2007 Mercedes Benz GL450

DRIVING IN NEW JERSEY ON ROUTE 80 WEST FOR 1-2 MILES THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR OF BURNT WIRES THAT SMELL SO BAD AND HAVE NOTICED THAT THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE PASSENGER SEAT. IT WENT ON FOR FEW MINUTES WHERE THE WIRES ACTUALLY CAUGHT ON FIRE AND MELTED TOGETHER. STOPPED THE CAR, SHOT THE ENGINE OFF, WITH WINDOWS OPEN AND TRIED TO PULL THE WIRES APART TO PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE.... BUT COULD NOT SEPARATE THE WIRES FROM EACH OTHER. CALLED THE MB DEALER NEAR OUR LOCATION AND BROUGHT THE CAR IN AFTER THE MBUSA SUGGESTED TOWING IT IN AND LATER WE WERE TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE TO DRIVE TO THE DEALER. THE LOCAL MB DEALER MANAGER I TALKED TO WAS VERY HELPFUL AND UNDERSTANDABLE AND HE TRIES TO SUPPORT ME THE BEST WAY HE COULD WHERE HE AGREED TO LOOK AT THE CAR AT REDUCED RATE TO HELP OUT TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT THE ISSUE. THE CAR IS AT THE MB DEALER NOW. MBUSA SENT AN EXPERT TO INSPECT THE CAR AT THE MB DEALER AND AFTER A WEEK I WAS TOLD THAT NO ONE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED. MBUSA RULED OUT ANY CONNECTIONS TO A PREVIOUS WORK DONE MB DEALER ON THE DRIVER SEAT HEATER. I WAS ALSO TOLD, BY MBUSA, THAT THE ISSUE IS AN INTERNAL AND THEY CAN??T DISCUSS THAT WITH ME AND I SHOULD GO THRU MY CAR INSURANCE SINCE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT IT??S APPROX. $12,000 JOB TO REPLACE THE MAIN HARNESS WHICH WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DAMAGE. I HAVE SPENT SO MUCH MONEY TO PURCHASE THIS SUV WHICH SUPPOSED TO BE SAFE AND RELIABLE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY AND NEVER EXPECT THIS TO EVER HAPPEN. PERHAPS WE BROUGHT A LEMON. *TR

TRANSMISSION IS GETTING STUCK IN A GEAR AND NOT SHIFTING UP OR DOWN. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT AND ACCELERATE TO MAINTAIN SPEED ON AN UPHILL INCLINE ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS WAS A SCARY AND DANGEROUS SITUATION ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAVE HAD OTHER FAILURE TO SHIFT GEAR ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE BEFORE AND AFTER THIS INCIDENT. THE "FIX" IS TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. IF THIS FAILURE TO SHIFT GEARS OCCURS DURING A TURN OR OTHER DANGEROUS SITUATION IT CAN RESULT IN A FATALITY. I SEE NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THIS FAILURE ONLINE FROM OTHER '07 GL450 OWNERS. THIS HAS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD I PUT ON THE SEAT WARMER. APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE LATER AS I WAS ABOUT TO ENTER THE FREEWAY I NOTICED AN ODOR THAT SMELLED LIKE SMOKE. I THOUGHT IT WAS FROM THE ROAD BEING PAVED NEARBY, BUT THEN NOTICED THAT MY SEAT WAS GETTING VERY HOT BY MY LOWER LEFT BACK. I GLANCED DOWN AND SAW SMOKE, LEANED FORWARD AND NOTICED A BLACK HOLE IN THE SEAT THAT WAS GLOWING TOO. I PUSHED THE SEAT WARMER BUTTON OFF AND STARTED HITTING THE SEAT TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. I PULLED OVER AND ALTHOUGH IT WAS STILL SMOKING THE FIRE APPEARED TO HAVE STOPPED. FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT BURNED TOO BADLY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MERCEDES BENZ GL450. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A FIRE ERUPTED FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SEAT. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. A FIRE REPORT WAS NOT FIELD AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NEITHER DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

I WAS DRIVING IN MY SON [XXX] TO HIS SCHOOL IN WAYNE NEW JERSEY WITH MY GL 450 SEATS WARMER TURNED ON IN BOTH THE DRIVERS AND PASSENGER SEATS. I STARTED SMELLING SMOKE & THOUGHT IT WAS FROM OUTSIDE. I OPENED MY WINDOW, AND SMOKE STARTED SWIRLING INSIDE MY CAR AND STARTED GETTING THICKER WITHIN MINUTES. I TRY TO SEARCH FOR THE SOURCE OF THE STRANGE SMELL - BUT NO OBVIOUS CLUE OBSERVED. WHEN I REACHED MY DESTINATION I NOTICED THAT THE SEAT HAS BURNED A HOLE IN MY SUIT JACKET BACK LEFT SIDE. THE HOLE IN THE CAR IS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DRIVERS SEAT. I HAVE NOT CONTACTED MERCEDES BENZ SERVICE AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT I SHOULD DO IF POSSIBLE. I WOULD APPRECIATE DIRECTING ME TO THE APPROPRIATE LINE TO FIX MY SEAT AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OF MY JEEP AND GET COMPENSATED FOR MY SUIT DAMAGE ASAP. *TR

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND MY TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO NOT SHIFT OUT OF THIRD GEAR GOING UP A HILL.. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AFTER THIS HAPPENED ANOTHER 10 TIMES AND THEY SAID IS A INTAKE FLAP NOT CLOSING PROPERLY AND THAT THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. NOW ITS HAPPENING SO OFTEN IM AFRAID TO PUT MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR ON ACCOUNT THAT EVERY TIME IT STOPS SHIFTING WHEN I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND LOSE ALL POWER. *TR

I TURNED ON MY 2007 MERCEDES GL450 IN MY DRIVEWAY TO WARM IT UP AND 1 MINUTE LATER THE HORN CONTINUALLY WENT OFF. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THE HORN CONTINUED. SMOKE BEGAN FROM THE PASSENGER REAR TAIL LIGHT, THEN A FLAME. 911 WAS CALLED THE MOMENT WE SAW SMOKE. WITHIN SECONDS THE BACK SEAT WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND THEN THE ENTIRE CAR. THE FLAMES WERE AS HIGH AS MY 2 STORY HOME. THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF THIS CAR. THE AMOUNT OF BROKEN GLASS FROM ALL THE WINDOWS BLOWING OUT DOWN MY DRIVEWAY IS UNBELIEVABLE. *TR

AFTER ABOUT 3 MINUTES OF HAVING MY DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT WARMER ON, WE STARTED TO SMELL BURNING AND THE LEFT SIDE OF MY SEAT GOT VERY HOT, SO I TURNED OFF MY SEAT WARMER. WHEN I GOT OUT OF MY CAR, I NOTICED A BURN HOLE IN MY SWEATSHIRT AND THEN LOOKED AT MY SEAT AND IT HAD A BURN HOLE ON IT ABOUT 1/2-1" IN SIZE. WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I DIDN'T TURN IT OFF IF THIS HAPPENED IN ABOUT 3 MINUTES? *TR

I WAS TAKING MY KIDS TO SCHOOL IN THE MORNING AND IT WAS COLD SO I TURNED ON MY SEAT WARMER AND IN ABOUT 5 MIN. WE STARTED SMELLING SMOKE AND IT WAS COMING FROM MY DOOR SIDE OF THE CAR AND THE SMOKE WAS PRETTY HEAVY, I WAS ALSO FEELING A BURNING SENSATION ON MY LEFT SIDE. I TURN TO TAKE A LOOK AND THE SEAT WAS ON FIRE AND IT CAUSED A BURN THROUGH THE SEAT, DAMAGING MY CLOTHING. I TURNED OF THE SEAT WARMER AND STOPPED THE CAR AND TOOK THE KIDS OUT FOR SOME TIME. I WAS TO SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR FROM THAT POINT ON. I AM IN TALKS WITH THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY WANT TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE SEAT. I HAVE ALSO GOTTEN IN TOUCH WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY TO SEE IF ANY COVERAGE CAN BE ADDED TO REPLACE MY SEAT. MY CAR HAS ALL ORIGINAL PARTS AND THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE. *TR