Table 1 shows three common suspension related problems of the 1999 Mercedes Benz E300.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Suspension problems | |
| Front Suspension Coil Spring problems | |
| Front Suspension Lower Ball Joint problems |
1999 Mercedes Benz e-300. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle suspension collapse. The consumer stated the suspension collapsed after hitting a bump in the road. He and his wife heard a few loud thuds, a few seconds apart as some things struck the bottom of the vehicle. When the consumer removed the tire and examined the vehicle, he could see the left front spring perch was ripped loose where the spot welding was weakened by rust. He could also see that the spring, together with any related hardware, was missing. The consumer believed the sealing material was not capable of keeping water out of the spot weld area. Instead, moisture was retained in the spot weld area, allowing rust to form. The rust eventually broke the spot weld. When the spot weld failed, the spring no longer supported the vehicle and the suspension collapsed. Jb.
The front right coil spring perch failed due to rust which caused the suspension to drop to the ground on that side. The coil spring fell out and rolled down the street. I had the car towed to a welder and fixed the perch. This luckily happened on a low speed road, where I could safely pull over with a bottomed out suspension. The car was travelling strait during the incident.
My front left control arm sheared off just after pulling off the highway. Luckily, I was parking the vehicle when it ripped off. I was travelling at 65 mph minutes before complete failure. The steering did feel strange on the highway before. This even resulted in the front wheel disconnecting from the car completely. A quick examination of the suspension assembly revealed that the control arm sheared completely off at the weld of the lower ball joint. The control arm sheared while the car was in reverse, backing into a parking space. The vehicle had 129,273 miles on it when the incident occurred. 1999 mercedes-benz E300 turbodiesel.