general problems of the 2001 Mercedes Benz E320

Engine caught on fire while vehicle was idling in park in the driveway. Completely destroyed the vehicle in 10-15 minutes. Fire started under the hood. I believe that there was an electrical problem that induced the fire but unable to be sure. Photos are available if needed. The car was in good maintenance, no engine work had been done recently. Last repair was a transmission fluid replacement after repairing a transmission fluid leak in early December 2018.

Ignition and key defects causes car to stop running and stall. Steering wheel locks while car is in motion.

The passenger side front low beam headlamp stopped working. We changed the light bulb, but that did not correct the problem. We noted that the socket for the passenger side low beam appeared burnt. We took it to a mechanic who rewired the right front low beam light socket and wire harness. After this initial problem, the driver side high beam headlamp stopped working. We replaced the lamp bulb. We noted that the driver side high beam headlamp socket appeared burnt. We did not replace the driver side high beam headlamp socket. So it does not work. After the above two problems, the driver side rear brake, tail, and parking lamp stopped working. We changed the lamp bulb, but that did not correct the problem. The driver side rear brake, tail, and parking lamp socket did not appear burnt. Instead the lamp was lose and could not be tightened. We used black electric tape to hold the lamp in place, which has worked. However, we must periodically re-tape.

When ithe brakes were applied to slow down the car water from a cup in the cupholder directly above the center console where the gear shifter is located spilled and seeped down into an electricial circuit board that was located beneath the cup holder. The car came to an abrupt stop and was inoperable. The circuit board short circuited. This was the second time this occurred where liquid was spilled and seeped into the circuit board. I suspect that the location iof the circuit would be the same for several model years and is a design flaw in that it makes no sense to locate a circuit board in a place where liquid is likely to be spilled and can cause a short circuit that renders the vehicle inoperable. This is very dangerous as it left the car inoperable in the middle of a 3 lane highway. The driver and passangers were exposed to the possibilty of the car being struck by another vehicle on the highway or struck by a vehicle trying to leave the vehicle and seek safety on the side of the hihway.