2006 Mercedes Benz ML350

I'M THE OWNER OF A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ ML350 4MATIC, CURRENTLY AT 58,645 MILES WITH OUTSIDE EXTENDED WARRANTY UNTIL 2013. RECENTLY I HAD THE HEATED SEAT TURNED ON WHICH I STARTED THE CAR AND AFTER ABOUT 2 MINUTES I SMELLED A BURNING SMELL COMING FROM INSIDE THE CABIN AND THEN STARTED SEEING SMOKE COMING FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BOLSTER AROUND THE WAIST AREA. I FOUND A HOLE BURNT THE SIZE OF A NICKEL AND SMOKE WAS COMING OUT FROM IT. IT WAS BRIGHT RED AS I COULD SEE INSIDE THE HOLE I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE HEAT SEAT AND SLOWLY THE BURNING WENT AWAY. I TOOK MY CAR TO A MERCEDES BENZ DEALER THE NEXT AND THEY DENIED THAT THERE IS NO HEATING ELEMENT IN THAT PART OF THE SEAT AND REFUSED TO COVER UNDER OUTSIDE WARRANTY. AT THE DEALERSHIP I DID TRY TO TURN THE HEATED SEAT ON BUT NO SMOKE WAS COMING OUT SO I WASN'T ABLE TO PROOF THE SEATING ELEMENT WAS ACTUALLY CAUSING THE PROBLEM. BUT I READ NUMEROUS INCIDENTS ONLINE WITH THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2006 MERCEDES ML 350, WITH THE SEAT WARMER TURNED ON. I NOTICED A SMELL OF SMOKE COMING FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE, SO I TURNED OFF THE SEAT WARMER AND THE SMELL WENT AWAY. THE NEXT DAY I DISCOVERED THAT THE SEAT WARMER HAD BURNED A SMALL HOLE IN THE SEAT COVERING ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT JUST ABOVE THE DRIVER'S WAIST. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND THAT IT WOULD COST $800-$1000 TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE MECHANIC THAT I TALKED WITH 1-ON-1 TOLD ME THAT THEY GET THIS PROBLEM FREQUENTLY. SINCE THE DAY OF THE BURN THROUGH, I HAVE NOT USED THE SEAT WARMER. I FEEL VERY FORTUNATE THAT I NOTICED THE SMOKE AND SHUT THE SEAT WARMER DOWN BEFORE THE SITUATION RESULTED IN A FIRE OR PERSONAL INJURY. SYSTEMS WITH THESE TYPES OF RISKS SHOULD HAVE SOME KIND OF "EXTENDED" WARRANTY COVERAGE WHEN THEY FAIL, TO HELP COVER THE RISK OF FIRE OR INJURY. *TR

ABOUT 2 MINUTES AFTER TURNING ON THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER, THE DRIVER'S SEAT CAUGHT ON FIRE. A HOLE BURNED THROUGH THE DRIVER'S SEAT AND BURNED MY BACK. LUCKILY, I RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM QUICKLY ENOUGH THAT I WAS ONLY SLIGHTLY BURNED. MY HUSBAND AND MY 1 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WERE IN THE CAR WITH ME. I WAS DRIVING AT THE TIME, SO MY CLOTHES COULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE. IF WE HAD TURNED ON THE SEAT WARMER WHILE WARMING UP THE CAR, THE ENTIRE CAR COULD HAVE GONE UP IN FLAMES.

2006 MERCEDES ML350 AT 91,100 MILES DRIVER SMELLED A BURNING SMELL AND LATER FOUND A BURNED HOLE IN THE DRIVERS SEAT, DRIVER NOTICED SMELL WHEN SEAT WARMER WAS TURNED ON. DEALERSHIP IS REQUIRING THE DRIVER TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THIS ISN'T NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO THE DRIVER AS WELL AS OTHER DRIVERS SHOULD THE SEAT CATCH A FLAME. WHY IS THERE NO RECALL? *TR