general problems of the 2008 Mercedes Benz C300 - part 2

Car suddenly would not start. Steering locked, ignition would turn, but nothing happened. Had to take it to the dealership. In a loaner car now. Said it would cost approximately $1200. 00 to fix the steering wheel lock problem. Technician said it was a common problem among C300. This is an outrage, and Mercedes Benz should be held liable.

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

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 .

Driving at night and car was parked. Tried to start the car but it won't start at all. I had the car towed to the dealership and was diagnosed as a steering lock mechanism malfunction. This issue has been submitted by other C300 owners and has been a common complaint. There is a safety concern by all of us regarding the problem especially it can happen anytime. I would like to request that this be escalated to a recall for all affected models from mercedes. It is unfair to us to keep paying over a thousand dollars for the repair. My car only has 62200miles in it.

Eis issue/steering wheel lock module. Vehicle was disabled and would not start due to eis/steering wheel lock module complication. Very common in C300 mbz.

I stopped at a kwik trip (2006 n spring st, beaver dam, WI 53916) to put gas in my 2008 mercedes C300. Car would not start after filling up. My steering was locked and so was my shifting as I was stuck in park. After troubleshooting things such as the battery, fuses, etc I looked online and found out many people have been in the same situation. There are videos on youtube and forums with tens of thousands of views and numerous posts describing what seems to be a electronic steering lock (esl) or electronic ignition system (eis). I know mercedes has acknowledged the problem and they have argued it is not a safety hazard but there are many instances where it can be a big safety hazard. Luckily it was summer here in wisconsin where I was stuck at that gas station from 7:30pm - 1:00am. So essentially the problem has nothing to do with filling up with gasoline. It is just with the car suddenly not starting. It is a esl failure and it isn't only a safety hazard, mercedes is charging 1300-1900 for what they acknowledge has been a known issue with certain models! I filed this thanks to a forum, as I mentioned earlier there is a lot of evidence of this on the web.

The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering lock and ignition module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,000.

I went to the cinema as regular day, no rain nor hot. When I'm back after 2 hours, the car suddenly could not start without warnings or anything else. The light still good, battery is good, radio still on. So I went on research and there are tons of complaints about this C300 model on the steering lock problem. I don't know why Mercedes Benz let it happen, there are no fault from customers; they should recall to change the steer wheel, which easy cost you $1,600. I would not happy at all for Mercedes Benz quality control since it let the C300 has that default without any notices or attempt to alert consumers.

08 mercedes C300w -- went into h. E. B for 5 mins, car was stationed on flat surface. Returning to vehicle I inserted the key, all of a sudden the car would not start, no crank what so ever. Lights and radio worked, but the windows, steering and shifter would not move at all. Dealer says its the steering lock and lots of customers have had the same problem; unfortunately, mercedes has not put a recall on it as of yet. Total cost $1,500. 00 as of 07/05/2016. Part 575. 00 diagnose 175. 00 and labor 750. 00 wow. I will never own another mercedes. I now know how to respond to those who ask how I feel about mercedes. Very disappointing.

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 wife was driving to a soccer tournament with the girls while I was out of town. She got gas in an area unfamiliar and went to start the car and the remove key from ignition appeared. She had to have the car towed and they were left stranded at a fast food restaurant in an unfamiliar and seedy area until her parents could come get them. They missed the tournament. When I got home I was able to identify the problem because of how common this is. Very frustrated at mb. This is my second C300 and it's funny because after the airbag recall I get calls from the dealer once a week to upgrade this car because supposedly they are worth good trade in right now.

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.

Could not start my car while stationary. Put key in the ignition and got a message on the dash to remove key from ignition. No dash lights came on. There was no clicking or noise. . . It was just dead. The alarm system and headlight and interior lights were all working so it was not the battery. I called roadside and the gave me a jump, but confirmed that my battery was not the problem. My car had to be towed to the dealership on Saturday night after waiting for 5 hours. The dealership did not even conduct the diagnostics on the car until Tuesday afternoon. They determined that the steering lock was defective and needed to be replaced at the cost of $1000. They did not even offer to loan me a car, or ask if I needed transportation. So essentially they left their customer stranded! this is not the service that is expected from mercedes! I have had cars (Acura and BMW) longer than my 2008 C300 with more miles which did not require a replacement of the steering lock. This is a common problem among all mercedes and should be recalled by the manufacturer.

On 3/6/16 the vehicle was parked at gas station for a few minutes. Upon my return to the car, the car wouldn't start. Contacted road side assistance and they tried in vain to start car. Had to tow vehicle to repair shop. Next day, mechanic tested and ran diagnostics - found bad ezl steering lock assembly. Mileage was 92950 at time of failure. Cost $1200. Had to wait a week to get parts and for repair. Rental expense was an additional $200. Grand total - $1400.

The contact owns a 2008 mercedes-benz C300. The contact stated that the remote key failed to start the vehicle. The brake pedal locked up, the steering wheel seized, and the gear shifter failed to come out of park. The instrument panel indicated to remove the key from the ignition switch. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

The c-class has a surmountable amount of complaints pertaining to the ignition switch and steering lock. Both of which can go out at anytime, including while driving and being stranded in desolate locations without warning. I've had to replace both parts and the cost is unfair to the consumer because there is obviously a defect that is not being acknowledged. Both instances, I parked my vehicle, went into a business establishment, returned to my vehicle to leave and found myself stranded. Thank god, I was in safe locations but what if I wasn't. These cars are not reliable and these problems need to be fixed immediately. Also, mercedes is not sure if this can go out while the vehicle is in motion which is even mor scarier.

Car will not start, failure in the electrical steering system.

I was driving my 2008 mercedes 300c, parked the car for less than 10 minutes returned to leave and it would not start. The key locks and unlocks the doors, the lights come on, the radio turns on, and the dash lights up. You can insert and turn the key but the car will not start. The steering wheel is locked and the drive is locked in park. I tried jumping it and it did nothing I didn't think it was the battery but had it checked anyways. Now I'm stranded and had to call aaa and wait for 2 and 1/2 hours to have it towed on a flat bed by a 2nd tow driver(the 1st tow truck couldn't tow it because the car wouldn't shift in neutral) to the repair shop and was told that the eis and steering lock needed to be replaced and the cost was $1647. 24. After researching eis replacement this is a common among among many models and mercedes should be responsible for this.

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 driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch or the computer system needed to be replaced or updated. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic steering ignition and lock needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,000. Ss.

Same issue as literally thousands of others are complaining of. . . Car fails to start due to either a faulty steering wheel ignition lock or eis not recognizing the key and therefore not starting. It has happened twice to me, dealer service advisor knew immediately and even guessed at the model and year of my vehicle, which tells me that this is a prevalent issue, supported by the thousands of posts I have read on various forums. This is a potential safety nightmare waiting to happen, similar in nature, if not scope, to the gm ignition switch recall! the same thing could happen if the failure occurs at highway speed.

Park this car on my daughter school after class turn off when tray to star engine nothing happens the steering lock doesn't work and shut down all car cost me 1600 plus two week rent a car because DE part have to buy on germany believe it or not the part cost $350 two hrs dealer work $1250.

Drove my car home and it ran fine. The next morning the car would not start. Dash lights and radio came on but engine would not turn over. Took my vehicle to dealer and found out it was the eis switch that is bad which seems to fail in the model. It cost me $1500 to replace switch. Mercedes needs to do a recall or reimburse for repairs because there are over 2,000 complaints on this part and year vehicle.

My car did not respond when I tried to start and the steering was locked and I could not fire the ignition. I towed the vehicle to the nearest mercedes showroom and they said that the steering was locked and should be replaced which will cost me $1100. I have read couple of posts online and I see this is a known issue and it is really bad that mercedes did not fix this and not even taking care of the vehicles which are effected.

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.

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...

The car cut off and then would not star tor go into gear after that. Tried using both keys with no response from the vehicle.

Parked the car and went to work. Came back and the car couldn't start. Had to tow to the dealers place last night. Today, got a call from them saying the steering got locked and said tat it is very common on these cars. It will cost about $1200 to tear up steering and change the esl. By checking online y'day evening and today, I came to know, this is not new and most of the 2008/2009 C300 have this issue. We asked dealers not to repair it as they are waiting on our word. I am planning to contact the benz customer service first and see what they say. Then I will go an attorney and file the complaint. I do see that customer service did not even respond to the request. So, I do not want waste my time by calling them and getting upset. They have the details and contact info if they want to contact me. We buy benz for reliability and that very point is not true looking at this issue and checking the online complaints. Luckily we do have a 3rd car that our son uses and I can leave benz in garage until this issue gets fixed from benz corporation.

Was making a turn and the steering wheel locked up and gas would not work. Car slowed to the stop and I had to turn off and turn back on. 5 minutes later was driving and steering wheel locked again and car slowed to a stop. Had to get car towed when it would not turn back on.

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.

Same as everyone else. The car would not start and we had it towed in. I researched the complaints online and saw that mercedes has a problem with this issue (eis/sis) they sold me a new key for $547 and said that it was fixed. Picked it up on Saturday and had it towed back in on Tuesday. Now they say it's the eis to the tune of another $1500. I will not buy another mercedes until I see how they stand behind the one I have. . . I hope that we do not have to call the news stations and file a class action suit to get it fixed. Mercedes needs to do the right thing and repair their defect.

The serpentine belt shredded for the third time after having it replaced twice within four weeks. As of 4/15/2015 this car will have its 4th belt installed. Clearly the tentioner and pully(s) are majorly defected. Each time these incidents were life threatening for me and my daughters. We were simply blessed not have been hit by other drivers when the car lost total control with no steering power. Each time of the car's malfunction, I was surrounded by other drivers, moving with the steady flow of traffic. These are serious issues. I can't imagine if I had been driving on the freeway at a faster pace. Now I am facing the expense of replacing the belt for the third time(making this the 4th belt), replacing the parts, the cost of labor, and the cost for a rental during the repair time. Mercedes should be honorable and demand a recall on these parts immediately, before serious injuries or death(s) occur. This country does not need to be reminded of the senseless behaviors of the Ford pinto or the most recent, Toyota tragedies. Mercedes can control the outcome of these situations with a simple recall. The cost of the parts in bulk or wholesale would be a very small price compared to the heartache of loosing the quality of life or causing the ultimate result - death!.

My wife was going to take my daughter to school went to start the car and car won't start. The key would turn light s work but engine wouldn't turn over had it towed to gainesville mercedes where they said the steering interlock system had to be replaced at a cost of $1200. 00. There are lots of complaints for this same issue lucky my wife was not alone at and this happened no warning at all!!.

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.

I entered my 2008 Mercedes Benz C300 after work, and it would not start. I was stranded for 2 and 1/2 hours waiting for the complimentary tow truck Mercedes Benz was sending. I had it towed to the Mercedes Benz dealership at 7pm where it sat all weekend until they checked it on Monday 3/9/15. They called on 3/9/15 and stated it was the electrical steering device and would cost $950. This is a common malfunction in the 2008 C300 that mercedes is not taking ownership of. There are numerous individuals who have faced this problem, and are charged extreme amounts to have it fixed. (see mbworld) this is not a defect due to wear and tear, this is a problem with manufacturing, a defect which is unfair to the consumer. There needs to be a recall on the electronic steering device and electronic ignition system on this make and model of car. Campaign number 2008020003 (NJ) all Mercedes Benz centers, model 204, model year 2008, replace electronic ignition switch was published in March 2008 noting "daimier ag has determined that the eis may malfunction preventing the electric steering lock and the central locking from functioning. Dealers will replace the eis on the affected vehicles during the next workshop visit. " consumers are left shouldering the cost of a problem Mercedes Benz is aware of, yet will not do a recall.