general problems of the 2013 Mercedes Benz C300 - part 1

Recently my mercedes has been pulling and swaying to the side while breaking even at low speeds. Yesterday I got my 2 front tires replaced and asked them to take a look at what could be causing my rear end to pull. When I returned to pick up my car they informed me my rear subframe was completely decayed/rusted through and not safe to continue driving.

On several instances of breaking, my 2013 Mercedes Benz C300 pulls hard to the right and becomes very unstable. I assumed it was a brake problem by the way the car drove. I took it to my mechanic, who immediately identified the rear subframe had rusted so much that a control arm had broken loose from the subframe. The rear subframe acts as a foundation for the rear suspension and holds the backend together. Fortunately I was able to get this diagnosed prior to a serious accident. The car gets very unstable, especially at higher speeds, when braking. There are no warning lights that will catch this. This problem absolutely places both passengers and other cars on the road at risk of a collision when braking, especially on the highway at higher speeds. I am going to contact a local Mercedes Benz dealer to evaluate replacement of the damaged parts to ensure the car is safe to drive following repair. Based on the links below, it sounds like a known issue at Mercedes Benz. I was never notified of any issues or from prior service visits, or via mail notice from the manufacturer. My mechanic was shocked, to say the least. Hoping mb will take care of this dangerous problem without hassle. See: [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Broke rear subframe while driving. Made it home discovered the left rear suspension is almost completely detached from the vehicle. Researched the problem and discovered it’s a known issue and a warranty extension has been provided for some vehicles including some models of my particular year and model but after contacting mercedes is seems mine is not.

The rear subframe is cracked. This puts myself at risk and others if vehicle is involved in an accident. The problem has been confirmed by two independent service dealers. The vehicle has only been inspected by independent dealers. No warning lights.

Excessive rust has caused a separation of the lower control arm from the rear sub frame. From google searches this appears to be a common safety defect in the manufacturing of these vehicles. Control arm separation causes drive ability and stability issues that can lead to loss of control of said vehicle leading to accidents that can cause serious bodily injuries including death. Why hasn't mercedes been forced to recall the affected vehicles in the united states as they have been in several other countries?.

Rear subframe rust through, affecting the function of control arm. When braking mildly caused the forward motion of vehicle to swerve into oncoming traffic. It has been reported and is in their possession. There was a small clicking noise like a possible loose shock absorber, a few times in the past month. Then two days ago, the sound became stronger including a clicking noise like two pieces of sheet metal torn passing each other. Upon personal inspection I found severe rust through on the subframe on the left side in front of the left drivers side rear tire. Corporate has sent a letter extending the warranty for that part. Photos can be provided.

Rear control arm broke off of the rusted rear sub frame assembly which was confirmed and inspected by my mechanic.

Car wouldn't pass inspection because of a rotted subframe. I had to pay $3k to have it replaced.

Car was garage kept and in mint condition, yet the rear subframe has completely rusted through and while breaking the car lurches to the right. Also the breaking performance is noticeably impaired. There was no signs of this failure as the car still looks new, only way of knowing was the near crash while driving and trying to stop.

The contact owns a 2013 mercedes-benz C300. The contact stated while driving at high speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the rear suspension was unstable and felt loose. The contact pulled to the side of the road before continuing to drive. The contact notified an independent mechanic of the failure and was informed that the rear subframe needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was notified of the failure through voicemail. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure was approximately 80,000.

Rear subframe control arm broken and rusty and dangerously to drive and mercedes refused to make it as recall.

When breaking at high speeds, the car feels like I will lose control of it. Has happened a few times and I thought I was going to hit the neighboring car. Took it to a repair shop and found out that the rear driver side subframe is completely rotted out and the rear control arm is hanging. The car only has about 97,500 miles on it, has not been driven in high salt areas, and doesn’t have any other signs of rust. Two auto body shops have told me this shouldn’t happen on a car with that low mileage, and these cars, mercedes C300s, are known to have this defect.

Bought a 2013 mercedes-benz C300 4matic on 1/16/23 with only 80k miles. Alignment was off so took it to local mercedes dealer today on 1/24/23. They advice that the subframe was rusted and not safe to drive, they are keeping it overnight to take a closer look and evaluate. Looked into it and found this is a common issue, experienced by many all over the world. Uk has rust protection so they can get it replaced for no extra cost. Why do we have to pay out of pocket? also did buy the carfax and showed clean with no issue found before purchasing the vehicle.

I was driving on the highway and had to hard brake when traffic slowed down quickly. My car was all over the road swerving and I am very lucky I wasn't killed. Come to find out the rear subframe had completely rusted out. I have since found out that this is a very well known issue with mercedes that they have refused to do anything about. I am sure there have been people killed because of this. This vehicle had been at the dealer the week prior and had the rear brakes replaced. They said they did not notice that the subframe was rusting through at that time because it rusted from the inside out so it's not something that would be noticed until it completely rusted out, which in my case was on the highway. This is outrageous that mercedes is getting away with ignoring this very well known safety issue.

There is a defect in the subframe of the vehicle which causes it to corrode and rust out. Apparently, this is a known issue with certain years and models, and has already been recalled in europe, but not the us.

Discovered a severely "rotted/rusted" rear subframe and one of the passenger side suspension/control arm of the rear passenger side wheel is completely "detached/disconnected" from the rear subframe. During a hard brake, the car will "swing/drift" to the right and is very dangerous and prone to accident/catastrophe. Also, many other 2008-2014 C300 owners already have reported/complaints over the internet. This defect needs to be recalled by the manufacturer.

My car had new brakes installed in the last few months. All of a sudden the car "fishtailed" when applying the brakes. I brought it into my mechanic, johns mercedes of wakefield, massachusetts, for some routine service and he noticed once he put the car up on the rack that the subframe is completely rotted out due to rust. The brakes were fine. He strongly recommended not driving the car until the part can be replaced. The part is very hard to come by. I called my mercedes dealership (herb chambers mercedes in lynnfield, massachusetts) and rennan told me that he has seen quite a number of problems lately with rotted subframes in C300s. He said it would cost $5000 to repair if you could find a part. The parts are incredibly hard to find. In doing research in mercedes forums, I read that in germany mercedes replaces the subframes free of charge, recognizing it is a major safety issue. My mechanic is going to take pictures of the damaged part in question. My car is at his shop now so I don't have pictures to upload at this time. I am going to have him find the part and fix the car at a cost of $4000+.

I sensed the rear wheels going into a skid as I braked at low speed. I noticed it first on downhills as I drove on a mountain road which was curvy. It seemed that the car was going to go into a skid. No warning lights came on. I checked the tires were all at the same accurate level which did not change the occurrence. It happened again on flat terrain coming to a quick stop. Like one tire was responding differently than the other in the rear. I asked my mechanic to put it up on the lift so I could make sure I was safe and not causing further damage by driving it until they could fix it. Had the arms cracked off the frame from the wheels while I was driving on a winding mountain road, my life would have been in danger. He came out and said "you need to see this, this car is going nowhere and its lucky that you came in. He pulled back a black cover that was blocking view of the rear sub-frame. One both sides, there was significant rotted through holes. He looked up about a possible recall and came across many people complaining for years on this model c car having the same issue. It was noted that this issue was a recall and manufacturer repaired issue in europe. Not here is the us. After reading numerous complaints online from owners, I called the Mercedes Benz dealer (keeler motors, latham, NY) and asked about issues. There are very aware of this issue and quoted me $1400 for the sub-frame and not including many parts that will likely need replacing. With labor at $189 hourly rate. This car is in very good condition, serviced regularly at the keeler Mercedes Benz dealer department and when we checked it over prior to purchase it was noted how little to no rust there was on the car. Mechanics can easily miss the damage occurring by the black cover over the subframe.

The rear subframe is rusted through and cracked making the car almost undriveable. This is a known problem at Mercedes Benz. Nothing else on the vehicle is rusted and has a perfect undercarriage. The vehicle is available for inspection and has been inspected by a reputable german repair facility. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms there's a Mercedes Benz recall for the rear subframe in canada.

Hi I was driving my car on the highway and starting feeling the car swaying. I got really scared and took side blocks home. I thought maybe it was air in the tires or a flat. When I got out to look no flat tires were fine. Then I started hearing like a cracking sound the next day and started smelling gas. I took the car to my mechanic and he said bad news the subframe is rotted out and do no drive this car. I could not believe my ears. He said lets see how much to fix it. He later called me back and said 7-11 month wait for the part. I said whattttttt. He said mercedes said it’s a commom problem. They have a lot on back order. How could mercedes know this and take a chamce on having cars like this on the road. Someone can get killed. I did some investigating and its all over with so many many cars. How can they not have a recall on this. God forbid someone gets hurt bad or dies. I found it it’s a recall in canada and europe. Come on guys whats up?. This is not fair. Its only a matter of time before something happens so you have to recall . Please let me know. I cannot not have a car to drive this is insane. I will look other ways to try to fix but come on you guys are Mercedes Benz I have had about 5 of them!!!!!!! mercedes does not respond. I paid to fix it on my own because I need a car. This is real bad and its a recall all over but the us I paid to fix it as the part is on backorder and I got lucky someone canceled the order. I would like to get reimbursted.

Went to brake, heard a thump, car proceeded to loose control bearing to the left. Then went into other lane! could not regain control of the car until it came to a complete stop. No warning light came on,. Took to mechanic, put it on the lift found rear right side of the frame rotted. This car is garage kept, nothing else is rusted on the vehicle. The vehicle is not near any water. This a known problem with this model mercedes. Spoke with Mercedes Benz USA, was advised not to drive the car, the frame could detach and puncture gas tank!! I have seen the recall for the problem in canada and europe and the repairs were covered by mercedes. Now I have my only mode of transpiration, undriveable and sitting waiting on help!!.

While my car was being inspected at the mercedes dealer from who I purchased the car, I was informed that the rear subframe was rusting out, needed to be replaced immediately (at the cost of $4250) as it is unsafe to drive and that the result could be catastrophic if I continued to drive it. They explained that they are having this problem with other C300 models in the us, canada and germany, but there has not been a recall in the USA. They told me that it might be the road salt as this is only happening in the north east. If this were true than I would think other parts of the undercarriage would be rusted or this would occur in other models too. They are well aware of this issue but have neglected to contact owners therefore putting my life and the life of my family at risk. The NHTSA needs to investigate and recall these vehicles immediately before someone is killed. Seems to me they are using sub standard materials and while having knowledge of this issue, should be held accountable. Thank you.

Subframe corrosion, no accident but dangerous and common issue with Mercedes Benz cars.

I was driving on the highway I hit the brakes as traffic was starting to build up and the car veered into the right lane and all of a sudden and almost got hit by a tractor trailer. It felt so scary, weird when hitting the brakes after that. I took it to my mechanic immediately and he said the rear subframe is rotted out and do not drive this car!!!!!!!!! I asked please get me an estimate on how much to fix. He called me later in the day and said it was a 8 month wait for the part and the mercedes dealer said it is a very very very common problem on these cars. There are thousands and thousands. There is a defect when manufactured and mercedes does not want to do a recall or step up to the plate in the united states. There is a recall in canada and europe that replaces the part. What are they waiting for till some gets hurt seriously or killed. Now I do not have a car to use for who knows how long and mercedes should be ashamed. Please advise. This is a real scary safety issue. Please advise. Thank you [xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Filing complaint for my 2013 mercedes C300. I was informed by the dealership this vehicle has a rusted out rear subframe and the vehicle is no longer operable. This is a very common and serious safety issue, and the mercedes dealership is refusing to cover the cost of the repair. Please help!.

While driving on highway, started to slowdown on exit. Vehicle rear end felt waiving side to side. Had vehicle checked with local mechanic. Reported rear subframe rusted and split. Advised not to drive & replace the subframe. Visited mb dealer service. Informed it is a known problem and a safety problem. Can repair when part is re-stock in January 2023?? $4,000 + research online. Plenty reports in forums with same problem. Why there is not a safety recall?.

The contact owns a 2013 mercedes-benz C300. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 35 mph and attempting to abruptly stop the vehicle to avoid a crash, the vehicle suddenly drifted into the opposite lane while depressing the brake pedal. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the rear control arms had failed. The vehicle was driven to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the failure was due to severe subframe corrosion. The contact was informed that the rear subframe and rear control arms needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,000.

The contact owns a 2013 mercedes-benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who discovered that the rear suspension cross member was fractured due to severe rust. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who confirmed the failure, but no repair was performed. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.

Purchased said vehicle from rahal Mercedes Benz (wexford PA 15090) in 9/2021. Used. Took in for PA inspection in 10/2022 (to rahal service dept). Mechanic noticed rear subframe was rusting (I was not aware of this until this point; was never disclosed to me by rahal in their printed pre inspection vehicle repost; I have this document). Told me would need re-placed sometime in 2023. Never mentioned a recall. I have not received any recall. Prove from mb. Conversation with said mechanics e railed I would have to pay for this repair out of pocket. This is a major safety issue. Mn should 100% cover the cost/all costs of the subframe and any issues caused by said subframe.

The rear suspension frame was rusted, and the suspension rusted off the frame through normal wear and tear (no potholes, incidents, etc). Left side rusted off, right side is on its way. Brake distance was increased and suddenly braking on the highway resulted in back of car swerving slightly, almost hit a truck that suddenly merged into my lane. This was discovered during an MD state inspection, I called 6 dealerships in the area, and all were familiar with the issue with this chassis. I got two estimates saying the same problem. . Read more...

Drivers side lower control arm was rusted off rear subframe causing vehicle to be inoperable.

The contact owns a 2013 mercedes-benz C300. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph when suddenly began shaking making it difficult to steer the vehicle. The contact was able to make it to the side of the road. The vehicle towed to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the left rear sub frame has rusted through and then fractured. The vehicle had not been replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case regarding the matter. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

Brought my car to the dealership because I was hearing a noise when going over bumps. Also noticed some instability when braking and driving at highway speeds. Dealer informed my my subframe had rusted and told me the car was unsafe to drive.

August 30,2022 local Mercedes Benz dealer stated that their inspection found that the rear sub frame was rusted and needed to be replaced (estimated cost $4,699. 88). I had two other independent repair shops confirm the sub frame condition. My car had 78,753 miles on it at time of discovery of sub frame corrosion condition. My independent repair shop says that oem sub frames are back ordered with no estimate of when one would be available. Internet searches and discussion with independent repair shops indicate the rear sub frame corrosion , and structural failures, are a common problem. Structural failures are a serious safety hazard and this defect should be the subject of an NHTSA investigation and recall and replacement by Mercedes Benz. Structural suspension parts should not corrode and fail after only 78,000 miles on cars driven in normal conditions.

Rear subframe and rear wheel control arm separated and corroded. Car not safe to drive. 2013 model with 31,000 miles, always garaged and maintained.