Wiring Problems of Mercedes Benz 320

Wiring harness is disintergrating. Car runs very rough. Visible bare wires. Check engine light comes on and goes off. Smells of burning wire.

See all problems of the 1996 Mercedes Benz 320 🔎.

Car went completed "dead" at stop sign. Could not restart engine. Called mechanic and wires within engine wiring harness had shorted out due to wire insulation cracking and breaking off and shorting with other engine components. Mechanic stripped out wire and spliced it. Stated the wires are in bad shape due to the type of insulation mercedes used from 1991 to 1997. He stated I should replace the engine wiring harness as it would continue to short out components and would be not only a driving hazard but also a fire hazard.

The contact owns a 1994 Mercedes Benz e320. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, the indicator lights remained illuminated erroneously, causing the battery to drain. The vehicle was taken to a independent mechanic and a dealer for diagnostic testing. The mechanic advised the contact that the electrical wiring harness and wires had to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000 and the current mileage was 146,000.

One of the front headlight assembles of my 2001 mb e320 just stopped working. Upon inspection, I found that the wire insulation had vanished - simply disappeared - and there were bare wires coming in contact with each other. I tried wrapping the wire with electrical tape, and this worked for a while, but the light stopped working after a few weeks. This car was in a repair shop for a rear end collision recently, and the service manager noticed the problem. He said that he used to work for mercedes-benz, and that this was a common problem with the headlights. Apparently, it gets so hot that the wire insulation actually disintegrates and leaves the wires bare. And, even more surprisingly, sometimes the lights catch on fire. Of course, mb knows about the problem, but hasn't done anything to rectify their engineering mistakes - they're more than content to let their customers pay to have the light assembly replaced. And, for obvious reasons, they won't admit that there's a problem to begin with - a product recall would be terribly expensive. I find it difficult to believe that I'm the first one reporting this type of problem, and from what I've read on the internet, this type of wiring problem exists in other models across different model years. Time for mb to pay for their mistakes - not me. . . .

See all problems of the 2001 Mercedes Benz 320 🔎.

My car appears to over heat, but it's actually just the temp gauge jumping around erratically. The mechanic says it's the wiring harness - a known problem in these cars which is being ignored by the manufacturer.

Cracked wiring harness. Discovered when rear lights would not work.

While driving 40 mph vehicle suddenly started smoking on the right side. Then two minutes later, vehicle caught on fire. Vehicle was totaled.

See all problems of the 1999 Mercedes Benz 320 🔎.

"black electrical junction/harness box" was found with a strong electrical smell of electricity burning through part of the box. . Also the vehicle had an oil leak.

See all problems of the 1997 Mercedes Benz 320 🔎.

Faulty electrical wires.

See all problems of the 2000 Mercedes Benz 320 🔎.

Ref: owners manual, trailer towing pgs 96-99. Benz refuses to help resolve problem! factory wiring has provided +12v (hot) to the brake controller wire when ever brake pedal is depressed (orange brake signal wire pg98). Conventional (after market brake controllers work by modulating this line voltage - this is why I cannot connect a brake controller. The vehicle is wired wrong. If an owner of a ml320 plugs a trailer with electric brakes to the factory installed harness plug - the trailer brakes overheat rapidly. I have tried repeatedly to get benz to investigate - they say owner's problem. Please help!- don't let some innocent family loose controll of their boat or camper because benz refuses to investigate their wiring error!.