1995 Mercedes Benz SL320

MY VEHICLE IS A 1995 MERCEDES BENZ SL320R AND WAS BUILT WITH BIODEGRADABLE WIRING INSULATION IN THE ENGINE HARNESS. THE INSULATION IS DETERIORATING AND CAUSING PROBLEMS THROUGHOUT THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. THE VEHICLE HAS 131,000 MILES. I'M THE 3RD OWNER. POSTINGS ON THE INTERNET INDICATE POTENTIALLY FATAL FAILURES ARE POSSIBLE. IT IS LIKELY THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNERS WERE NOT AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. DO I HAVE ANY RECOURSE?

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 MERCEDES-BENZ SL320. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS TO THE COMPUTER CLUSTER WAS DAMAGED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. AN UNKNOWN DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 MERCEDES-BENZ SL320R. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. UPON INSPECTION, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE PLASTIC ON THE WIRING HARNESS WAS PEELING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED MERCEDES-BENZ OF AUGUSTA AT (706) 860-1111 (LOCATED AT 3061 WASHINGTON RD, AUGUSTA, GA 30907) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT NO RECALLS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE VIN AND THERE WOULD BE A FEE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000. *TT *TR

THE ENGINE BAY WIRING HARNESSES HAVE DISINTEGRATED ON THE CAR DUE TO USE OF HEAT SUSCEPTIBLE WIRE INSULATION. THIS HAS CAUSED BARE WIRES TO SHORT OUT IN THE ENGINE BAY. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, IT CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SPONTANEOUSLY SURGE RESULTING IN UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION. SUBSEQUENT TO THE SURGING, IT CAUSED THE ENGINE TO DIE RESULTING IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKING POWER. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DIAGNOSE WITH WAS CAUSING THESE ENGINE MALFUNCTIONS, ELECTRICAL ARCING AND SMOLDERING OF THE WIRING BECAME APPARENT. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND MB HAS REFUSED TO CORRECT IT. THE REPAIR INVOLVES THE RELATIVELY SIMPLE REPLACEMENT OF 4 WIRING HARNESSES IN THE ENGINE BAY. THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD ISSUE AFFECTING MANY MERCEDES VEHICLES PRODUCED BETWEEN 1991 AND 1996.

TODAY, AFTER A ROUTINE LOF SERVICE, MY MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT THE WIRING HARNESS ON MY SL320 HAD DETERIORATED TO THE POINT THAT MY CAR WAS UNSAFE. HE CLAIMS THAT THE INSULATION ON THE WIRING HARNESS WAS MADE OF A BIODEGRADABLE MATERIAL AND THAT IT HAS NOW BIODEGRADED TO THE POINT THAT THERE NO LONGER IS ANY INSULATION, HE CLAIMS THAT MERCEDES KNOWS THAT THEIR HARNESSES ARE DEFECTIVE BUT THEY WILL TAKE NO ACTION IN SOLVING THE PROBLEM, INDEED FOR MANY YEARS THEY SOLD REPLACEMENT HARNESSES WITH THE SAME DEFECT. WHO KNOWS WHAT THE CURRENT WIRING HARNESS NOW BEING SOLD, WILL SOON DEVELOP ISSUES AS WELL? *TR

HELLO MY NAME IS [XXX] AND I OWN A 1995 SL320. I WOULD LIKE YOU TO LAUNCH AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MATTER OF IMPORTANCE OF LIFE AND DEATH. THE MERCEDES BENZ ENGINE WIRING HARNESS IS DEFECTIVE AND MB KNOWS THIS. LISTED BELOW IS AN ARTICLE I FOUND WITH THE IMPORTANCE OF REPLACING AND THE IGNORANCE ON MERCEDES BEHALF. THIS HARNESS CONTAINS HUNDREDS OF WIRES BUNDLED INSIDE TIGHTLY WRAPPED TAPE. THE WIRES COMMUNICATE INFORMATION FROM THE MANY SENSORS OF THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE AND ACCESSORIES BACK TO THE COMPUTER MODULES. THE MODULES USE THIS INFORMATION TO REGULATE CRITICAL FUNCTIONS SUCH AS ENGINE IDLE SPEEDS, RPM, FUEL MIXTURE, FUEL INJECTION, IGNITION AND MANY MORE. WHEN THE INFORMATION RECEIVED BY THESE COMPUTERS IS GARBLED OR ERRONEOUS THE ENGINE WILL RUN ROUGH, ACCELERATE UNEXPECTEDLY OR QUIT ALTOGETHER. IN ADDITION WHEN THE WIRES SHORT IT COULD CAUSE ENGINE FIRES, SUDDEN STALLS ON THE HIGHWAY AND OTHER FAILURES THAT COULD CAUSE DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY. IN EFFECT, THE VEHICLE SELF-DESTRUCTS. THE QUESTION IS NOT ONE OF IF THEY WILL FAIL BUT OF WHEN ? ALL VEHICLES MANUFACTURED IN THOSE YEARS (AT LEAST ?91-?96) HAVE THE DEFECTIVE INSULATION AND WILL FAIL SOONER OR LATER, THUS YOU CAN UNDERSTAND MERCEDES? RELUCTANCE TO OWN UP TO THE PROBLEM: INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR