1995 Mercedes Benz E320

I HAVE A 1995 MERCEDES BENZ E320 WHICH WAS WELL MAINTAINED. AS I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THIS MONTH, THE CAR STARTED STALLING ON THE HIGHWAY AND I WAS LUCKY I WAS NOT HIT FROM BEHIND BY OTHER FAST MOVING CARS. AFTER REPLACING IGNITION PARTS THE CAR STILL WAS STALLING AND THEN STOPPED TOTALLY. UPON EXAMINATION, ALL THE ENGINE HARNESS WIRES WERE FOUND TO HAVE BEEN TOTALLY STRIPPED OF THEIR INSULATION INSIDE THE OUTER FABRIC COVER. THEY ALL WERE CONTACTING EACH OTHER AND IT WAS HOPLESS TO FIX SINCE ALL THE WIRES FAILED AT ONCE. SEVERAL MERECEDES BENZ DEALERS KNEW OF THIS PROBLEM AND IT WAS COMMON KNOWLEDGE TO THEM. HOWEVER, MERECEDES BENZ SEEMS TO THINK THIS PROBLEM IS NOT OF THEIR CONCERN AND CONTACTING THEM RESULTS IN REFUSAL TO REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS AS CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. THIS IS A DEFECT THAT COULD INJURE BY ACCIDENT OR START A FIRE AND NOT A WARRANTY PROBLEM. MERCEDES-BENZ NEEDS TO RECALL THESE CARS AND REPLACE THE ENGINE HARNESS BEFORE SOMEONE IS UNLUCKY AND BECOMES INJURED.

INITIAL PROBLEM STARTED IN LATE OCTOBER 2005. INTERMITTENT MISFIRING OF CYLINDERS, HESITANT. SEVERAL TRIPS INTO SHOP RESULTED IN "COULD NOT REPLICATE TROUBLE". FINALLY SENT IN WITH SEVERE MISFIRING. REPLACED COIL, SOME IGNITION WIRES, SPARK PLUGS. A FEW DAYS LATER, SAME SYMPTOMS HAPPENED. AFTER MORE DIAGNOSIS, DETERMINED ENGINE WIRING HARNESS HAD FAILED. INSULATION HAD COMPLETELY DISINTEGRATED ALLOWING WIRES TO TOUCH. POTENTIAL FOR MORE SEVERE DAMAGE TO VEHICLE COMPUTERS, ACCIDENT OR WORST, FIRE. LOCAL MB SHOP INDICATED IT WAS "NOT A MAJOR PROBLEM", "SHOULD EXPECT IT WITH 10 YEAR OLD CAR". ITEM WAS IN STOCK FOR $975.00 (SO I ASSUME IT DOES HAPPEN FREQUENTLY), WITH LABOR OF 8 HOURS @$119.00. I DID NOT FEEL THIS SHOULD HAPPEN ON A 10 YEAR OLD CAR, NOT TO MENTION A FORMER "CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED" VEHICLE. AFTER RESEARCHING INTERNET, FOUND OVER 36 PAGES WORTH OF NHTSA MANUFACTURERS COMPLAINTS, REGARDING SIMILAR TROUBLE WITH THE WIRING HARNESS. TOTAL SPENT TO REPAIR = $2313.43. WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF MERCEDES BENZ. *NM

THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS AND EA/CC/ISC(PART M16/1,ELECTRONIC ACCELERATOR/CRUISE CONTROL/IDLE SPEED CONTROL) WIRING INSULATION HAS BADLY DETERIORATED ON MY 1995 E320 CABRIOLET DUE TO HEAT FATIGUE FROM POOR MANUFACTURING. THIS CAR HAS 92000 MILES. THE DECAY HAS REACHED THE POINT OF LEAVING BARE EXPOSED WIRE WITHIN THE HARNESS. THESE WIRES MAKE CONTACT CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL, SURGE AND SET MISC. ENGINE CODES. IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL...WHO KNOWS. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM TO OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES AS EVIDENCED BY CONVERSATION THREADS ON SEVERAL WELL REGARDED FORUMS. THE GENERAL UNDERSTANDING IS THAT MERCEDES WAS ATTEMPTING TO CREATE ECO-FRIENDLY WIRE INSULATION THAT WOULD DEGRADE IN THE LANDFILL. IT WAS A GREAT IDEA, BUT HAS FAILED MISERABLY. IN MY OPINION SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE SERIOUSLY INJURED IF THIS PROBLEM IS NOT RESOLVED WITH A RECALL. NOW. THIS IS NOT BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION A PART THAT IS PRONE TO FAILURE. MY FEELING IS THAT BY WAITING IT OUT MERCEDES IS HOPING THESE CARS WILL JUST GO AWAY. IF YOU WOULD LIKE I CAN PROVIDE DIGITAL IMAGES OF THE HARNESS CLEARLY SHOWING THE DECAY. QUITE FRANKLY IT IS OUTRAGEOUS. I ALSO DO HAVE A BAD HARNESS THAT I KEPT. I HESITATE TO SEND IT AS I MAY BE FORCED TO TRY AND RECONDITION IT SOMEHOW. THE COST OF A NEW HARNESS IS RIDICULOUS NOT TO MENTION I WOULD END UP WITH A HARNESS THAT WILL DO THE SAME THING UNLESS THEY HAVE CHANGED THERE WAYS FOR THIS PART! HERE ARE THE FORUMS I MENTIONED ABOVE. HTTP://WWW.MERCEDESSHOP.COM/SHOPFORUM HTTP://WWW.BENZWORLD.ORG/FORUMS HTTP://FORUMS.MBWORLD.ORG/FORUM. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT A COMPANY KNOWN FOR A HIGH QUALITY LONG LASTING PRODUCT WOULD DUCK OUT OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS ISSUE. *NM

MY 1995 MERCEDES WAGON E320 HAS ONLY 42K MILES ON IT BUT ALL THE WIRES AKA THE ENGINE HARNESS ARE CRUMBLING TO THE TOUCH. ALL THE WIRE INSULATION HAS DETERIORATED BECAUSE OF THE USE OF BIO-GRADABLE PLASTIC. THE DEALER WANTS ME TO PAY $1500 FOR THE ENGINE HARNESS. HOW CAN SUCH A MAJOR PART BE SO POORLY MADE AND UNRELIABLE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE FOR MY FAMILY. *JB

THE INSULATION THAT PROTECTS THE WIRES IN THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS OF 1995 MERCEDES E320 VEHICLES DETERIORATES AND CAUSES THE WIRES TO SHORT. THIS ELECTRICAL SHORT MAY RESULT IN UNEXPECTED ENGINE STALLING, THUS CREATING A HAZARDOUS CONDITION. THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS MUST BE REPLACED. THIS CONDITION EXISTS IN ALL 1995 E320 VEHICLES SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES. THE CONDITION EXISTS IN OTHER YEARS AND MODELS BY MERCEDES, HOWEVER I DO NOT HAVE SPECIFIC INFORMATION CONCERNING THE AFFECTED YEARS AND MODELS. *NM

WHEN I HAD MY 60,000 MILE SERVICE I WAS TOLD THE THE WIRING HARNESS WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT 1500.00 DOLLARS. MERCEDES WOULD NOT PAY ANY PART OF THIS REPAIR EVEN THOUGHT THE DEALER INDICATED THAT IT WAS A OBVIOUS DESIGN PROBLEM IN THE WIRING HARNESS OF THE E320 SERIES AND HAD BEEN FIXED IN LATER MODELS. MY PROBLEM WAS THAT THE HARNESS WIRES LEADING TO THE SPARK PLUGS HAS HARDENED AND THE INSULATION HAS FLAKED OFF OF THE WIRES. GOD ONLY KNOWS WHERE THE HARNESS HAS HARDENED ELSEWHERE AND WHAT POTENTIAL PROBLEMS COULD OCCUR WHEN THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN. I THINK THAT SINCE IT HAS BEEN OMITTED AS A DEFECT AND IS NOW CAUSING SAFETY AND RELIABILITY PROBLEMS THAT THE MANUFACTURE SHOULD STEP UP AND REPAIR THE PROBLEMS. *AK