2006 Mercedes Benz ML350

HELLO I LIVE IN NY AND I HAVE A 2006 ML350. RECENTLY I BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO MERCEDES BENZ. THEY STATE THE CAR NEEDS NEW BALANCE SHAFT AND TIMING GEARS. THE CAR ONLY HAS 46,000 MILES. THIS SHOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE. THE COST IS OVER $5,000 TO GET FIXED. MERCEDES WILL NOT COVER IT. THIS SEEMS TO BE A DEFECT PART. IN RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM I FOUND OUT I WASN'T THE ONLY WITH THIS ISSUE. THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN NEW JERSEY AS WELL AS OTHER STATES. MY INSPECTION HAS EXPIRED AND CAN'T NOT PASS WITHOUT THE REPAIR WHICH IS A SAFETY ISSUE. HERE IS THE LINK TO THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT HTTP://WWW.COURTHOUSENEWS.COM/2010/10/07/MERCEDES.PDF. THEY SHOULD MAKE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR

AROUND 52,000 MILES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MERCEDES BENZ DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE BALANCE SHAFT, THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE TAKEN OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND TAKEN APART. ESTIMATED COST $4,000 TO $7,500. THE SERVICE DEPT. TOLD ME THAT IT WAS DUE TO A PART THAT WAS NOT HARDENED PROPERLY DURING MANUFACTURING. THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (S-B-03.30/08I) THAT WAS ORIGINALLY ISSUED IN 2007, HOWEVER IT SEEMS LIKE MERCEDES BENZ KNOWS THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (ON THE MAJORITY OF THESE VEHICLES) WILL NOT COME ON UNTIL AFTER 50,000 MILES, WHEN THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. SINCE THIS FIX IS A HUGE EXPENSE, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO ISSUE A RECALL EVEN THOUGH IT IS CLEARLY A SAFETY CONCERN. IF WE WOULD'VE HAVE CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN THIS CONDITION, EVENTUALLY THE BALANCE SHAFT WOULD HAVE CONTINUED TO BREAK ITS TEETH RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE. CONTINUING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN THE CONDITION IS NOT SAFE, IT IS A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE VEHICLE STOPS RUNNING AND THE ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACED OUR BALANCE SHAFT, THE PARTS USED ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO LIST ALONG WITH LABOR CODES. HERE IS A BRIEF BREAKDOWN: 28.8 LABOR HOURS TOTAL $2,940.48, PARTS $1,263.50 (CONSUMER COST), $925.49 (NET COST). THE FAILURE HAS BEEN CORRECTED, HOWEVER THE SERVICE DEPT. TOLD ME ALL OF THESE VEHICLES MADE DURING THIS TIME WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE THIS FAILURE AND IT'S A SAFETY CONCERN, NOT TO MENTION A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUED FOR THESE VEHICLES AND MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO NOTIFY CONSUMERS OF THIS FAILURE. I WAS AN ORIGINAL PURCHASER AND HAD MINE REPAIRED, HOWEVER THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE BUYING THESE VEHICLES USED UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEM, NOT ONLY STUCK WITH A $4,000 + REPAIR, BUT ALSO UNAWARE OF THE SAFETY HAZARD. MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

2006 ML350 MERCEDES BENZ - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON AND THE GARAGE TELLS ME THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT GEARS HAVE WORN AND NEED TO BE REPLACED IN A CAR WITH JUST 67,000 MILES ON IT. THE PRICE IS 5500 AND THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE I'VE HEARD FROM WITH THE SAME ISSUE WITH THIS CAR. I THINK THIS IS AN OBVIOUS FLAW IN THIS BATCH OF ENGINES AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL AS THIS IS SERIOUS IF THE CHAINS ACTUALLY COME OFF THE GEARS. *TR

BALANCE SHAFT ON MY MERCEDES ML350 HAS WORN CAM CAUSING CHECKING ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON AND THE TIMING TO BE OFF. MERCEDES SERVICE BULLETIN STATES THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND THAT THE MATERIAL OF NEW REPLACEMENT SHAFT HAS BEEN UPDATED. THIS HAS HAPPENING TO NEARLY ALL MERCEDES BENZ EQUIPPED WITH M272 ENGINE UP TO SERIAL NO. 2729..30 468993 OR M273 ENGINE UP TO SERIAL NO. 2739..30 088611 AND OCCURS AFTER 55,000 MILES. MERCEDES WANTS $4,000 - $6,000 TO REPLACE DEFECT PART. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ ML350. WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. HE WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE AND RESUME NORMAL OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE TRANSMISSION WHICH REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED FOR THE MALFUNCTION. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 61,000. UPDATED 01/20/10. *LJ UPDATED 01/21/10.*JB

BENZ ML 350 - I WAS SITTING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO PULL OFF, THE VEHICLE STARTED DRIVING VERY SLOW AND ROUGH. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD; TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND WAITED FOR A FEW SECONDS. WHEN I STARTED THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE AWAY, THE VEHICLE DROVE PROPERLY. WHEN I GOT HOME, I CALLED MY MERCEDES DEALERSHIP AND ADVISED THEM OF WHAT HAPPENED. I WAS TOLD THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN A "SYSTEM GLITCH" AND THE SYSTEM JUST HAD TO "RESET" ITSELF. FOUR DAYS LATER, I WAS SITTING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AGAIN AND WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO PULL OFF, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. WHEN I PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS, IT SOUNDED AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE WOULD SHIFT FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE TO NEUTRAL, BUT WOULD NOT MOVE IN ANY DIRECTION. I HAD MY VEHICLE TOWED TO MY DEALER. I WAS THEN ADVISED THAT MY VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. *TR

2006 MERCEDES ML350. UPON TURNING 78K MILES A CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR APPEARED. UPON EXAMINATION A SPROCKET IN THE TIMING CHAIN ASSEMBLY WAS WORN AND IN DANGER OF FAILURE. WITHIN ONE DAY - AND WITH VERY LITTLE EFFORT - I FOUND TWO OTHERS WITH THE SAME MOTOR HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. MERCEDES PRIDES ITSELF ON EXCELLENT ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING AND CHARGED ME $50K FOR SUCH EXCELLENCE. WITH THIS KIND OF MILEAGE THERE SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF MACHINERY. APPARENTLY MB AGREED. UPON WORKING WITH A LOCAL DEALERSHIP MB PAID 50% OF THE BILL WHICH TOTALED $4200 WITH DISCOUNTS. THIS ITEM SHOULD TRULY BE A RECALL AND SHOULD NOT HAVE COST ME A PENNY. MB IS TRYING TO KEEP THIS SITUATION QUIET AS NOT TO INCUR EXTENSIVE DAMAGES. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A RECALL TAKE PLACE FOR OTHERS WHO WILL INEVITABLY HAVE THIS SAME EXPERIENCE AT SOME POINT. *TR

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES 350 M CLASS. THE DRIVER WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION INTO DRIVE TO MOVE FORWARD OR INTO REVERSE GEAR. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FORWARD AND HIT A CEMENT BLOCK AND CONTINUED TO LURCH FORWARD SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE SHE COULD STOP THE VEHICLE. THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES WERE INOPERABLE. THE WARNING LIGHT INDICATOR APPEARED ON THE VEHICLE AFTER HITTING THE CEMENT BLOCK. SHE DID NOT RECALL WHICH INDICATOR LIGHT. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED FRONT END PASSENGER DAMAGE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 10,851. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, AND THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE COMPRESSOR. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A MINOR BRUISE. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. UPDATED 03/07/07. *JB