general problems of the 1997 Mercedes Benz E320

* left front substrate to which the coil spring perch mounts is badly rusted and the spring is about to come off under pressure of the cars weight, thereby endangering myself and the general public. The car was towed to feldmann imports, a mercedes-benz dealer at 4901 american blvd west, bloomington , mn 55437 (952) -641-7908 and can be inspected there. * if the spring perch loosens any further, the coil spring would shoot off and likely interfere with the steering system, fuel lines and any number of other components on the vehicle, also there have been reports of the spring going out of the car under pressure and hitting other objects. * yes, my car was in for another matter at lamettry's collision center, of eden prairie, mn for a (minor dent) and (braden) of lamettry's said upon inspection of the spring perch that the car was undrivable and could not be fixed. * feldmann imports is currently looking at my car and feldmann said that I should call mercedes-benz USA which my brother-in-law walter anderson did for me and is waiting for a call back. * there were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptom's of the problem prior to the discovery by lemettry's, in fact, feldmann import's inspected my car 12 times over the years with no mention of this serious condition. Upon searching the internet and other sources I believe that it is incumbent upon the NHTSA to issue a recall on all these cars, there are several different models that use this thin wall substrate mercedes-benz has out on the road that must be endangering the lives and property of the owners and the public at large.

Left front spring cup assembly rusted and broke away from body. Resulted in dropped front end. Part replaced and area repaired.

Tl - the contact owns a 1997 Mercedes Benz E320. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the air bags deployed inadvertently emitting a yellow substance as the vehicle started to shake violently. Shortly after, the shift lever exploded and smoke started to emit from the console. The contact mentioned that after inspecting the vehicle, she noticed that the cam shaft had fractured without any warnings which caused her to lose control of the vehicle. A police report was not filed and the contact needed medical attention due to the substance from the air bag. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard and deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000. Pm.

The contact owns a 1997 Mercedes Benz E320. The contact stated while driving 20 mph, he heard a cracking noise underneath the front end. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the front driver's spring perch fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 165,000.

The contact owns a 1997 Mercedes Benz E320. While driving 40 mph, the front end of the vehicle collapsed without warning. The dealer was contacted but did not offer any assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the vehicle. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The current and failure mileages were 197,000.

Car (1997 e 320 with 90k miles) was in for routine 90k maintenance and mechanic found cracked spring perch assembly. Dealer called to tell me it must be fixed, car is unsafe to drive and that a fatal crash could result at high speeds. But told me that because car is out of warranty, they will not pay for it. Later told me they will pay for half as part of "goodwill warranty. " half??? what if there was a crash due to this? what if I had not brought it in for routine service? I was told by an unnamed source at the dealer that they see "tons of these problems with the e class, from 1996-2000 models. " he also said that there should be a recall on the affected e class. Another service manager told me that they have no idea when the other one could break. But that they would not proactively replace it before it shows signs of trouble. He basically told me that I should take the 50% goodwill warranty and shut up or they would pull the offer off the table!!! unbelievable that a company like Mercedes Benz would tolerate that kind of customer abuse from a punk service manager. I thought I would be a lifelong mercedes customer, but after this horrible customer service, I will never buy another. Too bad, because the loaner car I am driving while my repair is being done is a fantastic car (I'm in the market for a new one) and I'd buy one tomorrow if it were not for this. Instead, I will be buying a Lexus. Mercedes should be very concerned about safety with this well-documented problem instead of protecting corporate profits. Shame on you Mercedes Benz. This is bad business.

The left and right suspension springs were rusted.