Owners filed 8 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electronic stability control (esc). No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Lever and Linkage › Floor Shift | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and Associated Pulleys | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
WHILE TRAVELING IN A STRAIGHT LINE AT A CONSTANT VELOCITY, MY CAR APPLIED BRAKING FORCE TO THE FRONT LEFT (DRIVER'S SIDE) WHEEL, RAPIDLY AND SUDDENLY. THE BAS ESP LIGHT THEN CAME ON AND REMAINED ON FOR THE DURATION OF THE DRIVE. *TR
CAR: 2000 MERCEDES C230 KOMPRESSOR DRIVING AT 55MPH, THE CAR'S FRONT RIGHT BRAKE SUDDENLY ENGAGED CAUSING THE CAR TO LOOSE CONTROL FOR A MOMENT. THE BRAKE THEN RELEASES AND THE BAS/ESP LIGHT ILLUMINATES. THIS HAS HAPPENED 5 TIMES IN THE LAST WEEK. THIS SITUATION IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!!!!!! I HAVE RESEARCHED THE ISSUE AND THE DEALERSHIP IS TELLING ME IT IS THE YAW RATE SENSOR OR STEERING POSITION SENSOR. THE FIX IS $1100. THIS IS A TOTAL SAFETY ISSUE ON THIS CAR AND AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE IN VARIOUS FORUMS THERE ARE NUMEROUS OWNERS IN BOTH THE C AND ML CLASS VEHICLES (THEY USE THE SAME EXACT SAME PART NUMBERS) THAT EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TAKE TIME TO LOOK INTO THIS. THERE ARE A LOT OF THESE CARS ON THE ROAD AND THIS CAN AND WILL CAUSE MAJOR ACCIDENTS!!!! *TR
I HAD JUST EXITED THE FREEWAY, AND SLOWING DOWN FOR A STOP LIGHT WHEN I HEARD A LOUD CRACK. THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE COIL SPRING SOCKET THAT CONNECTS TO THE UNIBODY HAD RUSTED AND BROKE, DROPPING THE SUSPENSION ON TOP THE TIRE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE MERCEDES DEALERSHIP, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE COIL SOCKET WAS RUSTED AS WELL. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO MENTIONED THAT IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM BUT MERCEDES HAD YET TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ C230. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES, SUCH AS THE SPEEDOMETER, WERE UNABLE TO BE READ, WHICH INCREASED THE RISK OF A CRASH. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PAY $1,500 TO REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER MODULES BECAUSE HIS VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V028000 (INTERIOR LIGHTING). THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ C280. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE CRANK SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SENSOR. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 36,806.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT BOX NOT SEALED PROPERLY TO PROTECT AGAINST WATER SPILLS. THIS CAN STOP YOUR CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. *JB
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, REAR TIRE FAILED (BLEWUP). TIRE WAS IN GOOD CONDITION WITH GOOD AMOUNTS OF TREAD. CAR, ROAD, TEMPERATURE, SPEED ALL WERE IN NORMAL CONDITIONS. *JB
HARMONIC BALANCER FAILED AT 52000. *AK
8 of 8 complaints, reproduced as filed.
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2008 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 2006 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2005 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2004 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 2003 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2002 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 2001 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2000 — this page | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1999 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1998 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1997 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 1996 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1995 | 49 | 0 | 2 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 1994 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | Routine |
| 1991 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.