Ten problems related to other fuel system tank filling/charging have been reported for the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
In 2015 we started to notice the smell of gasoline following filling the tank with gas. The smell of gasoline is so strong that we had to open our garage doors to vent the fumes. No gasoline was spilled during refueling. There is no visible gas leak on the garage floor. The vehicle is a 2005 mercedes-benz E320 with only 44,000 miles. After researching this problem we discovered numerous other owners of this model mercedes have experienced the same problem. Mercedes has no recall for this fuel fume defect and any repair is not within the original warranty period. Nhtsa action #ea13003 summary test & analysis by mercedes-benz shows no risks of fire or passenger safety. This is bs as fuel fumes within an enclosed area, such as a garage where a natural gas hot water tank exists, could cause a fire. Nhtsa needs to require mercedes-benz to recall the vehicles affected by this defect.
When filling up the gas tank I sell gas and odor fills up the garage. The smell usually goes aways when the car has been driven and gas tank is not full. This week I filled the gas the tank up and gas was leaking and could not park it in the garage.
For the past 2 years I have been smelling a strong gas smell coming from the car/garage after filling it up. I had been putting it off as no big deal, but today my whole house smelled like gas after I filled the tank last night and parked the car in the garage. We had to clear the house thinking we had some gas leak before I realized it was coming from the car. I have read that is is a common problem in this car and an investigation was started last year. This seems to be a very hazardous situation as I assume it could lead to a fire or explosion. I'm afraid to go to the dealer cause I know they will probably say to replace the tank or sensor or both, all which could lead into a several thousand dollar repair. But because I am seeing that many people are having this same problem with this car and an investigation is going on, there must be something I can do to get this fixed before something bad happens. This is clearly a manufacturer problem. Please help.
At some point after owning the vehicle, I noticed a strong gas smell coming from inside and outside my car. It was so strong that it permeated the rooms of my home closest to the garage where I park my car. I later realized the strong smell occurred after filling up my tank, and diminished significantly after the tank reached about half full. Since the fumes are greatest when my tank is more than half full, I live with filling it half way or less. When I happen to forget and fill the tank to capacity, I have to park the car outside my garage, and drive with the windows open. The fumes inside the car are unbearable, and I am concerned for my health and the health of my son. Several months ago, I asked a Mercedes Benz dealership if there was anything they could do. I never heard back. I called again a few days ago. I told them the issue, and asked what the possible problems could be, and what the approximate repair cost will be. I was told they've seen a couple of problems that cause the fuel smell: a leak in some part of the fuel system (can't remember exactly what); and, the gas tank itself. Depending on the cause, the repair could run anywhere from $600+ to $2500. Note: date of incident and vehicle mileage are approximations. I've been living with this awhile. I just can't remember how long.
The car has a strong gasoline smell both in the passenger compartment as well as outside the car after filling the gas tank. This smell persists for several days, until the tank gets to below 3/4 full, at which time the fuel smell goes away. The strong fuel smell returns when the tank is again refilled to full capacity. The seals around the fuel pump and sending unit at the top of the tank were replaced twice with factory mercedes-benz parts by a qualified mechanic, and this has not stopped the problem. There appears to be a leak in the gas tank or other fuel system comonent. The mechanic inspected the fuel sending unit and did not see any fuel leaks at that point, leaving me to suspect a leaking gas tank.
1. Fueling the vehicle- after fueling the vehicle and filling up the tank, a very very strong odor of gasoline/fumes stays in the cabin of the vehicle days or until gas tank drops down to under half a tank. 2. Fumes are so strong, causes occupants headaches and nausea 3. Vehicle stopped on idle- when coming to a complete stop, vehicle begins to choke, as if its about to turn off. Need to put the car on neutral and press the accelerator to stop the car from choking. 4. Turning- when making turns- the vehicle will randomly choke as if not receiving any gas, and as if its about to turn off. The power steering also goes inactive, leaving it almost impossible to make the turn. This is very dangerous especially on left hand turns at intersections. I have stopped turning in front of oncoming vehicles because I do not trust the vehicles response. I cannot predict when these episodes of non-response to acceleration will occur.
After filling the gas tank, I noticed a strong odor after I got home and got out of car. After further inspection I noticed puddle of gas on drivers side of car just in front of rear tire. This happens every time now when I fill up the gas tank. My short term resolution until this can be fixed is to not fill up gas tank all the way.
Every time the car is filled up with gas, there is a very strong gas smell inside and outside of the vehicle. Removed the back seat and the plate that covers the fuel sending unit and gas puddles up around the seal of the sending unit. Had seal replaced, but that only helped for about a month. It only does this when tank is full (probably due to the pressure in the tank). This problem seems to be getting worse and I try to avoid filling tank completely, but sometimes it's hard to tell when it's getting close to full. The problem only seems to occur on the driver's side of the car, even though there is also a sending unit on the passenger side.
In 2009 we started to notice the smell of gasoline coming into the passenger compartment and strongly from the left read wheel well following filling the tank with gas. At times the smell of gasoline would be so strong that the vehicle had to be parked outside of the garage and left open to vent the interior. In all, this vehicle has been serviced for this issue with the fuel sending seals or the fuel sending unit 9 times. All instances, save one, were reported by the dealer to be the seals as the culprit. I have all of my service documentation on these service events. Recently, as a result of a "check engine" light, my mechanic found again that the seal was leaking. On this occasion he reported fuel pooled on the top of the tank and evidence that fuel had been spilling around and down the tank.
After filling the gas tank to full there are gas fumes in the air around the car. Therefore we do not fill to full. We just saw news article about fuel tank problems with mb.