Other Fuel System Tank Assembly problems of the 2004 Mercedes Benz E55

Very strong fuel odor when half tank or more of gas. Cannot park in garage or will smell entire garage with fuel odor. Also had this problem with my previous car which was a 2004 mercedes e500.

Every time I fill the gas tank. It starts smelling like gas inside the vehicle specially in the rear. And even when you approach the car from behind you can smell the gas odor. If I can be helped here with this situation. I don't feel safe driving my car with a full tank.

Smells of fuel both inside and outside of the car when the car is 3/4 or full tank. . (fuel tank sending unit).

I bought this car from pure motors in sacramento CA. With a empty fuel tank. I took to a gas station less than a quarter mile from the dealer. I filled it up and my wife drove it home about 15 miles away from the dealership. She pulled up in the driveway and told me how bad the gas oder was and that she had to put the window down to keep from passing out. I immediately called Mercedes Benz roadside assistance. They sent a tow truck out and took it to the Mercedes Benz dealership in rocklin. Ca. After the dealer look at the car they told me I needed a new gas tank. They said it was on back order and would take a week to get one. That was 02/25/2015, it's now 05/06/2015. No word from mercedes as to when they will get it. I received a email letter from an attorney that Mercedes Benz USA llc would cover the issue but all I get from them are wasted words, the run around. The letter from mb USA llc was signed by ralph s. Fisher the general manager of the customer assistance center.

I have a 2004 Mercedes Benz E55 amg ,im the second orner of the car bought it on December 2012 with with ododmeter reading 118,000 during that time. I hardly used this vehicle because I have couple of daily driver car. Couple of month ago I smells a strong gas smell inside the car and engine check was on. Iwent ot my mechanic to check it and he cannot find where si it coming from. So I took home my car and didnt drive it for awhile. I only use it occasionally and until the smells is no longer coming. Yesterday , November 22,2014 , iused the car for work and everything seems normal. On my way home I went to fill up the gas full tank ,when I look at thwe other side of my car ,from driver side rear passenger area ,I saw a pool of gas coming form that area underneath the passenger rear seat area but coming from the metal lid of the car. Its kind of strong and the gasoline guy need to apply some chemicals on the surface of the tank where park my car during fill ups. Its kind of strong dripped and I decided to tow it to my mechanic on midnight. I do not want to drive it home because it might catch fire because its near the exhaust under the passenger rear seat. I went online while waiting for the towing truck and realized that there is a similar cases like this on this model,there is a recall for this car and im not sure if the original owner experience this before. What kind of assistance I can get from your agency to make sure this issue is taking care of. Its not very safe for me to use this car with this conditions and im sure Mercedes Benz will do charge arm and legs for this faulty design for this model year. Please let me know how to handle this problem and how can I get this fix through recall issues that NHTSA has issued for this model. Looking forward to hear from your agency . Thank you.

A strong smell of gas was in the car. Took to dealer and they had to replace tanks and emitters. Gas had gotten in the seats as well and they had to be replaced. The smell was so strong that it made me and wife sick.

A few weeks after purchasing a 2004 Mercedes Benz E55 I noticed an occasional fuel smell from outside the vehicle while parked in the garage. Over the past year it has progressively gotten worse, fuel appears to be pooling on top of the fuel tank directly under the drivers side rear seat where there is an access panel. I have removed the panel and noticed the fuel on top of the tank. Looking under the vehicle I can see where fuel has been running off the bottom of the tank onto the ground right next to the exhaust system. This is a major safety concern of mine and I am afraid to drive the vehicle. Mercedes wants thousands of dollars to replace the fuel tank and this is unacceptable to me. This is a very dangerous situation as well as nauseating to drive the car.

I filled the car with fuel and drove it home and parked it in the garage. The next morning when I went into the garage there was a very strong odor of gasoline fumes. The fumes were not in the passenger compartment, but rather, outside the car. After driving the car for a while and using about 1/8th tank of gasoline, the odor was no longer present. The repair shop has determine that the fuel sending unit must be replaced. I think mercedes did a recall for this problem earlier.

Started smelling fuel had 1/2 tank and thought something was wrong so I stopped to fill tank. Smell was so strong after tank was full I couldnt breathe and didnt leave station for over an hour. I thought car might explode. I finally found issue cause on a forum bad fuel senders. I cant believe mercedes told me its not covered under emission warranty. Im thinking of suing them because I know that the emissions warranty is not expired.

Filled gas tank late in the evening, and returned home. Car sat overnight and had strong smell of gasoline in morning. Opened all doors, looked underneath car and found no fuel leak. Aired the car for several minutes and then drove to work. During the one hour drive, the smell began to get worse. I opened windows partially, but could not open wide due to rain. I developed a headache before arrival. Left car parked at work all day in underground garage. The odor was again strong in the evening. I aired the interior as much as possible before driving home. Again, after nearly one hour, I developed a headache and felt squeamish inside the car. I was able to stop and get out of the vehicle for about 15 minutes to regain all senses so that I could safely drive home. The car now sits in my garage with the back seat removed trying to get the smell of gas out of the vehicle. I have now read many other similar complaints from others with same model vehicle. I realize there are not tens of thousands of these vehicles on the road; I am sure that if there were more vehicles with this problem there would be several severe accidents. I try to take good care of my vehicles and this problem appears to be the fault of the manufacturer or parts supplier. This problem should not happen and it is dangerous.

Im writing in reference to the NHTSA action # pe12001. I bought my vehicle on the 23 of December 2012. I can honestly say I fell in love with this car. With that being said I have never filled the fuel tank of this car until 6-9-2013. The reason being I have a 1998 Ford f150 that I drive as well. I mostly drive the E55 on weekends but its in and around my neighborhood. My father jus came back from the philippines a couple days ago so he needs my truck to get around while he's visiting. So yesterday I found I needed to drive the E55 daily while my father's in town so I filled up the tank to the car. I put in shell 91 and waited for the pump to stop. Once stopped I removed fueler and inserted into its holster. Note I did not top off for I never felt the need to in any car I have driven. I proceeded straight home and parked car in my garage, closed the garage door and went in the house. The E55 was in there for the rest of the day and night. And then this morning as I went into garage to go to work I was jus taken back by the fuel smell in the entire garage. So I opened the garage to air out and checked under the car for a puddle of fuel but found nothing. The smell is much stronger near the rear of the car. I drove off even with the windows down to jus rid the smell as it entered the cabin as I stepped in the car too. No problems driving to work but as I parked in reverse I can smell fuel as the wind kicked it towards my window. I parked and got out and smelled around the back and still smelled fuel. So as im worried throughout the day at work I went into my benzworld forum and found alot of the same complaints as me especially on the w211's. So as I read on the more worried I got because my kids ride in this car and I dont want them around it anymore especially with this problem goin on. Please help us with this problem.

Gas smell in car so went to shop for inspection. Found gas tank would not hold vacuum and that it was leaking with gas pooling around tank below rear seat. I understand there may be a class action suit regarding this issue and would like to find out how to recover the over $4000 in expenses to repair my gas tank. A gas tank should not leak and need replacing.

I have a very strong fuel smell when I fill my gas tank past 1/2 a tank. I also notice when I visit the gas station and add fuel I will sometimes get a stumble and loss of power, almost like the engine wants to shut off. It is very concerning to me as I feel the fuel smell can be dangerous and possibly catch fire. I also think that there might be a related concern of once in awhile the car will not start, like if it is out of gas.

This car has the fuel tanks replaced in the past under warranty and now, when you fill the tank up, it leaks and the interior is overcome with gas fumes. The car is virtually undrivable due to the fumes. Upon removing the back seats, there appears to be standing fuel at the fuel sending units for each of the two tanks along with cracks in the plastic on the units. After letting the car sit with the windows open and baking soda in the back seat area for a week, I have been able to resume driving the vehicle although the fuel smell is still noticeable. The only resolution that I could find for this, outside of replacing the tanks again (mercedes has clearly stated they will not cover this as the car is out of warranty) is to fill the car up with only 3/4 tank of gas, being careful to never fill the tank completely. This appears to be a manufacturers defect and a serious safety issue that must be addressed. Due to the high cost of new tanks/sending units, I am not in a position to replace them with what may end up being yet another defective part from Mercedes Benz. The proposed resolution would be for mercedes to replace these parts with components that is re-designed and will not fail with the frequency of the current oem parts.

Please reference the NHTSA action# pe12001. I filled the tank until the pump shut off automatically and did not add any additional fuel beyond that. I parked the car in home garage and waited for 10 minutes there is strong gasoline smell filled in the garage. Checking around the vehicle no visible leak underneath. The interior had a strong fuel smell on the back seats. I am a house wife, taking my one year old baby with this vehicle every day. I am not comfortable for my baby seating with strong fuel smell on the back seats. However, I went back to the Mercedes Benz dealer, they can't do anything about it.

I walked in my garage and smelt a bad fuel smell coming from my car. After review, I determined it was my fuel sending unit that was leaking from the top and fuel was rolling down the outside of the gas tank. After looking online to see if others with the same vehicle have had this problem and to my findings, this is a normal thing that happens with these vehicles. I know this is not safe for the environment, so I thought I should file this complaint. They should take better precautions for this not to happen. Now we are stuck having to pay a lot of money to get this replaced or fixed, when this is not a normal wear and tear item on the car. I believe they should have a recall on this item, because it is unsafe and hazardous.

There is a strong fuel odor inside and outside the car after fueling. The odor will last until the fuel gauge gets below the full level. The dealer said it was a known issue but no recall has been ordered yet. They told me it would be a $2000 repair to replace the fuel tank and both fuel senders. I have no choice but to wait for a recall to fix this issue caused by a violation of safety and epa laws.

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Mercedes Benz E55. The contact stated that while traveling 25 mph the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also mentioned that fuel fumes were emitted inside of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer diagnose that the fuel tank needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 50,200 and the current mileage was 51,000. Pmb.

Fuel sender leaking. Filled gas tank, drove on freeway for approx 120 miles. Arrived at destination to find that the rear seat cushion is warm to the touch - lifted up rear seat foam cushion, found that the metal underneath is too hot to touch with bare hands. Removed access cover to fuel sender, found fuel leakage.

Check engine light remains on. Potent fuel smell present when gas tank filled above 3/4. Fumes are noxious and present inside the vehicle. Burning plastic-like scent also frequent even when tank not filled above 3/4. Vehicle may vibrate or hesitate while moving, may jerk unexpectedly forward when stopped even with brakes fully applied. Any leaking fuel a potential fire hazard due to sparking or friction common in moving vehicles.

When I fill the gas tank with fuel ( 91 octane gas), there is a strong odor of said gasoline. When I park it in my closed garage, the smell is strong enough that I'm afraid a spark from the water heater, or even the electric motor that opens the garage could trigger an explosion. Simply opening the door that leads from the garage to the house, fills much of the in house area with the smell of gasoline. Driving is also a concern, due to the fact that I don't know where the gas is leaking from, (other than somewhere on the gas tank) or if it could drip on a hot part or come in contact with an electrical component. Once the fuel tank is below 2/3, the odor drops significantly. Note: I had this same problem when the car was one year old and, after 5 tries by the dealer, was finally diagnosed and fixed under warranty.

Everytime I fill my car with gas there is a strong fuel smell in the car. I took the back seat out and there is a pool of fuel there as well as under the car. I don't ever fill my car up more than 3/4 a tank otherwise the fuel leaks into the cabin and gives me a strong odor. Please help!!!.

Nhtsa action number: pe12001 bought the vehicle used 05/2012 with 95,000 miles. The vehicle has a strong odor of gasoline from rear seat area, strong odor of gasoline from under the vehicle, also if left overnight in closed garage (with fuel tank full), garage smells of gas. I have removed the metal fuel sender access cover under the rear seat and found a pool of gas, approx 20z around the electrical connector (have photos of this).

My car has had a recall once for gas smell and puddle under car when parked over night. Took it back to mercedes for same issue they smelled the overwhelming gas smell in the car and told me that the recall was already done and I would have to pay to replace the same parts again. This is very dangerous and I see that complaint number pe12001 has been filed so I'm not the only I e with this issue. I can't put more than one half tank of gas in my car or the [xxx] smell kills me. Also it leake gas and leaves a puddle where the car is parked. Coming from tank under back seat. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Leak from the fuel sending unit. This is a very common issue with this car with many complaints to the NHTSA. Mercedes wants close to $2000 for repair this is a factory defect including fuel tank and sending units. As my children's car seat is above this gas leak, this poses a very dangerous situation.

Reference NHTSA action number for multiple complaints on same issue pe12001 anytime the vehicle is filled over 3/4 of a tank of fuel, a very strong fuel odor is present inside of the car, outside of the car, and fuel puddles around the fuel sending unit under the rear seat. Sometimes the smell is so strong, that my family and I fear that the vehicle is no longer safe to drive due to the strong fumes of gas inside of the vehicle which I am sure is a serious fire hazard and accident waiting to happen. . Read more...