2001 Mercedes Benz C320

THE "MULTI FUNCTION DISPLAY" (MFD) SCREEN IN THE DASH FADES WITH INTERIOR HEAT (IN SUMMER) AND EVENTUALLY FAILS OVER TIME. THE MFD DISPLAYS ALL CRITICAL VEHICLE OPERATION INFORMATION (SUCH AS COOLANT TEMPERATURE WARNINGS, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL ACTIVATION, ETC.), AND ALL NOTIFICATION OF VEHICLE FAULT CODES THAT OCCUR. WITHOUT THE INFORMATION VISIBLE, THE OWNER CAN'T KNOW IF THERE IS A SAFETY PROBLEM. THERE ARE NO MECHANICAL GAUGES SERVING AS BACK-UP. FURTHER, THE VEHICLE ODOMETER IS ONLY VISIBLE IN THE MFD. WITHOUT AN OPERATING MFD, THE OWNER CANNOT VIEW, OR CERTIFY THE CORRECT ODOMETER MILEAGE, REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW WHEN SELLING THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER OR SUBSEQUENT OWNER. THIS IS A WELL-KNOWN FAULT ACROSS SEVERAL MERCEDES MODELS. DEALERS OFFER TO REPLACE THE MFD, AT CONSIDERABLE OWNER EXPENSE. HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE ODOMETER ISSUE, I BELIEVE THAT MERCEDES SHOULD FIX THE DISPLAY AT ZERO COST TO THE CONSUMER. *TR

MY 2001 MERCEDES-BENZ C320'S BATTERY WAS CONSTANTLY GOING BAD AND HAVING TO BE JUMPED AFTER NOT STARTING IT OR DRIVING IT FOR APPROX. 24 HOURS. FINALLY, AFTER A CERTIFIED MERCEDES MECHANIC INVESTIGATED THE PROBLEM, HE INFORMED ME THAT THE PROBLEM ORIGINATED FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT MODULE, WHICH WAS DRAINING MY BATTERY. HE INFORMED ME THAT IF I UNPLUGGED IT FOR THE TIME BEING, MY BATTERY WOULD NO LONGER DRAIN. SURE ENOUGH, AFTER UNPLUGGING THE SEAT MODULE, I NO LONGER HAD ISSUES WITH MY BATTERY DRAINING. THE SEAT MODULE CONTROLS SEAT ADJUSTMENTS AS WELL AS STEERING WHEEL ADJUSTMENTS, SO THIS IS VERY INCONVENIENT, AND UNSAFE, BECAUSE THERE ARE TIMES, WHEN I HAVE TO PLUG THE MODULE IN ADJUST MY SEAT OR STEERING WHEEL, AND IT DOES NOT WORK, AND I'M STUCK WITH THE SEATS OR STEERING WHEEL IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION. I HAVE ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH BRAKE (STOP) LIGHTS, TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS, ETC., IN WHICH THE VEHICLE INDICATOR STATES THAT PARTICULAR LIGHTS ARE MALFUNCTIONING, AND THEN AFTER AWHILE IT GOES AWAY, AND THEN DAYS LATER, THE LIGHTS ARE INOPERABLE AGAIN. I HAVE SPENT QUITE A BIT OF MONEY REPLACING BULBS. I ORIGINALLY PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN 2004 WHEN IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ C320. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND WITHOUT WARNING. ALSO, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 185,277.

POWER CONTROL SEAT & STEERING COLUMN MODULE/REGULATOR WENT OUT & BEFORE IT DID IT USE TO DRAIN THE BATTERY WHERE CAR WOULDN'T START IF SAT FOR LESS THAN 24HRS, SO HAD TO UNPLUG BUT NOW THE ENTIRE SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK PLUGGED IN. I CAN BARELY REACH THE PEDALS TO DRIVE PROPERLY, THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD & NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. IT ALSO NEEDS TO BE A WAY TO MANUALLY ADJUST. THANK YOU *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ C320. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE BUT IT WOULD NOT START. THE DEALER SENT SOMEONE TO CHARGE THE BATTERY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE ADDITIONAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT WAS DRAINING THE BATTERY. THE DEALER DISCONNECTED THE FUSE FOR THE SEAT BUT THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO ADJUST THE SEAT WHEN NEEDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

WHILE DRIVING ON A LEVEL AND STRAIGHT ROAD THE CAR AUTOMATICALLY APPLIED BRAKES AND CAME TO A COMPLETE HALT. WEATHER CONDITIONS WHERE; CLEAR VISIBILITY, ABOUT 85 DEG F, DRY ASPHALT SURFACE. ERROR CODES RESULTING FROM THIS FAULT INDICATES A FAULTY ESP YAW RATE SENSOR. THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC CODE READER SHOWED THAT THE YAW RATE SENSOR OUTPUT WAS READING ANGLE RATES FROM AS LOW AS 34 TO AS HIGH AS 300+ GRADIENTS/SEC, WHILE THE CAR WAS NOT MOVING AND PARKED AT THE SHOP. AS THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ACTIONS WHILE DRIVING THIS CAR, I THAT THE CAR SHOULD NOT OVERRULE THE DRIVER'S INPUTS AND CREATE AN UNSAFE CONDITION. THE VEHICLE SHOULD JUST INDICATE TO THE DRIVER THE EXISTENCE OF AN UNSAFE CONDITION AND DO NOT TAKE ANY ACTION UNTIL THE DRIVER ACKNOWLEDGES THIS WARNING/CAUTION. *TR

I PURCHASED THIS CAR AS A GRADUATION PRESENT FOR MY DAUGHTER. I KNOW IT'S AND OLDER MODEL, AND HAS HIGH MILEAGE, SO I EXPECTED SOME ISSUES. HOWEVER, AFTER READING SEVERAL POST ACROSS THE INTERNET IT SEEMS AS IF THE SEAT MODULE ISSUE IS A PROBLEM. EVERYTIME SHE LETS THE CAR SIT FOR MORE THAN A DAY, IT WON'T START. SHE HAS TO JUMP START THE CAR, AND THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE ACROSS THE BOARD THAT BENZ SHOULD HAVE RECALLED BY NOW. THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. THIS MORNING THE CARD ONCE AGAIN WOULD NOT START. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER AND BENZ DIRECT, BUT THEY WILL NOT RECALL THE CAR FOR THIS ISSUE, THEY JUST WANT YOU TO PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. WITH SO MANY PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WHY HAS THIS CAR NOT BEEN RECALLED??? *TR

THE TURN SIGNAL ON THE FRONT RIGHT HAS BEEN OUT SINCE ABOUT FEBRUARY. THE DEALER PARTS GUY SAID QUOTE: "CONFIRMED GROUNDING PROBLEM (A DESIGN FLAW); GROUND WIRE IS TOO LOW A GAUGE FOR MAX CURRENT THROUGH HEADLIGHT ASSY. AND OVERLOAD CAUSES SHORT (MELTDOWN - LITERALLY)". I THINK THAT WHEN A MBZ DEALERS OWN PEOPLE STATE THIS FACT, AND WHEN YOU CAN GO ONLINE AND FIND THE SAME QUOTES FROM INDIVIDUALS, OVER AGAIN, THEN THE MANUFACTURER NEEDS TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY. IT IS A SAD DAY WHEN A HUGE AUTO MANUFACTURER IS ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW. MY WIFE & KIDS ARE IN THIS CAR EVERY DAY ! STEP UP AND BE RESPONSIBLE MBZ !! *TR