2007 Mercedes Benz GL450

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND WENT INTO LIMP MODE (NEUTRAL) EVEN THOUGH THE CAR WAS IN D AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED ON STOP LIGHT, CAR LOST THE POWER AND I HAD TO ACCELERATE CAR HARD TO MAKE IT MOVE AND STILL DIDN'T MOVE FINALLY I HAD TO RESTART IT, RESTARTING THE CAR SOLVED THE PROBLEM BUT IT WOULD COME BACK ONCE YOU ARE ON HIGHWAY SPEED, THIS CAN SERIOUSLY CAUSE THE ACCIDENT AS YOU CANT CHANGE THE LANE AS YOUR VEHICLE LOSSES THE POWER AND IT SLOWS DOWN AND COUPLE OF TIMES THE TRANSMISSION MADE A LOUD BOOM SOUND CAUSING THE VEHICLE SPEED TO SLOWED DOWN IN VERY SHORT SPAN OF TIME, AND IF THE DRIVER BEHIND MY CAR HAS SHORT DISTANCE HE\SHE MIGHT END UP HITTING BACK OF THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS A SILENT MERCEDES SERVICE BULLETIN S-B-27.00/120 RAISED BY MERCEDES DATE APR 8 2011 FOR CHANGING THE VALVE BODY CONDUCTOR PLATE IN 7 SPEED TRANSMISSION, WHERE AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL FOR 2007-2008 MODEL GL450 BUT MERCEDES GOT AWAY WITH IT. THIS IS REALLY A SAFETY CONCERN AND HIDDEN TRUTH FROM CUSTOMERS. I WOULD REQUEST YOU TO PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE AND THERE ARE TONS OF OTHER PEOPLE ON FORUMS WHO HAD THE SAME ISSUES FOR THESE 2 YEAR MODELS SOME GOT THE FREE FIX AS THEY WAS UNDER WARRANT AND SOME HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET, THERE WERE FEW INSTANCES WHERE THIS CONDUCTOR PLATE FAILED WITHIN 5-45000 MILES. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT ON A LOCAL ROAD WHEN THE TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP AND WOULD NOT SHIFT UP A GEAR. I IMMEDIATELY GOT INTO THE NEAREST PLAZA AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. I THEN RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHIFTING CORRECTLY AND WAS NOT LOCKING INTO A GEAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME TWICE ALREADY. IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AS I COULD HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT WITH THE CAR BEHIND ME. I COULD HAVE ALSO DAMAGED INTERNAL COMPONENTS IN MY SUV. *TR

DAY BEFORE THE INCIDENT, CAR WOULD SUDDENLY STICK IN GEAR, NOT SHIFT UP OR DOWN OTHER THAN AFTER TURNING IT OF. RESEARCHED THIS; SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. HAD NO TIME TO GET IT FIXED THAT DAY, NEXT DAY GOT INVOLVED IN A SIDE IMPACT ACCIDENT (OTHER DRIVER NEGLECTED STOP SIGN) WANTED TO SPEED UP TO AVOID COLLISION, BUT CAR DID NOT SHIFT DOWN OR ACCELERATE. COULD NOT AVOID COLLISION. AFTER BODY WORK, CAR WOULD STILL HAVE SAME SHIFTING ISSUE. DEALER FOUND OUT WAS FAILING CONDUCTOR PLATE AND VALVE BODY OF THE TRANSMISSION.

THE VEHICLE GETS STUCK IN A GEAR LOW OR HIGH AND WILL NOT GET OUT OF THAT GEAR UNTIL THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND THEN BACK ON. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR A FAMILY THAT IS EITHER MERGING ON TO THE HIGHWAY OR TRYING TO ACCELERATE. THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR THESE VEHICLES AND MAKES IT VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. YOU DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS STUCK IN A GEAR UNTIL YOU TRY TO ACCELERATE, IT EITHER WILL BE IN 1ST GEAR OR A HIGH GEAR 5-6? AND WILL ACCELERATE VERY SLOWLY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MERCEDES BENZ GL450. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START HOWEVER, ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WERE ILLUMINATED FOLLOWED BY A WARNING CHIME. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS A LEAK FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE TECHNICIAN RECOMMENDED A FLUID FLUSH AND REPLACING THE POWER STEERING SEAL, STEERING COLUMN MODULE, WIRING HARNESS, AUXILIARY BATTERY AND TRANSMISSION. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT AN OIL CHANGE WAS NEEDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 103,000. KMJ

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MERCEDES BENZ GL450. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION SEIZED AND THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY CAME TO A HALT. THE SERVICE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE DEFECT WAS RELATED TO INTERNAL DAMAGE WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO FAULTY CAM SHAFT LOCKING. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000. UPDATED 01/25/12