THEY CONSIDER STOP USING THE SAME BALANCE SHAFT IN THEIR CARS. THIS BALANCE SHAFT IS A VERY SMALL PIECE LOCATED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ENGINE. THE COST OF THE MATERIAL IS VERY INEXPENSIVE. HOWEVER, IT REQUIRES INTENSIVE LABOR BECAUSE THE ENGINE MUST BE TAKEN APART IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE BALANCE SHAFT. *TR