Mercedes Benz E550 owners have reported 10 electrical system related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common electrical system problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's electrical system (10 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electrical System 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 manufacturer refuses to provide me with the main fuse box chart.
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.
The issue with the vehicle's electrical causing power to the starter to stay on even after the vehicle is in the park and turned off, the starter's solenoid and other electrical parts burn, its a serious fire hazard and needs to be addressed immediately.
My car has this issue that when I am slowing down it will automatically shift to park and will not let me shift to drive until I turn the car off and on. When rolling to a stop, I've had a few instances where the car shifts to park and the car behind me almost hits me due to the car shifting on its own and not allowing me to proceed with the flow of traffic. This puts not only me, but the person behind me at risk. I took the car to a mechanic and he stated that there was no recall for this issue but that I should contact you (NHTSA). The mechanic stated that the component that might be failing is the electrical ignition switch, basically telling the car that there is no key in the ignition. There are no warning lights or any other indication. This has happened to me a multiple times. When this happens, since I am not at a complete stop, it shifts to park and grinds my transmission. This causes the car to abruptly stop without having my foot on the brake to warn the drivers behind me.
I was driving in the dallas area at highway speed (approx 70mph) during rush-hour traffic when a crackling sound presented in the dashboard area from what appeared to be the sound system (harmon kardon surround system). This was immediately followed by the unmistakable smell of burning plastic or something similar. Smoke coming from the center speaker in the dashboard followed subjecting car occupants to potentially hazardous smoke and chemicals resulting from the fire. All signs suggested an electrical fire which was alarming considering this occurred at highway speed. Turning off the sound system did not stop the issue. My safety and that of others on the highway were put at risk because a fire of unknown origin occurred while driving at highway speeds. No accident occurred. Further exploration of the issue from a safe area off of the highway confirmed the following: 1) possible electrical fire emanating from the center speaker of the dashboard 2) center speaker was damaged and appeared melted 3) the only way to stop the fire was to remove the fuse powering the sound amplifier which allowed the car to be driven to the local Mercedes Benz dealer/repair center the car was inspected by the local Mercedes Benz dealer who confirmed: 1) the center speaker was damaged and not repairable 2) the cause of the problem was a "shorted" and otherwise faulty amplifier. 3) the cost to replace the speaker estimated over $400 4) the cost to replace the amplifier estimated over $2700 there are no safety recalls on this particular issue. However, an investigation of the matter on NHTSA and Mercedes Benz user groups has identified numerous occurrences of a similar nature in the 2014 "e" class vehicles. The amplifier, which was confirmed to be the cause of the fire, would appear to have a documentable and reproduceable fault which: 1) presents a safety hazard to owners/drivers of the vehicle, 2) puts other drivers as risk drivers, 3) subjects vehicle occupants to hazardous fumes.
The contact owns a 2017 mercedes-benz E550. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number 21v058000 (communication, electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The vehicle slams itself into park when moving under 5mph. This mostly occurs when temperatures are above about 75-80 degrees fahrenheit.
The contact owns a 2012 mercedes-benz E550. While attempting to put on the driver's side seat belt, the seat belt fractured. There were also electrical failures in the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat belt would have to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,500. The VIN was not available.