1995 Mercedes Benz 300 Series Recalls & Complaints

Incident: October 1, 2012 · Filed: October 24, 2012

VEHICLE WIRING HARNESS BURNS AND SHORTS DUE TO INSULATION ON WIRING DEGRADING CAUSING FAILURE OF NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *TR

Incident: May 3, 2011 · Filed: September 14, 2011

ENGINE OF 1995 MERCEDES BENZ E320 STATION WAGON MISFIRED AND STALLED. INVESTIGATING THE PLUGS AND WIRING HARNESS FOUND THE HARNESS HAD DISINTEGRATED AND SHORTED OUT. *KB

Incident: April 15, 2005 · Filed: October 26, 2008

1995 MERCEDES BENZ, E-300D EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE: NONE, NORMAL USE OF THE VEHICLE THE FAILURE, HOW OFTEN IT OCCURS, ITS CONSEQUENCES: WIRING AND GLOW PLUG HARNESS FAILURE, CAUSED BY BAD INSULATION ON THE WIRES THE INSULATION ON BOTH HARNESSES WAS PEELING/COMING OFF EXPOSING BARE COPPER WIRE, CAUSING SHORTS AND HARD COLD STARTS. I CALLED MERCEDES BENZ DIRECT AND THEY "HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE"OF THIS PROBLEM ON THESE CARS. I THEN FIND OUT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE ON 1990-1995 300 SERIES VEHICLES AND HAS CAUSE FIRES IN THE PAST. WHAT WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE: I HAD A LOCAL INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITY REPLACE BOTH HARNESSES AT MY EXPENSE. THE OLD HARNESSES WERE THROWN OUT. MERCEDES BENZ STILL SAYS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE HARNESSES. *TR

Incident: June 2, 2008 · Filed: June 3, 2008

VEHICLE NOT OPERATING PROPERLY, BLOWING FUSES, WARNING LIGHTS COMING ON, ENGINE COOLING FAN NOT OPERATING PROPERLY, AND ENGINE OVERHEATING. INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE INSULATION IS SEVERELY DETERIORATED ON THE ENGINE WIRE HARNESS (MERCEDES BENZ PART NUMBER 124-440-32-32). THE INSULATION ON ALMOST ALL OF THE WIRES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT HAS BECOME BRITTLE AND CRACKED OPEN AND LARGE PORTIONS OF THE INSULATION HAVE FALLEN OFF LEAVING BARE WIRES EXPOSED WHICH ARE CAUSING SHORT CIRCUITS AND GROUND CIRCUITS. THERE IS A HIGH PROBABILITY THAT OPERATING A VEHICLE IN THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STALL, LOSE POWER, CATCH ON FIRE, OR CAUSE OR RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE HAS INQUIRED WITH THE MERCEDES DEALER WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN STATES THAT THEY HAVE HAD TO REPLACE A VERY HIGH NUMBER OF THESE ENGINE WIRE HARNESSES. THE OWNER SHALL ORDER THE CORRECT PART AND A QUALIFIED TECHNICIAN SHALL REMOVE AND REPLACE IT. THE OWNER SHALL SAVE THE OLD WIRE HARNESS. IT IS QUITE OBVIOUS THAT THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE INSULATION THAT CAUSES IT TO FAIL. *TR

Incident: February 8, 2008 · Filed: May 4, 2008

1995 MERCEDES-BENZ E300D WIRING HARNESS: TEMPERATURE READING NOT ACCURATE, THOUGH ON THE HIGH SIDE SO I FEEL LIKE THE CAR IS OVERHEATING BUT REALLY NOT ENGINE IDLE SENSOR INACCURATE LEADING TO READING OF LOW RPM AT IDLE AND TACHOMETER NOT ALWAYS WORKING OTHER CONSEQUENCES: AUXILIARY FANS MOTORS BLOWN DUE TO FANS RUNNING AT HIGH SPEED ALWAYS INSTEAD OF VARIABLE AND INTERMITTENT. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE SHOP AND WAS GIVEN THE BAD NEW ABOUT THE WIRING HARNESS. COST TO REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS AND OTHER INCIDENTALS: $2,250. *TR

Incident: March 10, 2008 · Filed: March 13, 2008

THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS AND EA/CC/ISC WIRING INSULATION HAS BADLY DETERIORATED ON MY 1995 E300 DUE TO HEAT FATIGUE FROM POOR MANUFACTURING. THE DECAY HAS REACHED THE POINT OF LEAVING BARE EXPOSED WIRE WITHIN THE HARNESS. THESE WIRES MAKE CONTACT CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL, SURGE, A/C COMPRESSOR NOT TO WORK, AND SET MISC. ENGINE CODES. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM TO OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES AS EVIDENCED BY CONVERSATION THREADS ON SEVERAL WELL REGARDED FORUMS. THE GENERAL UNDERSTANDING IS THAT MERCEDES WAS ATTEMPTING TO CREATE ECO-FRIENDLY WIRE INSULATION THAT WOULD DEGRADE IN THE LANDFILL. IT WAS A GREAT IDEA, BUT HAS FAILED MISERABLY. IN MY OPINION SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE SERIOUSLY INJURED IF THIS PROBLEM IS NOT RESOLVED WITH A RECALL. NOW. THERE ARE SEVERAL REPORTS OF ENGINE FIRES FROM THIS WIRING FAILURE. THIS IS NOT BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION A PART THAT IS PRONE TO FAILURE. MY FEELING IS THAT BY WAITING IT OUT MERCEDES IS HOPING THESE CARS WILL JUST GO AWAY. QUITE FRANKLY IT IS OUTRAGEOUS. THE COST OF A NEW HARNESS AND INSTALLATION IS RIDICULOUS NOT TO MENTION I WOULD END UP WITH A HARNESS THAT WILL DO THE SAME THING UNLESS THEY HAVE CHANGED THE MANUFACTURING OF THE WIRE INSULATION. HERE ARE THE FORUMS I MENTIONED ABOVE. HTTP://WWW.MERCEDESSHOP.COM/SHOPFORUM HTTP://WWW.BENZWORLD.ORG/FORUMS HTTP://FORUMS.MBWORLD.ORG/FORUM. I CALLED AND SPOKE WITH A CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPERVISOR AT MB, I ASKED HER IF THE VEHICLE CATCHING ON FIRE AND KILLING THE PASSENGERS WOULD BE A COMMON DETERIORATION OF A VEHICLE. SHE TOLD ME THAT ONCE THE VEHICLE HAS A CERTAIN NUMBER OF MILES, IT IS THE CONSUMERS RESPONSIBILITY TO MAINTAIN IT. I THOUGHT THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY ABSURD. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT A COMPANY KNOWN FOR A HIGH QUALITY LONG LASTING PRODUCT WOULD DUCK OUT OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS ISSUE. *TR

Incident: April 4, 2005 · Filed: January 9, 2008

ENTIRE WIRING HARNESS WIRING INSULATION UNDER HOOD IS DETERIORATED, CRACKED, TURNED TO POWDER AND IS FALLING OFF COPPER WIRES. GLOW PLUG WIRING HAS CRACKED AND EXPOSED COPPER CAUSING MALFUNCTION TO GLOW PLUG RELAY. AMBIENT TEMPERATURE WIRING FAILED. *TR

Incident: December 10, 2007 · Filed: December 27, 2007

ENGINE WIRING HARNESS SHEATHING/INSULATION IS BRITTLE, CRACKING, DISINTERGRATING AND BARE WIRES ARE EXPOSED CAUSING ELECTRICAL AND FUEL DELIVERY MALFUNCTIONS. VEHICLE LOSSES POWER AND REVS HIGH AND LOW, CAUSING CHALLENGING DRIVABILITY OF THE AUTOMOBILE WITH SPORADIC DOWNSHIFTING ANOMALIES. ERRONEOUS DASH LIGHTS EG. ENGINE, ASC FLUTTER ON AND OFF AND FUEL MILEAGE HAS DROPPED TREMENDOUSLY. MERCEDES DEALER QUOTES THE REPAIR ABOVE $1000 AND ACKNOWLEDGES THIS A COMMON AND DANGEROUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT ON THIS MODEL VEHICLE. *TR

Incident: September 17, 2007 · Filed: September 17, 2007

THE MAIN ENGINE WIRING HARNESS FOR MY 1995 E300 DIESEL IS DETERIORATING, AND POSING A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

Incident: September 14, 2007 · Filed: September 15, 2007

1995 MERCEDES E 300 DIESEL, THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS IS FALLING APART. THE INSULATION IS CRUMBLING AND ALL THE WIRES ARE SHORTING CAUSING MALFUNCTIONS OF ALL ENGINE SYSTEMS, AND COULD CAUSE A FIRE. IMPOSSIBLE TO FIX THE CURRENT HARNESS BECAUSE EVERY WIRE IS INVOLVED, HAVE TO REPLACE. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE, I HAVE HAD MANY CLASSIC CARS THAT ARE MUCH OLDER THAN THIS THAT HAVE PERFECT WIRING TO THIS DAY. I WAS TOLD BY A NON-MERCEDES SHOP THAT THIS WAS AN ATTEMPT BY MERCEDES TO MAKE THE INSULATION EASILY TO RECYCLE AND THAT ALL CARS OF THIS PERIOD HAVE THIS PROBLEM SOONER OR LATER. *JB