Mercedes-benz E320 1996

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

• Front suspension coil spring ejection investigation # PE07021

  Odi has focused this investigation on assessing the risks posed by a separated spring as (1) a road hazard and (2) the potential for vehicle control to be compromised after the front coil spring has been ejected from its intended position in the vehicle.Both risks are associated with corrosion, flexing, and fracture of the upper front suspension mounting bracket.Time-in-service failure rates are notably higher in salt belt states since corrosion is a primary contributor to the failure mode.Since a number of incidents have occurred while the vehicle was being operated, odi is skeptical that owners can always detect the subtle side to side difference in ride height and/or inspect or notice that the upper suspension bracket has been compromised by corrosion.(1) road hazard - although the (approx. 7 lb.) front suspension spring that may be ejected at highway speeds could pose a serious road hazard to pedestrians and other vehicles, the occurrence rate has been low (.03% based on 51 reported incidents occurring and an initial population of 172,781 vehicles after 9 - 12 years of use / exposure) and there are no known injuries, fatalities, or property damage reports due to an ejected spring.Also, many of the 51 incidents occurred at low speed or while the vehicle was stopped or parked.(2) vehicle control - vehicle handling and control could be affected by the fracture of the upper suspension mount and/or the associated spring ejection.Odi first identified its concern about corrosion in the upper suspension bracket of subject vehicles in 2002, at which time mercedes provided a video that showed that a vehicle could be steered, stopped, and controlled through various maneuvers at high speeds with a front coil spring completely missing from the vehicle. During pe07-021, in addition to reviewing the 2002 video-tape, odi engineers drove an exemplar vehicle with the spring removed and simulated various combinations of steering angles to assess whether there were any possible conditions / displacements in which the separated spring might interfere with the wheels. In a vehicle with the front spring removed, the top of the wheel can lightly contact the bottom area of the wheel fender during high angle turns typically associated with slower speed maneuvers such as city driving. The light tire contact generated an obvious "grinding" noise and would likely abrade or bend the edge of the fender with continued use.However, the extent of the interference was not sufficient to affect vehicle steering and does not occur at smaller turning angles associated with highway driving.Odi has not identified a safety related defect trend at this time.Further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that a safety related defect does not exist.The agency reserves the right to take further action if future circumstances warrant.
  

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Tl* the contact owned a 1996 mercedes benz e320. While driving 65 mph, the air bags failed to deploy after the contact's vehicle crashed into another vehicle. The driver sustained knee, back, neck, and chest injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 131,000.

When you replace the battery on these vehicles the safety restraint system malfunctions rendering the safety equipment useless ie. Air bags the automobile should have a recall whereby mercedes fixes the defective system. *tr

After filling up on gas just two days ago, there was a very peculiar smell. It smelled of gas fumes. Just today, i noticed that my gas gauge was going down quite fast and it wasn't until just now that my gas tank is leaking.

My vehicle was parked in front of store allowing a 93 year old lady to go shopping,as i was parked there i was sideswiped, i immediately took it to the auto shop to have it repaired, after doing this i discovered that the key can't start the car because the ignition is jammed or key will not turn, so the car won't start. I called a locksmith and discovered that the ignition is defected. *tr

Spring perch snapped and spring shot out on front passenger side while wife and children were in the car. Thank god they were less the 200 feet from the house and only traveling about 5 mph. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercedes benz e320. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the starter would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed back to the mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the wiring harness had began to dry rot and was to deteriorating. The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileage was 48,000. ..Updated 07-01-13 *bf

Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercedes-benz e 320. The contact stated that fuel was leaking from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The technician stated that the sending unit was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 102,000.

This vehicle (1996 mercedes e320) has had a history of electrical problems over the past several years. Many repairs have been made to the vehicle electrical systems at great expense! This time the vehicle would not start and i was investigating the cause myself. Troubleshooting revealed a defective wiring harness assembly from the electrical system connection in the left front of the engine compartment to the park/neutral safety switch on the transmission and to the starter. This harness also includes connections to the starter and sensors on the transmission. All wires in the entire harness have crumbled insulation and have shorted together. This caused shorting and burning of the wires and damage to other system components. I have been a mechanic for 15+ years and it is obvious that the harness assemblies on this vehicle are of poor quality and subject to failure. The insulation on all wires is inferior and will fail and crack over short periods of time. Further investigation of the other harnesses on the vehicle has revealed the same problems. This could have caused a major fire and personal injury. Luckily the damage was small and contained to this one harness, however all harness on the vehicle must be replaced. *tr

I was driving down a back road in my 1996 mercedes e320 when i heard a bang and the passenger front side dropped. The front coil spring had popped out. If i had been going any faster i would have lost control of the car. I have heard that the front coil spring mounts in this model corrode due to improper undercoating. *tr

Common OBD-II Error Codes

• P2269 [1] Water in Fuel Condition
• U1454 [1] U1454