2012 MERCEDES-BENZ E550

The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz E550. The contact stated that while occupying the vehicle while the vehicle was parked, the ignition switch failed to detect the key fob. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the electric steering rack had failed and needed to be replaced or reprogrammed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the vehicle, but no assistance was provided. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 69,000.

The contact owned a 2012 Mercedes-Benz E550. The contact stated while her husband was driving 20-25 MPH and making a right turn, the brake pedal was depressed but traveled down to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact's husband stood on the brake pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond and crashed into a small ditch. The contact was occupying the front passenger's side seat at the time of the incident. The contact was unsure whether there was a warning light illuminated. The air bags deployed. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the air bags. Both the contact and her husband immediately exited the vehicle. The contact's husband did not sustain any injuries. The contact stated that her left arm was deformed. The contact was transported to the Hospital by a family member. The Doctor diagnosed that the contact had sustained two broken bones on the left arm and two broken bones on the left foot. The contact underwent surgery and was scheduled for physical therapy. The contact was unsure whether a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance company. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that a field inspector would be sent to inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was unknown.

The Electronic Steering Lock (ESL) will fail and cause the vehicle to become disabled. The failure of this part will leave the owner strained and unable to use any functions of the car. You can’t even put the vehicle into neutral to move the vehicle. Everything is locked. There have been numerous reports of this failure on various Mercedes Benz forums on the web. Also, many videos outlining this problem on YouTube. Yes, the problem has been reproduced by an independent repair facility. Mercedes Benz is aware of this problem regarding the ESL part. I believe they even published a TSB regarding the failure of this part. The car did not display any warning lamps or messages. The car is just dead! It’s very scary getting into your car and it doesn’t start when you turn the key. All other systems checked out on the car i.e. battery, voltage, fuses, sensors etc. Once that ESL stops working your car becomes a static display.

The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz E550. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the fuel sender unit was cracked, and that fuel was leaking into the rear seats of the vehicle. The contact was informed that the fuel sender unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 80,000.

My car will not start and I get a message stating "Remove key from ignition" every time I insert the key to try to start the car. It appears that the ESL has failed. I have visited several MB forums and it appears that this is a common issue, regardless of car mileage. This is a factory defect that really needs to be recalled and fixed.

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ E550. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V010000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. MERCEDES-BENZ OF ALEXANDRIA (200 S PICKETT ST, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22304) WAS CONTACTED AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE REMEDY PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. ## VIN PASSED ## MERCEDES-BENZ E550A 2012 ##*DT*JB

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ E550. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V010000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED MERCEDES-BENZ OF UNION RAY CATENA (2585 US-22, UNION NY 07083, (908) 356-6805) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD NOT TOUCH THE VEHICLE UNTIL THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED THE PART FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE PART WOULD BE AVAILABLE IN MAY OF 2020. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ E550. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V017000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. MERCEDES-BENZ OF FT. PIERCE (4500 S US-1, FORT PIERCE, FL 34982, (772) 617-0819) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.