2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GLE350D

MY 2016 MB GLE 350 WITH 57750 MILES STALLED IN THE DRIVE THRU LANE AT STARBUCKS. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. PARKED FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES. NOTED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. RE-STARTED THE ENGINE AND BEGAN TO DRIVE HOME. VECHICLE STALLED IN TRAFFIC AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. TOWED TO MB DEALER. THIS WAS THEIR ASSESSMENT: VERIFIED COMPLIANT. CONNECTED SDS AND RAN SHORT TEST. FOUND FAULT CODES FOR FUEL PUMP TO HAVE OPEN CIRCUIT & SHORT CIRCUIT. CHECKED POWER AT CONNECTOR TO FUEL PUMP TO FUEL PUMP CONTROL UNIT. NO PWM SIGNAL FOUND COMING FROM FUEL PUMP CONTROL UNIT. CHECKED FUEL PUMP CONTROL UNIT. FOUND FUEL PUMP CONTROL UNIT WET DUE TO WATER LEAKING INTO BACK OF VECH. PERFORMED WATER LEAK TEST. FOUND WATER SLOWLY LEAKING INSIDE OF REAR HATCH AT BOTTOM OF MIDDLE SECTION OF REAR HATCH. TO START RECOMMEND REPLACING REAR HATCH SEAL, RECHECKING TO SEE IF WATER LEAK HAS BEEN STOPPED THEN REPLACING FAULTY FUEL PUMP CONTROL MODULE (IF LEAK HAS BEEN CORRECTED INSIDE OF VECH AND WET ITEMS WILL NEED TO BE AIR DRIED) 4.50 HOURS LABOR. COST $1106.90 TOTAL. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE ARE 5 OTHER SIMILIAR COMPLAINTS ON THIS WEBSITE FOR THE EXACT SCENARIO. WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT WE WERE EXITING A SHOPPING MALL ON A BUSY SATURDAY WHEN THE TRAFFIC WAS SLOW AND DESPITE THE LARGE NUMBERS OF VECHICLE SURROUNDING US WE WERE NOT INJURIED. I WOULD HATE TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED SHOULD THIS HAVE OCCURRED AT A HIGHER SPEED OR IF WE HAD CROSSED THE INTERSECTION. MAY HAVE BEEN DEADLY. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS SITUATION THOROUGHLY AS THERE WAS NO PRIOR WARNING OF ANY WATER OR MOISTURE ENTERING THE VECHICLE IN ANY FASHION. DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY SUCH A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF THE FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEM WOULD BE EXPOSED TO WATER OR MOISTURE SUCH THAT IT WOULD BECOME INCAPACITATED ABRUPTLY. PLEASE FOLLOW UP ON THIS CONCERN SO THAT OTHERS MAY NOT BE INJURIED.

OUR 2016 GLE350 WITH 67K MILES STALLED AT 5:45 P.M. ON A TWO LANE ROAD WITH HIGH TRAFFIC VOLUME. THERE WAS NO INDICATION BEFORE STALLING EXCEPT A RAPID LOSS OF POWER AND DOWNSHIFTING. IT WAS DUSK AND THE VEHICLE STALLED PARTIALLY IN LANE AS THERE WAS NO ROOM WITH WATER DRAINAGE DITCH. DEALER IDENTIFIED A SEAL IN THE LIFT GATE BEING DEFECTIVE ALLOWING WATER TO ACCUMULATE IN THE SPARE TIRE STORAGE AREA IN PROXIMITY TO THE FUEL PUMP. FUEL PUMP MALFUNCTIONED RESULTING IN VEHICLE STALLING. DEALER SHARED MERCEDES WOULD NOT ADDRESS NOR COVER THE $1600 COST TO REPAIR. WHAT VEHICLE ACCUMULATES ENOUGH WATER TO FILL A SPARE TIRE AREA AND IT OVERFLOWS SHORT OUT A NEARBY FUEL PUMP MODULE AND SOAKING THE INSULATION OF THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE IS GARAGED AND SERVICED AS DETERMINED BY THE ON BOARD COMPUTER. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE IN THAT IF WE HAD BEEN ON A FREEWAY THERE IS NO WARING AND THE VEHICLE LOOSES POWER QUICKLY LEAVING NO ROOM TO MOVE OUT OF HARMS WAY.