Mercedes-benz C220 1995

No recalls could be found for this vehicle. To ensure accuracy and for your safety, do a free VIN recall check here or here [USA] - UK - Canada.

Bulletins are notices put out by manufacturers in conjunction with the NHTSA to notify the public of manufacturing issues or changes.

Common OBD Error codes specific to this vehicle.

• C1401 [1] Traction Control Valve RF Circuit Open

My vehicle shuts off at start up and also during driving in motion. This happens at various times during the day while stationary, on a city street, or turning while the car is in motion. My mechanic says the engine wiring harness needs to be completely replaced. I've owned this mercedes for years and have had this problem. I didn't realize how serious this problem was until i spoke with my mechanic recently.

High voltage wiring harness sheathing gone. Car will not start. In garage found the defective harness.

I started my car and began driving home from work. I was going about 55 mph when the car suddenly began to shut down; like the power was suddenly turned off. Then, like a child flipping the lights on and off, the car began to jerk forward and back as the power and engine went on and off again. When i came to a stop the car died. I was able to start it and get home but the car continued to shut down while i drove home and die when i stopped. The next day i got it over to the shop. My mechanic told me it was the wiring harness. He said this is common problem with mercedes. I looked it up and sure enough, many people have had the same problem due to defective materials. I asked the mechanic to see the wiring harness he removed. It looked just like the on in this website http://www.Mercedesdefects.Com/2008/04/wire-harness-defect.Html?M=1 there was cracked insulation and exposed wires throughout the harness.

I was changing my oil and checking my level and suddenly there was a spark and then fire but i took it out fast with sand.It was the wiring harness they were all cracked and some of it are disintegrating.

My vehicle has the faulty wiring harness prevalent in all these cars during the mid to late nineties. It has exhibited many of the signs mentioned by numerous other owners over the years such as: engine light on constantly, surging of the throttle, dash instruments that won't work, stumbling and stalling in traffic, etc. The only thing i haven't had yet is a fire. I was completely unaware of this problem when i purchased the car back in feb. This is my first mercedes and will be my last.....Next car will be a honda. Why mercedes is allowed to ignore this is beyond me. I thought the reason we have government regulation is to force car makers to clean up messes like this. There are still a number of these cars on the road and this problem will eventually get someone killed if it hasn't already. Mercedes should be made to recall and replace this wiring with good remanufactured parts for free if you still own one of these cars. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1995 mercedes c-220. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle decelerated and stalled. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 70,000.

Mercedes benz knows about these faulty wiring harnesses and refuses to own up to their faults. These faults place the owner and others at risk as they can cause shorts, a poor running car with shorting issues, or even cause a fire. I would be happy if mercedes would just give us a new wiring harness, i would install it myself and they would not have lost anything. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1995 mercedes benz c220. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was restarted and resumed normally. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the engine wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

I took my car to a mechanic with an unrelated engine problem which was resolved. Afterwards the mechanic pointed out the engine main wiring harness to me and informed me if i don't replace it, it could have serious consequences like the car catching of fire, stopping at any moment and main computer damage. They shoed me the wire insulations in the wiring harness and i was appalled by what i saw. They were all cracked, at places missing, and very close to actually touching and shorting out. One does not have to be an expert in automotive technology or electrical repair to understand the implications. The wiring harness cost is about $1000 and the labor is several hours. I believe that this is a design or manufacturing defect which should be rectified by mercedes-benz by issuing a recall and replacing the harness at no cost to the owner. I was also informed that this was a systemic defect, and many mercedes-bend cars of the same era around 1995-1998 had to be refit with new wiring harnesses. It is not caused by normal wear although my car has high mileage, but poor materials used. *tr

The poorly designed wiring harness caught fire due to manufactures defect of biodegradable shielding ... It is the harness from the e.C.M. To the engine... If the car was traveling at a higher rate of speed during this failure it could have caused death or serious injury to either the driver/passenger or others on the road ... I have owned older m.B. And never seen this kind of wiring in my 10+ years of driving and repairing these kind of cars... This issue was reported to mbusa and they tried to say it is due to non maintenance through m.B..... This part should have lasted longer than the life of the car and it has nothing to do with routine maintenance...What did i miss ? How do you do maintenance on a wire ? How?... This issue was found to happen off the line and they produced this crap...Recall/repair thank you please fix or recall this there are others who trusted their family's to this company and some are still unaware of this issue and are in danger... *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1995 mercedes benz c220. The contact was driving 65 mph when the engine stalled and was the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic shop who stated that there was a shirt circuit in the wiring harness installation and that it was fractured. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted to report the failure. The failure mileage was 209,000.

The engine wiring harness insulation in my 1995 mercedes benz c220 has deteriorated to the point of dust. This resulted in the car staling at over 35 mph, and my wife being put in harms way when the car lost power. She could no longer control the vehicle and hit a mailbox. I would like to state that the dealership says that they had "never seen anything like this" when they discovered the entire wiring harness was destroyed, but yet there are numerous reports of mercedes benz's unforgivable ignorance to this subject. I would like my harness replaced at the least. *tr

I have a 1995 mercedes benz c220 automatic 4 cylinders. I had my engine check lights on and i went to the dealer to check and was told that the engine wire harness was bad and needed to be replaced. I was told that it would cost me more than $1700 to replace it. This is not a matter of replacement when it comes to engine wire harness which controls the ecu and can cause danger to our lives. It should be the manufacturers responsibility to have high grade engine wire harness which should last more than 20 years when we are paying high prices for the luxury cars and ending up as a junk. I hope that the government agency would direct all these dealers to recall and fix these faults right and not getting a penny from us. *tr

Wiring harness shorted out and almost caught fire in engine bay. *tr

Fracture of front suspension lower control arm. Design defect resulting in latent interior corrosion that ultimately resulted in this critical part separating into two pieces, causing the wheel to partially separate from the car. Had this occurred at highway speed it would doubtless have caused a severe loss of control and steering. It may well have resulted in fatalities. *tr

I have a 1995 c220 mercedes benz and the engine management harness is defective. The insulation on all of the wiring is made of very poor material breaks very easy at the touch. Why is there not a wiring engine management harness recall. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1995 mercedes benz c220. The front driver's side tire fell off the vehicle in the parking lot. The lower support arm rusted through and caused the front driver side tire to literally fall off while the contact was driving approximately 5 mph. The vehicle has not yet been taken to the dealer. The vin was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 160,000.

I was told today that my wiring harness needed to be replaced on my 1995 c220 mercedes. The wires are exposed and some of the electrical system is not working. I was told this was a "common" problem by mechanic and that it could be "dangerous." i commute everyday on la freeways. I do not want to risk my life because of a failure of mercedes benz of america to take care of a major design flaw. To date, there has been no accident nor a fire. Do you want me to be seriously injured or to die before this complaint is effective? According to the internet i am only part of a growing, vocal group who are extremely concerned about the safety issues with their mercedes automobiles. *jb

1 - random electrical failures 2 - bad engine wiring harness 3- replace engine wiring harness *tr

The electrical insulation of the main wiring harness has virtually disintegrated, apparently from the (normal) heat of the engine. The insulation literally flakes away in my hand when being handled even with the most gentle touch. The cost to replace the wiring harness is $600+ for only the part; the cost of installation is also in excess of $500, thus costing over $1,000. This is a critical safety issue! The deteriorated insulation causes intermittent electrical short-circuits, caused my car to suddenly lose engine power without warning (on the expressway), then after i pulled off at the exit, smoking (electrical fire) from under the hood. This is a life safety issue and the fact is that the wiring insulation/covers are defective and someone will be seriously injured due to this unsafe condition. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 1995 mercedes benz c220. While parked, the contact's vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact struck her head on the steering wheel and the seat belt failed to properly secure her. The contact was transported to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was inspected and repairs were made to the fuel line due to a leak. There were also repairs made to the body of the vehicle. The contact was advised that the vehicle did not meet the criteria to warrant air bag deployment. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

Engine harnesses deteriorated in my 1995 c220 causing engine to stall. *jb

The car frequently has very erratic idle to the engine. It dies while warming up and dies while driving on the road regardless local or freeway. Today, (again!!!) while i was driving on the freeway, the engine lost its power and almost got kill over other cars. I was told by mechanics that i need to replace the engine wiring harness in my 1995 mercedes c220 with 107k mi due to faulty manufacture wire insulation which cracks and opens up during hot engine heat. It also causes the cylinder misfired disable the gauges on the dashboard (caused frequent bulbs burnt). I never heard or experienced the problem with other vehicles that i drove in my life. When i looked into the matter on the web, sure enough it's a common problem for 1994 and 1995 mercedes c220. I am very angry and surprised that it has never been recalled by mercedes usa. I am also surprised that fact that no one came forward to form a class-action law suit against the company. This is purely a moral issue that hurts hundreds and thousands own and driving the defective car on the road everyday. Now i know that real reason behind offering 24/7 free road side assistance to its owners. Simply they are not sure what they put on their production line. *tr

-car periodically has very erratic idle -last time car was on highway, when passing another vehicle, car engine lost power and i had to struggle to get car back home -now am afraid to drive car. *jb

When i bought my 1995 mercedes c220 from the mercedes dealer, they knew what i found out after i bought this car that 1995 mercedes c220's have a faulty engine wiring harness. I have been an electronics technician for over 30 years now and i know what faulty insulation looks like, the insulation is brittle, cracking and falling off the conductors.. And with my automotive engineering background the engine harness would only cost mercedes a few dollars to manufacture. ( under $20.00 usd ) is it a safety issue for having intermittent abs system? Intermittent temp and fuel gauges and speedometer? Clearly there must be a set standard for the insulation used in the manufacture of automobiles, and clearly the original insulation used in production did not,and would not pass.. *jb

My c220's wiring harness is disintegrating daily. Check engine light, fuel gauge, water temp., etc. All intermittent. The car misses, and sometimes lunges from a sudden high rev. The problem is getting worst as the insulation flakes off, causing shorts. *jb

Complete failure of engine wiring harness due to premature deterioration of wire insulation. Garaged car would start and run normally for short (ten minute) trips but would not start up to return home. Stranded numerous times. Check engine light trips periodically. Stalling and surging common. Independent specialist mechanic discovered crumbling and cracked wire insulation on wiring harness. Car will no longer start at all. I have spent much time and money trying to fix what appears now to be a known defect. I am the original owner of this car and i am very upset that such a serious defect has not been satisfactorily addressed by the manufacturer. *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 1995 mercedes benz c220. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, lunged, the antilock braking system failed, and the power steering failed twice. There were no recalls available. The mercedes mechanic discovered that the wiring harness was disintegrating. The current mileage was 63,000 and failure mileage was 58,000.

Faulty engine wire insulation

While taking off from a stop position, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle would restart within 10 minutes. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop. The mechanic informed the consumer that the problem maybe an electrical wiring harness. Please provide any further information.

Sudden acceleration due to loss of cruise control and braking system due to computer overide. Had to put in nuetral at 110mph and shut off engine to coast to stop. Luckily i was on a straight texas state farm road with out traffic in front of me to write this complaint. Mercedes benz was called and are suppose to investigate the reason for this malfunction.

While driving at 65 mph with cruise control on suddenly vehicle accelerated at a high rate of speed. Consumer noted that the vehicle reached over 110 mph before it could be stopped. Consumer had to roll the vehicle in the mud to slow it down and stop it. *ak

While driving at an undetermined speed vehicle stalled, causing the consumer to pull off the road. The consumer took vehicle to a mechanic. *ak

The lower ball joint on the passenger side rusted from the inside out. As a result, the ball joint cracked, causing the front end to collapse. *ak

I purchased a 1995 mercedes c220 from a mercedes dealer and they knew the car had a wiring harness that was degrading with exposed conductors through out the car... But they didn't tell me , after i bought the car and was having tons of electrical problems i found out the history of this model ..The mb dealer told me the wiring harness could be replaced for about $3000.00 ... A month or so after i bought the car. Randomly the speedometer,abs,temp gauge ,fuel gauge, tachometer do function, but rarely and not all at once. *tr

Sudden acceleration. Vehicle would not stop when brakes are applied. *jb

The vehicle shut off while driving. Insulation on the wires in the wiring harness peeled off which caused a shortage. Vehicle was taken to the dealer, who replaced the wiring harness. *ak *nm

Consumer states that hood latch does not lock. Dealer notified. *ak the hood latch failed due to a minor rear end accident. *scc *jb

While driving in inclement weather the windshield wipers shut down. *nlm

When driving in the rain windshield wipers failed, causing the driver to pull off the road. Consumer contacted the dealership, but problem recurred. *ak the wipers froze. The handle had become very hot to touch and would not turn. This caused skidding off the road. The defective locks could lock with the key but would not unlock with the key. *sc

C220 was proceeding north when struck in the center front and driver side front by a second vehicle moving south. Second vehicle was proceeding east when struck by third vehicle which propelled second vehicle into c220. Estimated speeds of other vehicles were: 2nd = 40 mph and 3rd = 50 mph. In the c220 the driver airbag did not deploy and the passenger airbag did deploy. The airbags on the other vehicles deployed. Is the airbag deployment for the c220 correct?*ak

Tire tread is separating on all four tires. *ak( dot number: lmp c pxbu tire size: 195/65r15 )

Tl* the contact owns a 1995 mercedes benz c220. The contact stated the faulty wiring harness installation became brittle, began to crack and was falling off of the conductors which detached the wires from the engine and caused the vehicle to stall. The vehicle was previously repaired by the dealer back in 2000 and they replaced the wiring harness at the contacts expense for $800. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated, they had to replace the wiring harness for $700. There were no related recalls or a warranty for the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 159,000.

While driving 50 mph the vehicle hit a ditch and trees. Upon impact, airbags did not deploy which did not protect the occupant. Please provide further information. *ak

The car lost the power when was driving which happened three times within three months (9/24/98, 10/24/98, 12/18/98) which is very dangeours on the freeway and almost hit by the car behind.

The vehicle will not slow down at 70mph. Mechanic states the accelerator spring mechanism rusted out, dealer has vehicle for repairs. *ak

I purchased my c220 in 1995 from a dealer in north carolina. Within three years the lcd became nonfunctional(radio and tapes became dead). In fourth year the check engine light came on, i took it to dealership, they fixed and charged huge amount but after a month or so it came on again. I was told at the dealership to change wire harness but they were not able to give a guarantee that the check engine light will not come on so i didn't get that service. Till today i am driving my car with check engine light on and nothing have happened. I think this problem should be fixed by mb without any charge to its customers. It seems like this car is not worth for the money. My driver seat can not be fully adjusted using its mechanical system. The upholstery also coming down from the roof and there are so many other bodily faults in my c220. *tr

Consumer felt a jerk in the vehicle, instantly the vehicle started to spin. Vehicle hit concrete medium barrier while spinning . The airbag did not deploy. *ak

Leak comes into the vehicle near the firewall, on to the passenger's side, due to a faulty design. *ak

Vehicle stalled in intersection. Continues to do so, though it will restart. Cel on. Mechanic changed maf and wiring for maf, advised rest of underhood wiring insulation bad, exposing bare wires. *tr

While traveling with windshield wipers on, tyhey would stop without any indication. Delear has been contacted. Please provide further information.*ak