1999 Mercedes Benz ML430

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 MERCEDES BENZ ML430. WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE AND FORWARD AT 25 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A CLICKING SOUND UNDERNEATH THE CENTER OF THE VEHICLE. HE ASSUMED SOMETHING WAS LOOSE UNDER THE VEHICLE AND DROVE TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER NOTICED THAT THE FRONT DRIVESHAFT BEARING WAS LOOSE. AFTER REPAIRING THE SHAFT, THE DEALER DISCOVERED THAT THE TRANSFER CASE WAS ALSO CAUSING THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT FEELS THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD REPAIR THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE OWNER'S MANUAL DOES NOT STATE ANYTHING ABOUT REPAIRING THE TRANSFER CASE. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 115,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000. UPDATED 04/13/09.*JB THE CONSUMER HAD TO PAY$ 3850 FOR A NEW TRANSFER CASE. UPDATED 06/15/09.*JB

THE CAR STARTED FROM FREQUENTLY POWER CUT-OFF WHEN DRIVING, AFTER PULL OFF THE ROAD BY POLICE AND THE ENGINE COOL DOWN FOR ABOUT 45 MINUTES TO 1 HOUR, IT WOULD START AND RUN FOR ABOUT 3 TO 5 MILES AND STOPPED AGAIN. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO WAS FIXED FOR OVER $500.00 FOR CRANKSHAFT PULLEY POWER FAILURE. PRIOR TO THAT, I REPLACED WATER-PUMP COST ABOUT $700.00. ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO, I WAS DIVING TO WORK WHICH IS ABOUT 9 MILES FROM MY HOUSE; I DROVE FOR ABOUT 6 MILES AND THE CAR JACKED-UP 3 TIMES ON THE HIGHWAY AND STOPPED, I WAS LUCKY NOT HAVING ACCIDENT WITH ANOTHER CAR. AFTER PULLED ASIDE FROM THE TRAFFIC BY POLICE, I CALLED TOW-TRUCK TO TAKE IT TO THE SAME DEALER (MERCEDES-BENZ OF FORT WASHINGTON 1401 DRESHER TOWN ROAD DRESHER, PA 19025, PHONE: 215-646-7700). THREE DAYS LATER, I CALLED THE DEALER WHEN I DID NOT HEAR FROM THEM, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS REPLACEMENT, AND WILL COST ME $6,800.00. I BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFECT; WHILE THE CAR IS STILL WITH THE DEALER, I RECEIVED SAFETY RECALL LETTER #2003-040005 FROM ANOTHER BRANCH OF MERCEDES-BENZ FOR THIS SAME CAR. THE CAR IS STILL WITH THE DEALER THEY DO NOT WANT TO REPAIR IT AND I DO NOT HAVE $6,800.00 TO REPAIR IT. *TR

COMPLAINT WARRANTS AN INVESTIGATION ON THE SUDDEN ONSET OF 1999 ML 430 MERCEDES BENZ SUV FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING. THIS VEHICLE MAKE AND MODEL DID HAVE A RECALL ON THE ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING SPECIFIC TO THE HARMONIC PULLEY WHICH WAS REPLACED. UPON DRIVING VEHICLE TO WORK ON 6/1/07 THE CAR SUDDEN BEGAN TO STALL SEVERAL TIMES. I HAD THE CAR TOWED IMMEDIATELY TO THE DEALERSHIP TO FIND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED (NO PRIOR WARNING OR SYMPTOMS WERE PRESENT.) *TR

LN LATE AUGUST, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD OF A 1999 MERCEDES BENZML430. CAR WAS DELIVERED TO THE DEALER TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM. AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS AND TESTS, MERCEDES BENZ DECIDED TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION. OWNER INCURRED COST OF LABOR. IN NOVEMBER, DRIVER WAS PARKING CAR AND REMOVED KEY FROM IGNITION WHILE TRANSMISSION WAS IN DRIVE. KEY RELEASED IN ERROR CAUSING CAR TO ROLL INTO A RAVINE AND HIT A TREE. MERCEDES HAS DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE FAILURE OF THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE. IN FACT, THEY STATE THAT THE KEYS(3)ARE WORN DOWN AND NO LONGER PROVIDE THE SAFETY BY LIMITING THE RELEASE OF THE KEY UNLESS THE CAR IS IN PARK MODE. CAR WAS DELIVERED TO MERCEDES BENZ FOR INVESTIGATION. AFTER A TWO WEEK INVESTIGATION, MERCEDES CLAIMS THE KEYS(3) WERE WORN OUT AND THAT IS WHY THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE FAILED. MERCEDES IS TAKING NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CORRECTING THE PROBLEM OR FIXING THE CAR. THE RESULT OF THIS "DEFECT" COULD INVOLVE SEVERAL FATALITIES. IF A DRIVER CAN REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT IN PARK, THIS FEATURE CAN NOT BE CLAIMED AS SAFE. IF MERCEDES CLAIMS THIS IS A KEY ISSUE, THEN ADDITIONAL SAFETY FEATURES SHOULD BE IN PLACE TO ALERT THE CONSUMER TO THIS PROBLEM. WHILE SUBMITTING THIS COMPLAINT, IT WAS NECESSARY TO FILL IN THE FIELD OF "HEADLIGHT LENSES." WRITER WAS NOT GIVEN ANY OPTIONS AND SO INPUTTED THIS INFORMATION IN ORDER TO PROCEED. AS YOU CAN SEE THE HEADLIGHT LENS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROBLEM. ACCORDING TO MERCEDES THIS IS AN IGNITION/TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. *AK

I OWN A 1999 MERCEDES BENZ ML430 SUV. WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE TO WORK ON THE HIGHWAY, IT LOST COMPLETE POWER AND POWER STEERING. THANK GOD I WAS OPERATING THE VEHICLE AND NOT MY WIFE, WITH INFANT CHILD. AFTER BEING DIAGNOSE BY MY LOCAL MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP WITH A FAULTY HARMONIC BALANCER, CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE BELTS, OIL PAN, TIMING CHAIN COVER, ETC, I WAS ADVISED BY MY SERVICE REP THAT MERCEDES BENZ OF USA IS VERY AWARE OF THIS HAZARDOUS/DANGEROUS CONDITION AND THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED MANY HARMONIC BALANCERS UNDER WARRANTY BUT THEY (MB USA) WILL NOT COVER ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR VEHICLES OUT OF WARRANTY. MY VEHICLE HAD 55,000 MILES AT THE TIME. I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND I HOPE THAT OUR COMPLAINTS WILL LIGHT A FIRE UNDER MB USA'S BEHIND. *CB

LTR INQUIRING ON THE STATUS OF A COMPLAINT FILED IN AUGUST 2003 (#10031122) RE THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION IN HIS MERCEDES BENZ ML 430 SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE.*MR THE VEHICLE TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. THE TRANSMISSION IS SEALED (NO DIPSTICK) SO THERE IS NO WAY FOR THE CONSUMER TO CHECK THE FLUID LEVEL. THE VEHICLES CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED AND THE BRAKE LINE RUPTURED. *NLM

I OWN AN ML 430 MERCEDES BENZ 1999. THE TRANSMISSION FAILED WITH ONLY 116,000 MILES ON IT. I CALLED MBUSA AND THEY REFUSED TO OFFER "GOODWILL" IN ASSISTING WITH REPAIR. THE COST OF REPAIR IS OVER $5,000.00. THE OWNER'S MANUAL STATES THAT THE ML430 SUPPOSEDLY HAS A PERMANENT FILL OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID SO REGULAR CHECKS AND CHANGES ARE NOT REQUIRED AND FOR THIS REASON THE DIPSTICK HAS BEEN OMITTED. HOW CAN THE CONSUMER BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS IF WE CANNOT PERFORM MAINTENANCE ON THE PART? (CONSUMER ALSO REPORTS A RUPTURED BRAKE LINE AND A PROBLEM WITH THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. *MJJ)

I HAD JUST FILLED VEHICLE AND BOAT BEING TOWED WITH GAS AND WAS CROSSING 4-LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY TO ENTER HIGHWAY. UPON COMPLETION OF TURN ONTO HIGHWAY I STEPPED ON THE GAS TO GAIN NORMAL SPEED AND NOT IMPEED THE NOW APPROACHING STREAM OF TRAFFIC. AS I DEPRESSED THE GAS, THE ENGINE WOULD REV SLIGHTLY BUT WITHOUT ANY INCREASE IN SPEED. THE TRAFFIC IS NOW QUICKLY GAINING ON ME WITH THE BOAT AND TRAILER AND I AM AFFRAID THAT AN ACCIDENT MIGHT OCCUR IF THE CAR DOES NOT BEGIN TO GAIN MORE SPEED. AS I CONTINUE TO ADD MORE AND MORE GAS, THE CAR SUDDENLY DOWN SHIFTS AND JUMPS FORWARD WITH A LURCH AND I QUICKLY LESSEN THE GAS SO AS NOT TO CAUSE DAMAGE WITH THE BOAT. IAM ABLE NOW TO ACCELERATE NORMALLY AND QUICKLY GAIN SPEED BEFORE BEING ANY MORE OF A PROBLEM FOR OTHER TRAFFIC. THIS HAPPENED WHILE HAVING JUST MADE A NORMAL LEFT TURN ONTO THE HIGHWAY. OTHERS ON WWW.MBNZ.ORG WEBSITE FURTHER LIST PROBLEMS WITH DELAYS UP TO 30 SECONDS WHILE THEIR CARS CREEP SLOW AND REVING LOUDLY. PLEASE HELP. THE DEALER SAYS THEY CAN DO NOTHING UNLESS THEY CAN REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. WE DO NOT NEED ACCIDENTS BEFORE THEY CORRECT THEIR DESIGNS. - - THANK YOU.*AK