2008 Mercedes Benz ML350

MY ML350 KEPT BLOWING IT'S BRAKE LIGHTS. AFTER AWHILE OF THIS I REALIZED THAT SOMETHING WAS OBVIOUSLY WRONG. AT THIS POINT BOTH LIGHTS WERE OUT AT THE SAME TIME. I TOOK IT IN TO FIND THAT THE SOCKETS WERE BURNT OUT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS THEN TOLD THAT THE WIRING ALSO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND MERCEDES BENZ HAD A FIX FOR IT ALL BUT AT A PRICE. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE C SERIES HAD A RECALL FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. WHY ARE THERE NO RECALL FOR THE ML OR THE M SERIES? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ ML350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THE R&R STEERING RACK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NO REPAIRS WHERE MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,483.

LOSS OF POWER STEERING FLUID RESULTING IN DIMINISHED OR TOTAL LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THOUGH TOTAL LOSS DID NOT HAPPEN YET, THIS COULD EASILY HAVE RESULTED IN A LOSS OF CONTROL AND A CRASH WITHOUT ANY WARNING. 1998-2004 CLASS WAS RECALLED FOR THAT VERY REASON; WHY NOT THE MODEL YEARS THEREAFTER THAT HAVE SAME PROBLEM; LIKELY IN SAME FREQUENCY. *TR

LOSS OF POWER STEERING FLUID RESULTING IN DIMINISHED OR TOTAL LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THOUGH TOTAL LOSS DID NOT HAPPEN YET, THIS COULD EASILY HAVE RESULTED IN A LOSS OF CONTROL AND A CRASH WITHOUT ANY WARNING. 1998-2004 CLASS WAS RECALLED FOR THAT VERY REASON; WHY NOT THE MODEL YEARS THEREAFTER THAT HAVE SAME PROBLEM; LIKELY IN SAME FREQUENCY. *TR

REAR BRAKE LIGHTS WENT OUT WITHIN SHORT PERIOD OF EACH OTHER. CHECKED WITH DEALER, WANTED TO REPLACE WHOLE LIGHT ASSEMBLY. CHECKED ONLINE, TURNS OUT TO BE FAULTY WIRING/INSTALL FOR WHICH MB ACTUALLY HAS A REPAIR KIT. SEEMS TO BE QUITE A FREQUENT PROBLEM. IN FACT THE MB C CLASS WAS RECENTLY RECALLED FOR THAT SAME REASON, WHY NOT THE ML350??? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES ML 350. THE CONTACT STATED THE PASSENGER REAR SEAT BELT RETRACTED PREVENTING A CHILD SAFETY SEAT FROM BEING INSTALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,250.

THE ORIGINAL SYMPTOMS WERE THE POWER STEERING STARTED TO GET JERKY (FLAT SPOTS) MEANING THERE WAS POWER ASSIST FROM 12 O'CLOCK TO 2 O'CLOCK, THEN HARD EFFORT FROM 2 -4 O'CLOCK AND SO ON. IT INITIALLY WAS DRIVABLE BUT AFTER A FEW HUNDRED MORE MILES IT HAS BECOME DANGEROUS, AS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF EFFORT MUST BE USED WHEN TURNING, THEN GETS EASY, THEN TIGHT. I HAVE CHECKED AND THERE ARE NO FLUID LEAKS AND THE RESERVOIR IS FULL. MY MECHANIC CHECKED IT OUT, AND HE SAID IT APPEARED THAT THE STEERING RACK IS BAD. HE RECOMMENDED WE FLUSH AND CHANGE ALL THE FLUID WITH MBZ APPROVED:236.3 FIRST TO SEE IF IT IMPROVED. IT DID NOT AND HE SAID I WAS LOOKING AT $2000+ TO REPLACE THE RACK. AFTER OWNING TWO MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, I'VE BEEN LOYAL BUT HAVING ONLY PURCHASED THIS 2008 ML350 FOR LESS THAN A YEAR AND ONLY 65K MILES I FIND IT DISCONCERTING THAT I'VE READ SO MUCH ON THESE PREMATURE STEERING RACK PROBLEMS ON THESE VEHICLES. I CHECKED WITH MB, ONLY TO LEARN THAT MY VIN WAS NOT ON THE LIST FOR 'RECALLS'. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE, AND MB NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE! DOES SOMEONE NEED TO BE SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED BEFORE MB IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS ISSUE??! *TR

LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR, DURING MONTH OF APRIL 2014, DIFFERENT ERROR MESSAGES STARTED TO APPEAR ON DASH INCLUDING ABS (BRAKE SYSTEM), SRS (AIR BAGS), AND STEERING WHEEL VIBRATING, HARD TO TURN WHEEL, A FEW TAIL/PARKING LIGHTS NOT WORKING. AT SHOP, THEY SAID SENSORS WERE BAD, AND DUE TO MY EXTENDED WARRANTY THEY REPLACED THE ENTIRE POWER STEERING SYSTEM ($272) BUT SAID TO REPAIR THE AIR BAGS WOULD COST $800. A DIFFERENT MECHANIC SAID UNDER $100 TO FIX AIR BAG SENSORS. NOW, AUGUST 2014, TRUNK LIFT MOTORS ARE KONKING OUT AND THE LOCK IS NOT LATCHING, POPS OPEN WHILE DRIVING, HAVE TO PULL OVER TO SHUT BEFORE EVERYTHING FALLS OUT. ALSO OTHER MOTORS FOR WINDOWS AND SUNROOF WORK INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN TURNING LEFT THE PARKING BRAKE SENSOR LIGHT POPS UP ON DASH....ALSO OUT OF THE BLUE ONE DAY THE WHOLE GPS SYSTEM WAS BLANK, TOTALLY WIPED OF ALL INFO DESTINATIONS, HISTORY ETC FROM PAST YEAR, ONLY A MAP SHOWS NOW. *TR