Body Problems of Mercedes Benz C300 - part 1

The sunroof exploded spontaneously while driving to a destination. When the incident happened, I was stopped at a red light. I panicked as it sounded like gunshots hitting my car. I pulled over to the nearest safest destination to inspect the car. This put the safety of myself at risk and others at risk who were driving along the sides and/or behind me. This incident was confirmed by a dealer, as I went to Mercedes Benz sugar land on the following day of the incident and was quoted around $3,700 to have it repaired. The vehicle not been inspected by police and/or insurance. There were no warning signs that this could have happened besides the fact that Mercedes Benz USA is currently under an active lawsuit for this happening to several other drivers. I do believe that this is a manufacturing defect affecting safety, as similar incidents involving mercedes-benz panoramic sunroofs, which may indicate a wider defect trend.

See all problems of the 2017 Mercedes Benz C300 🔎.

While I have a few recalls I plan on needing service from mercedes for, I just found out that mercedes has a class action lawsuit involving my c class mercedes C300 from 2010-2022 years. I was driving and ran into a pothole. My car rear started making noise and sounds. I went to the auto shop amd was told my rear subframe was damaged and would cost over 2,000. I and putting in a complaint to make sure mercedes honor this recall/ extended warranty for my vehicle.

See all problems of the 2010 Mercedes Benz C300 🔎.

Rear subframe rotted out and broke due to corrosion. Rear crossmember is broken and needs replaced. My safety as well as the safely of other was put at risk. Loss of control at high speed could have been deadly. Luckily, I wasn’t going very fast at the time of incident or else who knows what would have happened to me or bystanders. Independent service center inspected and confirmed that incident was due to corrosion in the rear. They informed me of the extended warranty (20 years, unlimited miles) on 2008-2015 C300 models for this particular issue as my safety and the safety of others was put at risk. There were some symptoms leading up to the incident. At the time of braking the car would become unstable and feel skittish in the rear. It felt as if the rear was sliding to one side. The vehicle would also make some metal clinking noises at sharper turns. The symptoms had been more frequent in the prior 2-3 months of incident. The vehicle has been inspected and diagnosed by one shop and is currently getting a second opinion from another independent service center.

See all problems of the 2012 Mercedes Benz C300 🔎.

I took my vehicle to an independent repair shop for routine maintenance and while there I was advised that the vehicle is suffering from the subframe corrosion issue. I called the manufacturer service center and they took my VIN and said I was not covered under the bulletin. The independent contractor gave me an estimate to get it repaired, however mercedes doesn’t even have the parts needed in stock as they are backed ordered nation wide. This is our only car and it now I am forced to drive an unsafe vehicle.

See all problems of the 2015 Mercedes Benz C300 🔎.

--the sunroof glass suddenly shattered without any prior warning while the vehicle was in driving on the road. Some of the broken glass pieces scattered throughout the interior of the car. --the sudden shattering of the glass roof created a hazardous situation for the driver and passengers. Although no one was injured, we were shocked and initially thought it might be an explosion or gunfire. Additionally, the tiny glass shards is very dangerous. --we have called dealer and they said there might be several similar cases reported. --the vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives, but I have called dealer and insurance company. --there were no warning lights, messages, or symptoms indicating a potential failure before the incident. The glass shattered unexpectedly and spontaneously while driving.

See all problems of the 2016 Mercedes Benz C300 🔎.

The roof panel cracked straight down the middle.

Rusted rear subframe, dime size hole discovered by mercedes technician on [xxx]. The mercedes dealer who discovered it was Mercedes Benz of fredericksburg, va. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Rear subframe , so I went in for an alignment and was quickly notified and denied service due to my rear sub frame being broken. Car is reported to be unsafe by the tire company. No lights etc. My family and I could of seriously been hurt. I can retrieve a statement from dun tire in auburn and from mercedes. They are charging me 641. 00 and I'm without a vehicle for 2wks.

See all problems of the 2011 Mercedes Benz C300 🔎.

When I scan my vehicle there are Mercedes Benz fault codes pertaining to the electrical system but also recalls that haven’t been done but when looking Mercedes Benz web site and NHTSA website these are aren’t showing up as my particular chassis being included as part of the campaign.

I had the sunroof opened and it almost blew off, if I didn’t pull over it would have. I took it to the shop and was told it is a manufacturers issue.

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).

See all problems of the 2013 Mercedes Benz C300 🔎.

The rear subframe is rusted through. It is a known manufacturing defect where water sits and rusts through the subframe. This was a recall on various mercedes up through 2014. Multiple 2015 models have the same issue, including my mercedes 2015 C300 4matic. I have a 2009 slk with the same issue, which mercedes previously fixed and acknowledged the manufacturing defect. The part number under the recall through 2014 is "212 250 3805" my 2015 car has part number "212 350 3605" that is not covered but still has rust issues. See attached picture the subframe can result in the back wheels falling off. My subframe is severely rusted through and a risk as a driver. A certified mercedes dealer has inspected this issue and confirmed the safety but mercedes will not cover the repairs for the known defect. There are no warning lights or indicators to this issue.

I believe my car was missed on the panoramic roof issue. I have been hearing a lot of wind and road noise coming into my car from the roof and now my roof is having issues completely closing. A few guys with C300 I know were recalled for the same issue and they had theirs repaired from the dealer under recall and after a few trips to different dealers they told me to try and add it here through the website.

The interior door handle of the driver's side door snapped, which does not allow the driver to open the door at all. In the event of a crash, fire, or emergency, the door can only be opened from the exterior. This is a widespread issue with this model of car, which mercedes-benz is very aware of. There are hundreds of videos and online discussions of this common saferty issue that mercedes refuses to make right. This is a risk for the safety of all drivers of these vehicles. The car has been inspected and confirmed by a mb dealer. There were no warning indications before or after this happened. Mercedes benz wants $1200 to fix this obvious defect.

On 07/15/2024, I was on my way home from running errands and proceeded to open my panoramic sunroof using the button inside of my car. When I arrived home, I pressed the button again to close the sunroof. As it began closing and went into the forward position, once it reached the top of my roof, the back of the sunroof would not go down back into place. This left the sunroof open in the venting position. On 07/16/2024, I went to rbm of atlanta where I purchased the vehicle 10/13/2023 to report and resolve the issue. The service center was rude and brushed off my concerns. They were able to manually close the sunroof as a temporary fix and informed me not to use the sunroof button, but they were unable to assist with my diagnostic or repair inquires. However, one of the service employees advised that this was a common issue that was previously recalled. I immediately contacted mbusa where I was connected to a sales rep at rbm of atlanta who also informed me that this was a common issue. Today, 07/24/2024, I went to a diagnostic appt. At rbm of alpharetta and was told by the service advisor that there had been at least 9 recalls for this issue and my sunroof has all of the defective parts that were supposed to be replaced when these recalls took place. He also informed me that I should have been advised of this issue before the vehicle was sold to me. I have attempted to resolve the issue with rbm on five different occasions to no avail. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I believe this issue puts myself and others at risk because if the entire sunroof is defective, it can detach at anytime and possibly hit and injure someone while I'm driving, which would make me liable. As stated previously, I have received confirmation that my sunroof is defective and should have been added to one of the several recalls. The last multi-point inspection was done nearly a year before I bought the car and a repair diagnosis was done today. There were no other signs.

We are having issues when braking. The backend of the car wiggles when braking hard. Shop advised that the subframe on the passenger side completely broke away and on the driver side it is very rotted. They advised this is a safety issue since the broken side could pierce the gas tank. I googled this and found that there was a warranty extension for the same year and make car (document mc-10233796-0001) spoke to the service department and they advised this did not apply to our VIN. I called the corporate number on the warranty extension letter and they advised the same. My complaint is that several other mercedes models and makes have this issues and are covered. Why isn't ours? based on images I found online it looks to be the exact failure mode. My son was supposed to drive the car 4. 5 hours on the 4th and could have gotten into an accident or been stranded. I also read that in germany they are fixing all vehicles with this issue.

The driver's side interior door handle became disengaged as I was trying to open the door so I was momentarily trapped inside. If I had been in a situation where I had been in an accident and needed to get out quickly, or the car had been on fire, or I was stalled on the train tracks, this could have been a serious incident. When I googled this, it sounds like this is a very common occurrence in mercedes. There was no warning that this was going to occur - everything seemed secure before this happened. I have taken it to a service center for a very expensive repair as they have to remove the door panel, replace/reattach the part and put the door panel back.

See all problems of the 2014 Mercedes Benz C300 🔎.

I purchased my vehicle from the Mercedes Benz dealership and received a recall letter in the mail stating that driver side deployment may occur. After receiving notice I brought the car to the dealership to get the recall repaired. I've been driving around with a false sense of security believing that this issue was repaired. However, recently, while I was driving the driver side airbag unexpectedly and abruptly deployed and injured me. This is a major safety concern and car owners should be notified and made aware that the issue can still occur after the recall was repaired. I contacted Mercedes Benz and they did not issue any additional notices to inform customers of possible recall issue reoccurring due to manufacturer defects even after the repair was made. Additionally, I believe the driver side takata airbag/inflators may have also been defective because of the injuries I incurred from the forceful explosive eruption of the airbag. Mbusa campaign number 2017120024 NHTSA recall number 17v627 recall start date January 18, 2018 recall reported date October 16, 2017 component(s) 1709p46c62 daimler ag (dag), the manufacturer of mercedes-benz vehicles, has determined that certain my12-17 c-class, e-class, e-class coupe vehicles (204, 207, 212 platform) have insufficient electrical grounding in the steering column components. In rare instances, if the steering column module is exposed to an electrostatic discharge, and if the steering column module clock spring is broken (due to wear), this could lead to an inadvertent deployment of the driver airbag. An inadvertent driver airbag deployment may cause a risk of injury to the driver and might increase the risk of a potential crash. A broken clock spring will illuminate the srs warning light as well as display a warning message in the instrument cluster. An authorized mercedes-benz dealer will install a sufficient ground to the steering column, and a protective ring to the steering column module.

Sunroof slide and shoe repair. Slides have melted due to high tempertures owner operatior did not cause issue. Opened sunroof and sunroof would not closed. Discovered melted slides inside to sunroof tracks. It was a rainy day and could not get sunroof to closed. Would have interfered with the visibility to drive due to water getting inside vehicle. Cost to repair is extremely high for this repair and when contacting repair shops they are seeing a large number of mercedes with the same problem.

The entire rear subframe of any w205 body model including but not limited to the c class from 2009-2014, cl class, sl, class etc. Suffers admittedly from mb USA, premature rust, deterioration etc. There is an active recall for these same models in canada and all of europe but not the USA. My garage kept 2009 C300 has suffered extensive rear end damage from a factory defect that mercedes refuses to recognize in the continental u. S. But will admit the same issues occurred in the eu and canada. Keeler mercedes, USA, of colonie new york, stated they completed my subframe repair under the mb rear subframe extended warranty. The vehicle was driven home and inspected only to find out keeler mercedes of NY did not replace this crucial safety component under mb-USA extended warranty issued for this defect. This is pure negligence. When asked why the subframe wasn’t replaced as the work order stated it did, they stated “a mix up in paper work” I believe mercedes-benz USA and keeler mercedes of new york conspired together to push this massive safety defect aside and lie about completing the work in fear of the payment from warranty not being worth the labor hours required by the technicians. This oversight could have been a multi million dollar lawsuit if any injury was sustained after said repairs were done in belief the vehicle was safe to drive. Keeler mercedes’ has also had this vehicle in their possession from June 14th 2024, to todays date, July 5th 2024 with no word on when repairs to subframe will be completed. Subframe replacement stated on mb website states it is an 8 hour labor job. We’re on day 18 now. Major safety issue and shady dealing by dealership.

See all problems of the 2009 Mercedes Benz C300 🔎.

Interior door handle becomes inoperative due to breaking of some internal element. This prevents leaving the vehicle. Of concern is that in case of emergency, the occupant cannot exit the vehicle. If power is affected, the windows cannot be lowered which is the only way to exit using the exterior door handle. This is a well known defect of this series of Mercedes Benz to which the manufacturer has not accepted responsibility.

I currently have a 2017 mercedes C300. The panel between the windshield and main panel of the panoramic roof (above the driver) is deteriorating and doesn’t not seem to be fully attached anymore. I had the exact same model but a year older in the past and this same part deteriorated and was subject to recall. I believe there is not only an issue with the part itself, but how mercedes has bonded these parts to the roof.

Took my car for a doorknob repair and was told the whole subframe is rotted. They told me not to drive the car on the highway. The car brakes very hard to the right and always goes right while making cranking noises. Car feels very unsafe. I paid a lot of money for this and own a 2012 C300 4matic.

The complaint is about the sunroof which has an open recall with all warning signs and risks exactly identical to my make, year and model (2016 Mercedes Benz C300). More than 15,000 vehicles have been affected by this problem and the warning signs suddenly appear with the vehicle. Mercedes benz after their investigation after several reports were filed, later found that the sunroof glass panels were installed without prior application of the primer (bonding agent) which was supposed to ensure the specified strength of the bonded joint. Nhtsa received several complaints concerning this issue where the sunroof suddenly began shaking and rattling which began with the driver noticing excessive wind noises in the area of the sunroof while driving indicating that the panel might be partially separated from the vehicle. I began noticing this on Tuesday may 28th, 2024, when my sunroof tilted open on the left side and failed to open properly. Upon closing it, I began to drive, and the wind noise and excessive rattling was immediately noticeable. It sounded like the wind was forcing open my sunroof and was almost like the wind was about to pull it out. In fear, I slowed down to about 20mph, but it was still very noticeable. I got scared and immediately pulled to the side of the freeway and parked. Then I immediately looked up the issue on google and noticed that there was an open recall for the exact same issue, for my make, model and year. It was noted that the roofs if not fixed will eventually pull out and flyaway posing a safety risk to the driver and other motorists who may crash as they try to avoid the debris or if the panel hits them. Luckily, I pulled over quicky out of fear for it felt like my sunroof was literally about to pull off by the wind. Now I am unable to drive my vehicle because of fear for my safety. Please I would appreciate if this were resolved and for my vehicle to be recalled and fixed immediately as soon as possible. Thanks.

The driver side indoor handle keeps breaking. I have repaired mine 4 times but still keep breaking. The connector attached to the handle is so fragile it cant withstand regular use. Why hasnt this been recalled by mercedes? one repair costs 1400 dollars.

This is a low mileage car with odometer reading of 25668 (less than 2000 miles per year), used sparingly and always parked in the garage. On 05/07/2024 I noticed brake fluid flowing from the left rear side of the car; on examination this seemed to come from the flexible hose that connects the brake fluid line to the brake caliper. I called my mercedes-benz (mb) dealer and arranged for further inspection and service. The technician identified that the brake fluid lines to the rear were both totally corroded and in need of immediate replacement. Since the lines were embedded behind the subframe it necissated lowering the subframe to access. Other parts were also severely corroded and required replacement. (see attached pdf of invoice) the total cost of the repair was $4,592. 93. The dealership applied a discount of $150. 00 to this for an amount due of $4,442. 93. As an engineer, I believe the material used for the brake fluid lines were unsuitable and furthermore were unprotected for the harsh environment experienced under the car, and I believe mb with all their experience in automobiles manufacturing over the years clearly should have known and forseen this fact; I do believe that mb is responsible for this premature failure of the brake lines of my car aven driven only 25,666 miles to date. I am therefore requesting NHTSA to require mb to reimburse me for the unnecessary expense of the costly repairs. It is only fortunate that this failure was identified in my garage and not on the highway. Please advise me of your resolution. Thank you.

Panel between front windshield and sun/moon roof was vibrating loose as well as the clear coat completely peeling off the piece. The car is only at 57k miles so this should not be occurring. That piece felt like it will fly off while driving. Unsafe.

Panel between windshield and sunroof is peeling off loosing the clear coat even when the car is only 40. 000 miles and is inside the garage.

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.

My wife and I were driving our 2015 c-class mercedes on a highway, traveling at roughly 55mph on 2/25/24, at approximately 2pm, conditions were sunny but windy, when suddenly we heard a loud noise above our heads. The noise sounded like it came from around our sunroof, and it sounded as if maybe the car had been hit by a piece of debris, although neither of us saw anything. We looked in our mirrors but didn't see anything, and I also tried opening and closing the sunroof and it worked fine. I also looked in my rear view mirror and didn't see any cars behind me swerve, or in any way adjust their driving. Because there was no safe shoulder on that part of the road, we continued a mile or so further up the road and then pulled over to see if we could visibly see anything wrong with the car. To our disbelief, a section of the body of the car that is just above the front windshield and just before the sunroof, a piece I believe called the "front stationary sunroof panel" , was completely missing! we were unsuccessful at finding the piece. After some research in recent days, I believe this issue is related to mb recall campaign #2021070010, 22v-954 / 2023010004/5/6. If this is however related to the recall, the mercedes dealership we took our car to on 3/1/24 told us it would cost us over $2,000. 00 to repair. As I thought about a piece of the car simply flying off while driving, I realized how much of a safety hazard this could pose to others, hence this written report.

Car has a rear subframe damage from corrosion.

I took my car for service "b" at the dealership. They told me the rear subframe is rusting and there is a hole forming already. Apparently, this is a known problem that Mercedes Benz provided warranty extension up to 20 years with unlimited mileage. However, they stopped at 2015 models. Mine was bought from the same dealership in October 2015, but it is a 2016 model, but actually has the exact same problem earlier models have and they cover with their voluntary extended warranty. I am told to replace it, it will cost at least $4600. They are refusing to cover it under warranty because I my car is at around 60,000. The car did not even reach 100k and well maintained, but has rusted frame already that can be a serious safety hazard according to Mercedes Benz associate.

Non operating. No tags . No plates.

The panoramic sunroof gets stuck on passenger side, and came off the rail on the passenger side as I was driving on the freeway.

The glass panel between the top of the windshield and the front of the glass sunroof suddenly detached from the car. I was driving on the I-5 freeway at 70mph when the panel detached without warning. By the time I had safely pulled over I could not safely walk back to see if I could find the panel. The freeway was busy, I do not know if the panel struck another vehicle. It looks like the adhesive that holds the panel on has failed.