Rear Suspension Shock Absorber Problems of Mercedes Benz 420

I am a victim of a dangerous safety design flaw in my 1997 Mercedes Benz e420. Last week, my wife was driving the car in a straight line on a local street near our home, when the passenger side coil spring flew out of the car, resulting in her completely losing control of the vehicle. There were no warning signs - no sounds, rattles, etc. Luckily, she was driving at a slow speed of 35mph and that the cars around her stopped, allowing her to maneuver the car to the shoulder of the road. As a result, she avoided any accident and was not hurt. The coil springs support the full weight of the car, and when the spring flew out of the car, the car collapsed onto the tire under its own weight. The wheel well rested on the tire and supported the entire weight of the car. The car began making a loud noise as a result of the wheel well rubbing against the tire and came to an immediate halt. My wife could not steer the car left or right, since the wheel well prevented the tire from making such turns. When she forced a turn so that she could pull over to the shoulder, the car jumped as the wheel exited the wheel well and rode on its edge. The wheel well scored deep gashes in the tire. The coil spring dented the wheel well, the wheel and the shock absorber. When you lose such control of the car, you can very easily be involved in a serious accident and jeopardize your safety. I dread to think what the outcome would have been if we were driving at 65mph on a highway when the coil spring flew out. A coil spring flying out of the car is not caused by normal wear and tear, it is a serious design flaw. I had a mechanic inspect the damage - 1. The coil spring mount (a. K. A "spring perch") is made of thin sheet metal and is poorly designed. It is spot welded onto the wheel well in 3 spots. This design is too weak to support the weight of the car, and it broke off as a result. 2. New shock absorber, tire, wheel 3. Wheel alignment. Photographs and replaced parts available.

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