Headlights Problems of Mercedes Benz E320

The insulation covering the electrical wiring that powers the low beam headlights on both passenger and driver sides has failed and crumbled away exposing the bare copper wire. This circuit powers two halogen 55 watt bulbs (110 watts total or ~10 amps) at 12 volts. The insulation failure will present an immediate vehicle fire hazard if the electrical protection fuse fails to actuate as a result of the short circuit created by potential bare wire contact. If the electrical protection fuse does actuate properly the car will lose forward illumination which is essential for safe vehicle operation at night. In either instance a property and personal hazard can result from this defect. This defect can be traced directly to the wire Mercedes Benz selected for the manufacture of this circuitry. Either the gauge of the wire selected is insufficient to dissipate the heat generated by the current flow the circuit demands or the insulation of the wire selected is inherently defective as evidenced by its crumbling deterioration for a component that should be expected to last the life of the vehicle. In either case this wiring failure constitutes a manufacturing defect which should be subject to recall and correction by the manufacturer at his expense. The defect was discovered while attempting to replace a failed low beam headlight bulb, a maintenance activity that can reasonably be expected to be performed a number of times during the vehicle's lifespan. The defective insulation was immediately evident by visual and tactile observation. It was immediately clear an immediate hazard was present and that the lighting could not be used rendering the vehicle unsafe to operate under condition when the lighting circuit might be operated.

See all problems of the 2006 Mercedes Benz E320 🔎.

Bought car new and love it. But last week the right low beam headlight failed. I had left and right h7 standard low beam halogen bulbs changed since the front bumper has to be removed. Later that day the new left side h7 failed. So my mechanic explained that the hella light fixture seen in mb, BMW, etc. . Commonly have premature disintegration of wiring insulation. They pulled both light fixtures, showing me the bare wires inside both fixtures. The mb wiring harness was unaffected. For the cost of about $1200 I replaced both hella headlight fixtures. I reviewed BMW and mb forums online and in both there are similar discussions about hella wire insulation failure in headlights. This is a dangerous and expensive issue. From the forums it seems that fires have occurred. It is possible that auto accidents have happened when night lighting has failed. At a minimum there have been many expensive repairs that should be part of a recall. I did not contact Mercedes Benz because this seems to be a global problem with a automotive parts supplier and not specific to mb or the e class.

See all problems of the 2007 Mercedes Benz E320 🔎.

Replaced the headlight bulbs on my car. The insulation on the 2 wires to the bulb crumbled on both the left and right when I touched the wires. Wiring is defective. This is a safety issue since the wires could touch causing the fuse to blow and cause the headlights to go out while driving at night.

See all problems of the 2004 Mercedes Benz E320 🔎.

I changed the low beam halogen bulbs in my headlights when I discovered that the wire leads to the bulb had lost nearly all of their insulation, exposing bare wire. The insulation flakes were sitting in the bottom of the capsule that contains the light assembly, which is normally closed, accessed by a removable "door". Both headlights had this same issue. This is an obvious sparking/fire danger, so I applied electrical tape over the wires. Had I not changed the bulbs [they lose brightness over the years], I would have been unaware of this danger. I am concerned that this same wire insulation has been used throughout the vehicle. I am amazed that mercedes has not issued a recall on this. I purchased this car new in 2007.

In my opinion, the NHTSA dropped the ball when they approved the hid automobile headlight system on some newer model cars. The glare these headlights produce is very disturbing and in my opinion,this standard should be revisited again by the NHTSA, and revised with new anti-glare parameters.

Electrical problems out of service 18 days, srs/airbag failures out of service 18 days, ac/defrost blower motor failures out of service 12 days, brakes out of service 9 days, transmission (idle surge/up shifting/stalling) out of service 10 days, front end/tires out of service 10 days. During the lemon law final repair attempt, the dealer wrote on work order that they had installed new brakes because they found "after market brakes" on car. The only place the car has ever been serviced was the dealership where we purchased it. We asked the service advisor and assistant service manager (first they said the brakes were thrown out and then they said the parts were shipped to mb) and wrote two certified letters to Mercedes Benz for the removed parts so we could track the serial numbers. We were ignored. The regional representative who initiated the "brake replacement" was conveniently "promoted out of the area" just before the lemon law hearing so he could not be questioned. We had been complaining about the brakes, especially the stopping distance, from the beginning and they kept saying no problem found. The dealer would not document it on the work orders.

See all problems of the 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 🔎.