Table 1 shows one common steering related problems of the 2012 Mercedes Benz E550.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Steering problems |
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes Benz E550. The contact stated while occupying the vehicle while the vehicle was parked, the ignition switch failed to detect the key fob. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the electric steering rack had failed and needed to be replaced or reprogrammed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the vehicle, but no assistance was provided. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 69,000.
The electronic steering lock (esl) will fail and cause the vehicle to become disabled. The failure of this part will leave the owner strained and unable to use any functions of the car. You can’t even put the vehicle into neutral to move the vehicle. Everything is locked. There have been numerous reports of this failure on various Mercedes Benz forums on the web. Also, many videos outlining this problem on youtube. Yes, the problem has been reproduced by an independent repair facility. Mercedes benz is aware of this problem regarding the esl part. I believe they even published a TSB regarding the failure of this part. The car did not display any warning lamps or messages. The car is just dead! it’s very scary getting into your car and it doesn’t start when you turn the key. All other systems checked out on the car I. E. Battery, voltage, fuses, sensors etc. Once that esl stops working your car becomes a static display.
My car will not start and I get a message stating "remove key from ignition" every time I insert the key to try to start the car. It appears that the esl has failed. I have visited several mb forums and it appears that this is a common issue, regardless of car mileage. This is a factory defect that really needs to be recalled and fixed.
I was backing the car when the steering became stiff and a message stating �power steering malfunction see owners manual� appeared. I turned the car off and restarted an hour later and the same message appeared. Steering was very difficult. Thankfully, it didn't happen at a high speed or turning.