Power Steering Fluid problems of the 1999 Mercedes Benz M Class

When trying to turn my vehicle from a parking lot, there was a sudden leakage of power steering fluid and the steering wheel became so hard to turn. The car was not in drivable condition and I towed it to my nearest service station. After diagnosis, power steering hose and clamp were replaced and the car is running good now. Later I found that this is a known issue in 1999 mercedes ml 320 and found recall campaign details of this issue in NHTSA website. But when I called mercedes USA to get a reimbursement for the repair cost, they are refusing to give reimbursement for a strange reason. I am still following this issue with them.

The contact owns a 1999 Mercedes Benz ml320. While driving approximately 40 mph on normal road conditions, the power steering failed without warning. Immediately, the driver exerted more effort to turn the steering wheel. There was also excessive power steering fluid leaking. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection and they discovered NHTSA campaign id number 03v121000 (steering;hydraulic power assist;hose, piping, and connections). The vehicle was repaired for the recall. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on two separate occasions for identical failures, but there were no resolutions. The vehicle is in the process of being taken to an independent mechanic for a second opinion. The failure mileage was 120,000 and current mileage was 127,000.