Mercedes-benz E320 1998

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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 as of 20070419

  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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• Engine crankshaft pulley failure investigation as of 20031217

  The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure that could result in loss of power-steering assist.Odi has received a total of 546 non-duplicative reports that allege engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure on all mercedes-benz vehicles using the subject component.The subject component failures are progressive in nature and only a small percentage of the complaints and warrant claims involved a failure that had progressed far enough to effect power steering performance (6 of 55 odi complaints reference increased steering effort).There have been no crashes or injuries related to the alleged defect.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and 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 by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.See summary report attached for further detail.
  

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Common OBD Error codes specific to this vehicle.

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

This silver mercedes (not sure the year) car has been parked in front of my house for over two weeks, no signs of it being moved at all. 16329 chatsworth street doors are unlocked and i have not seen any neighbors paying attention to this vehicle, first time i have seen it ever be parked here. Possible stolen car and just left there, please check on vehicle and have it towed away.

I have primewell valera touring 2 tires and the front driver's side developed a sidewall bulge when i was reversing into my driveway. The same family of tires have a recall, and while my set are not included in the recall, i have the same or similar problems. It appears that the bulge was due to manufacturer's defect (per my mechanic) and i was told that the tire is unsafe to ride on, so i am using the full spare at the moment. I contacted the manufacturer , giti tires, and they do not want to do anything about it. The tire is primewell valera touring 2, 215/55/16, dot number is y9jm clhx 1515.

Passenger coil spring seat broke , car in garage last 15 years , not even 100000 miles yet

Your web site states "invalid request" when i place vin number in. Correct characters were used. *tr

While driving in traffinc east along haddonfield berlin road in cherry hill nj, i was slowing to a stop approaching a red light at evsham road. As i pressed the brake pedal, there was a loud bang and grinding sound from the front end that ended with a loud clank on the ground. After which i saw the spring from my driver's side on the road behind me in my rear view mirror. Driving was not affected, not was steering. However we came to find that the panel containing the driver's side spring perch had rusted and then torn away from the bod, thus releasing the front spring. After doing some research this appears to be a known problem with mbusa, but not a recall issue. My insurance company is refusing repairs due to their view of this as being a "maintenance issue."

On wednesday, january 21, 2015, 4:45 pm, an attendant at sam's club gas pumps, tulsa hills shopping center, tulsa, ok, overflowed the gas tank, creating a spill large enough that absorbent materials was used to soak up the gas on the pavement (video available from sam's). Upon leaving, the engine died before exiting the station. Restarted and died again at the first traffic light about 1/4 mile away. Restarted and abnormal noises were heard during the next mile and while stopped at a traffic light, there was a large explosion under the hood, producing lots of black smoke but no extended fire. Local police helped in removing the car from traffic and later loading the car on a wrecker. The description from the mbz repair facility gave this explanation and repaired the car at a cost of $2,600. The gas overflow caused the charcoal canister to fill up with liquid gas and when the car was started the liquid gas was sucked into the input manifold, causing an undetected explosion and cracking the manifold. The explosions got larger as the car was driven and finally an explosion blew most of one end of the input manifold off (manifold available). End *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mercedes benz e320. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the vehicle independently dropped to the ground. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure was 160,322.

Had an inspection on friday. Found passenger shock tower broken from the body frame, this is an extremely dangerous situation. Looked in mercedes benz world website, and saw many many complaints about this typical issue, people must not be reporting this typical rust of the spring tower to body rust issue. Apparently there is a recall for this issue in canada but not in usa. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mercedes benz e-320. The contact stated that the srs and abs warning lights illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vin was not included in their manufacturer's recall campaign for the brake lights. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000. ..Updated 02-28-14 *bf

Some rust damage has been observed on the body of the car for quite some time, but no mercedes mechanics suggested it was structural or dangerous. Recently, a loud creaking noise from the front right tire began to occur when driving, especially when subjected to bumps, even at very low speeds. By removing the tire, we discovered that the creaking was from the poorly designed suspension cap, which had rusted and broken partially off, bending the spring against the axle. This damage is extremely dangerous, as no mercedes mechanics identified the rust at this point, and if the cap snapped off, the entire wheel carriage would break. If the car had been operating at high speeds, this kind of failure, which could occur instantly when subjected to a normal shock impact, could cause a serious or fatal accident. The cap is definitely a very dangerous design flaw, especially as the mercedes structure rusts (which they claim no accountability for), and many of these cars could easily be on the road today. Thus, we believe that significant danger to the consumer public is completely ignored by mercedes-benz, which we feel is an appalling lack of concern and complete oversight on the part of the company. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mercedes benz e320. While driving 30 mph, the contact was informed by another motorist that the rear driver side tail light was not working. The contact also stated that the braking power diminished and required a lot more pressure to stop the vehicle. The contact also stated that the check engine indicator would illuminate intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was unknown.

During the course of ownership of an 1998 mercedes benz e320 the front top spring support a.K.A rusts out and can easily disintegrate causing complete fallout of the front wheel assembly and if happening in the highway it can easily kill you. Luckily for me it happened in a 30 mph road where the spring perch broke off and the whole front wheel got out of place locking itself up. *tr

A/c, heater blower, windows regulator failed as expected. Seems to be a common defect that has been ignored by manufacturer even when lots of people have complaint about it and nothing has been done to remedy this situation through a recall or at least admit there's a problem. Then you are forced to purchase the regulator, motor, and mounting bracket at an exorbitant price ! I.E ignore the problem and it will go away. I purchased a mercedez and ended up with a chrysler !!!!! *tr

I was driving my 1998 e-320 down a main road at about 45 mph when my front spring came off the frame and fell off my car, causing the hole front end to drop and the car to lose control. I went off the road into a ditch, my front end bounced off the ground, my neck and back are hurt, and my exhaust sounds messed up now too. I checked the mercedes benz forum and this is a common problem on the w210 chassis, i am going to contact the dealer, on monday when they re-open, and at the very least i would expect them to fix it because it should have been a recall type deal, and it is very dangerous. That's all i want to report please e-mail me and let me know if you need any further info, thanks -brian ronca *tr

I noticed while at a stoplight with my foot on the brake, that my steering column was vibrating, as well as the gear shift and the instrument panel. It was also very noisy. The dealership said that the motor and transmission mounts had collapsed! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mercedes e320. While driving approximately 15 mph, the contact crashed into a tree on the front driver side of her vehicle. The vehicle was completely destroyed and none of the air bags deployed. There were no air bag failures prior to the crash. The contact was severely injured and has pictures of herself as well as the vehicle. The local dealer did not provide any assistance. She is currently in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The powertrain was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 103,000.

The coil spring and two round plastic parts just fell off on our 1998 e320 mercedes benz front driver side. The vehicle has 71,000 miles and never been in any accident. *tr

While driving the engine's crankshaft pulley broke. As a result the power steering failed, which caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. No report of impact. Please provide additional information. *jb

The harmonic balance, located in the crankshaft, failed and caused internal engine damage. Also, sun roof frame was fractured. *ak

1998 mercedes e320 at different times, the driver and passenger doors locked by themselves while the vehicle was running. In june of 2003 the consumer heard a loud noise from the engine, the vehicle was taken to a mechanic, who immediately diagnosed the problem as the crankshaft dampner which was in pieces, the rubber drive belt damaged the engine front cover and engine oil pan. In september 2003 the doors unlocked by themselves while the consumer driving and was unable to lock them manually, also when the consumer turned the vehicle off the windows rolled down by themselves and the doors locked by themselves. The rubber gaskets around the front head lights leaked water, the dash lights burned out constantly, the engine light illuminated constantly and the vehicle burned a quart of oil per month, the air condition was rebuilt twice, the starter failed and the vehicle did not shift properly. *jb *nlm

More cars with same problem: i found a forum on line where additional mercedes owners have had the same scary incident. Here is the forum location: mbworld. Orgforums i ran a search on harmonic balancers and found some interesting comments. In addtion, it is my understanding that the manufacture of the balancer makes these for several makes and models. - scary dt

Harmonic balancer failed on my 1998,mercedes benz the drivebelt shread,and an oil leak in the timing chain cover.*ak

The rear left door opened on impact. The car was hit mostly on the driver's door towards the center column and the rear door opened. My 5-year-old son was sitting next to that door and could have been ejected from the car.

Car has stalled 3 times. Engine light came on. *ak

Fog light/lamp failed. Yh

Side mirror failed. Yh

Transmission leaking. Mjs

Mercedes e-320 1998, sudden acceleration, ref. Odi 10113529. *bf the consumer experienced sudden acceleration, jumping the curb and crashed into a wooden fence. Prior to this incident, the consumer experienced irregular speed. The consumers foot was on the brakes the entire time. Mercedes found no problem. *sc

3rd row seat folding cup holder failed. *tt

Consumer called complaining about having problem with engine shuting off. Consumer was driving on the highway when the vehicle shut off leaving the consumer with no power steering or brake power. Manufacturer was contacted, and stated that there was no problems with the vehicle. *ak

Radio is not working. Yh

A/c motor vaccum failure caused low pitch noise when a/c turned off. Yh

Defect in front end design causes steering problem when turing a sharp corner. Yh