1999 Mercedes Benz ML430

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 MERCEDES BENZ ML430. IMMEDIATELY AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE HOOD WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH. THE STEERING COLUMN BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. APPROXIMATELY TEN MINUTES LATER, THE STEERING BEGAN WORKING AGAIN HOWEVER, HE STILL FELT RESISTANCE WHEN TURNING. IN ADDITION, THE NOISE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V465000 (STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS) AND WAS ADVISED TO WAIT FOR THE RECALL NOTICE. THE DEALER PERFORMED THE RECALL REPAIR AND STATED THAT THE HYDRAULIC PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER THE REPAIR, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT HAS INVOICES TO SUPPORT HIS COMPLAINT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 188,200 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 186,000.

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

DRIVING MY 1999 ML430 MERCEDES BENZ ON I-85 IN HOGANSVILLE, GA AT A SPEED OF 80 MPH WHEN THE CAR'S HOOD OPENED UP AND SLAMMED AGAINST THE WINDSHIELD. WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. UPON REVIEW OF WHAT HAPPENED I DISCOVERED THAT THE HOOD HAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE HOOD LATCH. THE LATCH WAS STILL FIRMLY CONNECTED TO THE CAR. CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO THE CAR WAS CAUSED BY THIS INCIDENT. *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

CRANKSHAFT HARMONIC BALANCER FAILURE! (1999 MERCEDES BENZ ML430)... MILEAGE: 82000 REF: NHTSA ACTION # 03058..HE PULLEY FAILURE JUST OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING DOWN I85 IN ATL. UPON HEARING A KNOCKING NOISE AND SMELLING WHAT SEEMED LIKE RUBBER BURNING, I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE ENGINE. IT TOOK NO TIME TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL, IT WAS THE V-BELT (NO LONGER CENTERED ON ALL PULLEYS) RUBBING AGAINST THE ENGINE. BEING REASONABLY MECHANIC SAVVY, I KNEW THIS WAS A LITTLE MORE SERIOUS THAN JUST A WATER PUMP OUTAGE AND PROCEEDED CALLED A TOW TRUCK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MY LOCAL MB DEALERSHIP (MB OF S.ATL) AT A COST OF $52.00& APROX DROP TIME: 8:00 PM. THE FOLLOWING MORNING I CONTACTED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO FURTHER EXPLAIN MY SITUATION AND WAS ADVISED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN AND VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THE V6 AND V8 ENGINES OF WHICH MINE IS THE LATTER (113942). HAVING NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE MULTITUDE OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS AND LAW SUITES, I WAS FLOORED WHEN THE QUOTE OF APPROXIMATELY $3500.00 WAS DROPPED IN MY LAP. THE DEALER HAS AGREED TO COMP THE PARTS.. APROX COST: $1300.. THE LABOR (14.85 HRS TOTALED $1510.00) I GET TO EAT! LAW SUITE TO FOLLOW IN AN ATTEMPT TO RECOVER MY OUT OF POCKET COST! WHY IS THIS NOT A RECALL ITEM!!!!!*AK

I'M AN OWNER OF A 1999 MERCEDES BENZ ML430 WHICH IN MY BELIEF HAS A DEFECTIVE PART NAMED A HARMONIC BALANCER OR A CRANK SHAFT PULLEY. THE REASON IM FILING MY COMPLAINT IS BECAUSE I WAS TOLD BY A MERCEDES BENZ SERVICE REP(CHRIS) OF TRI-STAR MERCEDES BENZ IN THE ST LOUIS MO,AREA THAT HE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF A MALFUNCTION OR A DEFECTIVE PART CALLED THE HARMONIC BALANCER THE INQUIRY WAS MADE AS I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE TO THE SAID ESTABLISHMENT AFTER HAVING A PROBLEM WITH A LOUD NOISE LIKE GRINDING IN THE ENGINE DEPARTMENT THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON THE ENGINE STARTED TO DIE OUT THE POWER STEERING BEGAN TO FAIL JUST THINK IF MY WIFE HAD BEEN DRIVING THE CAR SHE COULD HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS DAMAGE TO OTHERS AND HERSELF BUT GOD.... ON WEDNESDAY AUG 1,04 I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO TRI-STAR MERCEDES BENZ ON THE FOLLOWING DAY I RECEIVED A CALL FROM SERVICE REP CHRIS AND I TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPENED, HE SAID HE WOULD HAVE HIS TECH'S LOOK AT IT HE CALLED BACK ON THE SAME DAY AND STATED WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS I ASKED HIM DOES THIS HAPPEN OFTEN TO THE ML HE STATED NO. I WAS THEN QUOTED A PRICE OF 1700 DOLLARS TO FIX THE PROBLEM IF THE OIL PANS WERE DAMAGED AND 1450 IF IT WAS NOT. AFTER RECEIVING MY CAR BACK I AM HAVING PROBLEMS OF SHAKING IN MY STEERING WHEEL LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY TIRES BUT THERE IS NOT. I BELIEVE ITS GOT SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE COSTLY REPAIRS OF THE HARMONIC BALANCER. A COUPLE OF WEB SITES WERE FOUND WERE I DISCOVERED ACCORDING TO OTHER MB OWNERS WERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM I THINK THAT MB IS TRYING TO COVER UP THAT THERE IS A POTENTIAL LIFE THREATENING SITUATION ON THERE HANDS AND WHICH HAVE COST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE CONSUMER SUCH AS MYSELF. THOSE THAT HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH THERE MB SHOULD BE WARNED OF THE POTENTIAL DANGER AND MB SHOULD OWN UP TO THERE RESPONSIBILITY AND RECALL THERE CARS AND SUV AND REFUND MONEY TO THOSE WHO HAVE HAD COSTLY REPAIRS DONE BECAUSE OF THIS SAID COSTLY DEFECT. WHO KNOWS HOW MANY ACCIDENTS HAVE HAPPENED CAUSING LIVES TO PERISH. *JB