Other Fuel System Tank Assembly problems of the 2005 Mercedes Benz E Class

Filled fuel tank , came home ,parked in garage and noticed a strong fuel smell. Fuel was leaking on floor and I have to leave it outside now.

I recently bought a used 2005 mercedes e320 with 126. 3k miles. At time of transaction, car had half a tank of fuel only. Couple days later, when I went to refuel, I filled up tank all the way to top, I drove home and as soon as I exited car, I could smell a very strong odor of gasoline inside car and inside left rear wheel well. I inspected the car and after lifting rear seat cushion, I opened the covers to gas tank to find there was a fuel leak at the fuel sending unit, driver's side, about 1-2 ounces of fuel. Today I purchased an updated new fuel sending unit from mb dealer and will need to get it installed. When tank is three quarter full or less, you don't smell the odor and no sign of leak is present. This appears to be a common problem among mercedes e-class. I've learned this thru my most recent online search. I'm so disappointed in Mercedes Benz for this poor manufacturing.

The car has a strong odor of gasoline both inside and outside of their vehicle, particularly after refueling. It appears that the gasket on the fuel tank leaks.

Couple of months back, I started to get the strong gas smell every time I fill up the gas tank. The smell stays there for 2-3 days. It's so strong that it fills up the whole garage with that foul gas smell. Sometime we can even smell it in our laundry. The entire car cabin gets full of fuel smell after I fill up the tank and my kids refuse to sit in the car. I always fill up gas at chevron and it comes with techron. I was thinking that it's the techron smell and since it used to go away in a day or two, I never worried about it much. But today when I took the car to the dealer to fix some other things, he also noticed the gas smell and told me that the left fuel sending unit on my car is leaking and needs replacement. It seems to be a very common issue with E Class cars and mb should recall or repair it for free.

I filled my gas tank and the next day I smelled gas both near my drivers side wheel well and inside the car in the rear seat area. I filled the car as I always did until click and I am sure none spilled, as I am very fussy about my car. I cannot put the car in the garage as it fills the garage with fumes. This has happened twice now upon fueling up. It never happened before. I have seen where others I know have the same type of problem with the same model mercedes.

When the strong vapor of gasoline first occurred, I promptly took my vehicle to the dealership. After examination, the vehicle required a new gasket on the fuel sending unit. This corrected the strong fuel vapor after fill-up until now. In June 2013, with approximately 73,000 miles, the strong vapor reappeared both inside and outside the vehicle. Upon inspection by Mercedes Benz coral gables, I was told the vehicle required a new fuel tank, as there is a small crack at the top of the tank. The tank was not dropped, but rather, the diagnosis was based on previous experience by the service department. An occurrence they have seen in the amg class and appearing as well with the E Class. I elected not to fix the problem as I was informed that as long as "you don't fill up all the way" it shouldn't be a problem. I subsequently called two additional mb dealers and the service writer at each business said the same thing. I want to make a formal complaint with the NHTSA so that my vehicle is logged with the many others and addressed by mercedes, as it would appear this is a defect in the design of the fuel tank or a defective part. A recall is the only solution, and if Mercedes Benz's reputation is based on "safety", then this is the only viable resolution.

Fuel tank was leaking under the back seat when fill up tank.

During the past 2-3 years, my wife and I began to notice a gasoline vapors in our closed garage immediately after our 2005 e320 had been refueled. We also noticed that after a few days driving, the gasoline vapors, diminished. More recently, it also seemed that the gasoline odor has been stronger after refueling. In addition, my wife, while driving this car, has recently begun to smell gasoline vapors from inside the car, and while driving. During a recent visit to my dealer for servicing, I asked them to look into the issue. They removed the rear seat, filled the fuel tank, and then discovered gasoline leaking and puddling around the fuel sending unit. To correct the problem, the dealer told me to either 1) replace the original fuel tank with a slightly redesigned tank, or 2) when refueling, fill the gas tank to a level less than completely full. They admitted that the existing design probably contributed to the leaking. The dealer stated also that a replacement fuel tank would cost us around $2,600 and the cost would not be covered under any vehicle warranty, including the emissions warranty. This car was purchased new in Dec 2004 and now has 75000 mi. In another 2 weeks, it will be 8 years old. My greatest concern is that the gas tank design and subsequent gasoline leakage could contribute to a vehicle fire and serious bodily injury if the vehicle were involved in a collision. This is not to minimize the impact of having to breath gasoline vapors that are inside the vehicle and while driving it. We believe there is a serious design defect, and that it should be remedied by mercedes-benz and at their cost as soon as possible. Further, for us to not ?fill-up? the fuel tank at any time, does not correct the flawed design, thus is not really an ownership option.