Table 1 shows three common structure related problems of the 1999 Mercedes Benz E430.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Frame And Members problems | |
| Structure problems | |
| Dashboard Crack problems |
This is in regards to 1999 Mercedes Benz E430 concerning front spring perches. Date this incident occurred 9/22/2009. Failure to the passenger front spring perch resulting in the spring to dislocate. Fortunately, this did not occur at driving speed rather occurred in a parking lot. However, this is not the first incident unfortunately the second incident within 5 years. The first incident occurred while driving. The driver side front spring perch dislocated and the spring ejected onto the freeway and the front end dropped to the wheel. No injuries or casualties occurred. The driver side perch was repaired and a visual inspection was perform on the passenger side and no apparent damage was noted, however, now this incident happened. I believe this is a safety concern. I believe a 10 year old vehicle manufactured by a prestige automobile company should not fail in such circumstances.
The passenger side airbag developed cracks all around and separated from the frame. This also occurred at the right hand side of the dashboard near the speaker. I am worried that the airbag will deploy unexpectedly and will create a life safety issue. I wrote several times to the mecedes-bens headquarters and not only did they deny this massive material and workmanship defect but they refused to investigate or propose a corrective measure. I am planing to take this to the media and court. This is a $55,000 four-year-old luxury car and is not expected to have cheap and defective materials.
Passenger side airbag has developed cracks in the dash board that separate the air bag from the occupants. I feel the air bag may not fire properly since the dash board is cracked all the way through on 1/2 of the total area that surrounds the airbag. I brought the car to my local dealership but they did not do anything and really did not care. I also tried to reach the area dsm for mercedes but the local service manager would never patch me through. The cracks have developed through the dash board decomposing unusually quickly for a car that is a 1999 model. I have never seen a dashboard crack this badly on anything other than a 10+ year old car. I have spoken to many people that have this same problem on their mercedes E430's and have attempted to get mercedes to do something about the problem but mercedes has not even attempted to act to fix the problems. I am out of ways to get the attention of mercedes and am forced to file this complaint to the NHTSA.