general problems of the 2008 Mercedes Benz C300 - part 2

C300 not starting due to bad electronic steering lock mechanism, seems to be common.

The contact owns a 2008 mercedes-benz C300. The contact stated that the turn signals failed to operate. It was discovered that the cable wire connected to the turn signal light bulbs were damaged. The contact also stated that the parking indicator also failed and the cable connected to the parking indicator was damaged. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed that a new headlight assembly was needed. The contact was also informed that the vehicle was out of warranty and would have to pay out of pocket for the repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 105,000.

Car wont start ,local mechanic refer to common problem (ignition moduel),I was coming out of the cvs phatmacy and the car just wont start ,called mb the y asked me to jump start but nothing ,different key nothing so I towed to the dealer .

From a parked vehicle, I unlocked car and inserted key and turned to start position 2. No steering unlock, shift lever stuck in park and no engine start. Message "take your key from ignition" appeared as well when I opened door. Voltage from battery was 12. 7 vdc. Had car towed to Mercedes Benz dealer and was diagnosed with eis failure (electronic ignition system). Cost for repair: $1,350.

Parked vechile to make a quick stop when I returned vechile will not start. Got a jump and it was confirmed it was not the battery car was only at 75000 miles.

My car won't start, read online hundreds of others cars that have had the same problem for 2008 4matic C300. Why is this not a recall.

Navigation screen started flickering on and off and then smoke started coming from it. There is an electrical issue with the radio/ navigation. If there is smoke then there is wires burning which can cause a fire.

Steering column lock failure. This disabled the ignition not allowing the car to start. From a little reasearch on the internet I found this is a common problem on many of their vehicles. This left me completely stranded and mercedes denied any knowledge of the issue although it is easy to find and diagnose with a few minutes on the internet. There is also a eis issue but mine is the electronic steering lock motor causing the problem. Mercedes needs to recall these and make it right. Thay could strand people in a bad situation. My car ran fine bit would not restart. All lock and unlock functions worked. I had a message on the dash to remove key. It had no accessory turn on or crank function.

Electronic steering lock - known defect - car doesn't start no recall issued.

My 2008 C300 with only 68,000 decided to die with no warning. I drove the car to the dealership had a taillight fixed then parked the car. The next day the car wouldn't turn on. All the lighting in the dash turns on but I'm getting a notification saying remove key from ignition. This shouldn't be happening! I have done some research online and am getting an idea that is is the eis. This system is designed to be operated multiple times a day, it shouldn't be failing.

Waking up to go to work, I attempted to start my car. I have have no problems with the vehicle since I purchased it a year ago, and with only 65k miles I didnt expect any problems. Since im not a car guy I got it towed since it wouldnt start. No ticking no nothing, and no warning at all. The mechanic said the battery was in good order but it was the eis that was the problem. Looks to be a major concern and a common problem for other owners. What a way to start the week of christmas in texas with 70 degree weather.

Eis electronic ignition system or esl electronic steering lock. Put key in ignition and nothing happens. Steering wheel locked. Car won't come out of park. Car was parked all three times this happened, twice before the car was diagnosed at the my dealership on clark road, in sarasota, florida, and once, so far, after problem was diagnosed and repaired. Repair lasted two days.

Tl- the contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that while parked, fumes of smoke was seen coming from the radio as it was turned on. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 76,000. Jo.

Steering lock failed. 10 cent motor will not lock steering wheel. Causes car to think it is stolen, disables the entire car. Left me stranded in freezing temperature with no warning. I got gas, got in the car to leave to work, and nothing worked. This is very dangerous. Luckily I was able to get someone to pick me up, as my cell phone was about to die.

Hello, I inserted my key into my 2008 C300, but the car won't start. It turns as it should, but the car isn't starting. The battery for the car is new and reads 12. 6 v when tested. The radio and lights work, but the windows won't roll up or the sunroof, and the glove compartment doesn't light up. With the key inside the ignition and the door opened, the car notifies me to remove the key from the ignition. I am not sure what's going on, any ideas?.

I replaced the battery and key due to car not starting ($600 and 1 week in the shop). 2 days later, the new key failed to start the car due to the same issue. Eis failure will cost another $1200. This should be part of a recall, I was stranded twice and it is a common problem with this model.

Update: oct 19, 2015 my car wouldn't turn over. The lights, radio and battery were fine. I tried to jump the car just in case (it wasn't the battery) had the car towed to the dealership the next day. The following day the dealership informed me it was the eis switch (electronic steering lock). Price tag $1212 and some change.

My 2008 C300 was parked. I came outside to head out and my ignition would not turn over but all lights, radio, seat, etc were working just fine. Windows and sunroof don't work. My car is stopped at 68,018 miles.

2nd time with same eis issue in one year. Ignition would not turn over but all lights, radio, etc were working just fine. It cost me $1300 to get it fixed the first time after having it towed to a dealership. Was not covered by warranty. A year later I have to do it all over again?!?! it is ridiculous that mercedes does not recall this issue as it is so common after reading so many posts about it.

Ignation switch complely dead. Battery ok. Vehicale was in my driveway. Used vehicale in morning ran fine. Went used vehicale afternoon. Ignation switch complely dead. They must be recall on this ignation switch problem. Please look into this matter.

Last week 8/11/2015 I drove to the lumbar store, parked the car and upon returning to the car, the key turned completely to the right, the dash lights came on, the ringing noise sounded, but the car did not turn over, nothing happened. The dash read remove the key from ignition. I called my mechanic with the issue and he said use your key fob to lock and unlock the car; that did not work, still nothing. I called the tow company the battery was fully charged ( I purchased it last year 2014). The tow company disabled the cable to the battery waited 30 seconds and reconnected the battery, still the key would not turn the engine over. Because the lumber yard locked their gate at 5 pm the car was scheduled to be towed the next morning. The car started the next morning, I allowed the tow company to tow it anyway and have their mechanic assess the problem. Thorough-out the day the tow mechanic attempted to turn the car on and determined the car would intermittently start. The next day I drove the car to a foreign car service shop, they stated the eis system is not always recognizing the key and only a mb dealership can fix ignition related problems. I called and got a quote, the eis part and labor will cost me $872. 31 includes taxes (assuming this is the problem). As a note, I used my other key and still had the same problem. This morning I used the key I always use and it started. Off to the mb dealership.

Car has faulty steering lock and has to be replaced at a high expense. This seems to be a very common problem as I learned visiting various websites and forums.

A few months back, my wife was stranded in her office parking lot as the car won't start. When she put the key in the ignition it would simply make clicking sounds but will not start. She was able to lock and unlock the car. We called aaa who checked the battery and said it was working fine. The aaa rep said that he had seen this problem quite a few times before in the mb cars and we would have to call mb or they can tow it to the dealership. We then called Mercedes Benz (mb) road side assistance who came and checked the car. The mb rep said that there is an issue with the electronic steering lock and it will need to be replaced. They gave me a quote of around $1500 over phone. Finally I had aaa tow my car to my mechanic and got it repaired for around $800. While researching this problem, I was shocked to see that there were 1000s of threads online where the owners of 2008 and 2009 c class were complaining about the same issue and how each one had to shell out anywhere from $1200 to $1600 at the dealership to get it repaired. I called mb and they admitted that this is a common issue but cannot do anything about it. I was quite appalled at this situation where this being a known issue faced by 1000s of mb customers but mb would not fix it. . Read more...

Eis/ steering wheel lock failure. Left stranded for 4 hours.

Same as many others, steering lock, wouldn't id key, wouldn't start. Eis problem I believe. $980 to fix with only 35k miles! this is a frequent problem according to the forums I have visited.

The electronic steering lock just shutoff. The car came out of comfort while I was driving, the c-in the box-just disappeared off the cluster and I knew this is what happened because it happened three times them started up two days later. This has been a common problem with mercedes C300 as I read so many complaints and posts.

Takata recall , exterior lighting recall.

Upon entering my vehicle after pumping gas late one evening, I proceeded to turn the key in the ignition and the key would not allow the car to start. All the lights on the dash, radio and headlights were operative at that time. I attempted a jump start to no avail. I proceeded with having he vehicle towed to a local dealer where it was determined that there was an issue with the electrical steering/ignition system that was electrical in nature and "common" for the year and model of the car. If this potential defect is common then it is "known" to the manufacturer and its dealers who can be held strictly liable or any manufacturing or design defect, or inadequate warning. That being said, if the product is defective, what prevents the recurrence of the issue after replacement of the part, which would essentially be replacing it with another defective part. This matter is serious to the consumer, and the manufacture could easily reduce the risk of harm to its consumers by altering the design in a much more cost effective manner than allowing its consumers to bear the costs of its manufacturing error.

Car wont start. Computer recognizes key in ignition but doesnt turn on any instruments or start the car. Tried a spare key - same issue. Remotes unlock and lock fine but ingition wont turn on.

These parts pose a risk vehicle safety and may exist on other vehicles of this design and manufacture. Please review air bags, steering lock. Electrical main system. And tires used on this car.

Car won't start. Key will turn but nothing happens. Tried jump starting the car but did not work. Brought to the dealership and was told that the steering lock is the problem and needs to be replaced.

My car was parked in my garage when I turned the key in the ignition and tried to start the car. There was nothing. I tried several times, turning the key back and forth, taking it out, turning it. Still nothing. I called aaa. They tested the battery. It was functioning. The aaa technician noted that the door locks and audio locking signals were working. I called, bill, my service tech at the mbz dealership and left a message for him to phone me. In the meantime, I called a local mechanic that had repaired other family vehicles. He said he would take a look at it. So I had it towed to his shop. Bill called me back late afternoon and asked me to try the spare key to see if it would start. I had my neighbor drive me to the shop where my car was and tried the spare key. Still nothing. I spoke with the family mechanic. He was not able to start the vehicle, nor had he serviced it. He believed that it was a problem with the eis and said the dealer needed to do the repair. I called bill back. Let him know the spare did not work and arranged to have my car towed to the dealership the next day. Later the next day, bill called me and stated that the issue was with the electronic ignition system. I needed to replace the steering lock. He could order the part. The cost would be $1,100. I asked what would cause the part to fail. He said that electronic systems, like his tv, just fail over time. I authorized the repair. I have always taken my car into this dealership for its regularly scheduled maintenance and was surprised that it would need such a critical and costly repair. I checked online and noted that this is a common problem with the 2008 mbz C300. I am surprised that the manufacturer has not notified vehicles owners and taken responsibility for this apparent defect.

I was driving lisenning to my music and all of a sudden smoke started coming from my monitor I then quickly turned my music off and pulled over and turned the car off. I now have a black screen and mercedes said the whole unit will cost 2,000 dollars I said you are crazy this should be covered by mercedes.

Electronic steering lock malfunctioned. I'm now out $1100. 00 because of a problem so common, a guy who hadn't even seen my car was able to guess the make, model, and year of my car just by telling him the issue. How has a recall not been made on this problem? car worked fine just two hours before it wouldn't start. . . Unbelievable.

This vehicle has had a trend among many people with their steering randomly defaulting. To get it fixed they quoted me 1300 dollars. Many people seem to have this problem right after their warranty expires. The person who contacted me said "there was a faulty steering problem". Please correct me if I am wrong ,but to me faulty means working badly or unreliably because of imperfections. I feel that this is a ridiculous thing to pay for especially knowing that this car is only 6 years old and I bought the car 6 months ago. I have never experienced something so vile and crooked from a company like this in my life. The car seemed to be working perfectly fine minutes before it decided to give out, 3 minutes to be exact. If I were to have been driving and the steering wheel where to have locked up on me on an interstate like that it could have been fatal. Someone needs to do something about this because it is getting out of control for a company to be able to scam customers like this.