2003 Mercedes Benz C Class

Routine

Owners filed 9 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System2
000
Vehicle Speed Control › Accelerator Pedal1
000
Unknown or Other1
000
Fuel System, Other1
000
Equipment › Appliance › Air Conditioner1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System1
000
Electrical System › Alternator/Generator/Regulator1
000
Air Bags1
101

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System
Filed Jul 11, 201170,000 milesNY

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES BENZ C240. THE CONTACT STATED THE COOLANT WAS LEAKING FROM THE RADIATOR INTO THE TRANSMISSION. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED HER THAT SHE HAD TO FLUSH THE RADIATOR AND THE TRANSMISSION OR REPLACE THE TORQUE CONVERTER. IF THE FAILURE WAS NOT REPAIRED BY FLUSHING THE SYSTEM, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED FOR OVER $2,000 AT THE CONTACTS EXPENSE. THERE WEE NO RECALLS OR WARRANTIES RELATED TO HER VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000. UPDATED 08/31/11 *BF THE CONSUMER HAS TRADED THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 09/07/11.*JB

Air BagsCrash1 injured
Filed Jun 1, 201120,000 milesKY

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES BENZ C240. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HIM SUDDENLY STOPPED CAUSING HIM TO CRASH INTO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT DID NOT HOLD THE PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT WHICH CAUSED HER HEAD TO HIT THE WINDSHIELD. BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE PASSENGER WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL FOR A HEAD INJURY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000. UPDATED 07/08/11 *BF

Fuel System, Other
Filed Mar 10, 2009MA

MY 2003 C240 MERCEDES PILOT BUSHING IS EXPERIENCING HEAVY OIL LEAK - THERE IS A CURRENT RE-CALL ON SAME ISSUE WITH OTHER MODELS. THE DEALER I USE TO SERVICE MY CARE, REFUSE TO REPAIR BECAUSE THEY SAID MY MODEL IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RE-CALL. 2ND ISSUE - MY DRIVER SIDE DOOR HANDLE IS BROKEN BECAUSE OF MANUFACTURE DEFECTS . SOMETIMES HARD TO OPEN AND HAVE TO USE OTHER DOOR TO GET INTO CAR, DEALER REFUSE TO REPLACE THE DEFECT HANDLE WITH GOOD HANDLE. *TR

Electrical System
Filed Dec 29, 200870,003 milesFL

2003 MERCEDES C240 STALLS IMMEDIATELY AFTER PROLONGED TURNPIKE TRAVEL ( 1.5 HOURS) AT EXIT RAMP TO AN ARTERIAL ROADWAY. THIS INCREASES REAREND ACCIDENT POTENTIAL. MERCEDES CHECKED VEHICLE BUT NO REPORT CODES INDICATED. SUGGESTED THAT IT MAY BE COMPUTER OF SENSOR RELATED. MERCEDES SUGGESTED PULLING OVER FOR 30 MIN. TO LET COMPUTER RESET. FIRST INCIDENT 12/17/08 SECOND INCIDENT 12/28/08. *TR

Vehicle Speed Control › Accelerator Pedal
Filed Aug 7, 200777 milesIL

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES C240. SHE STATED THAT HER VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE FAST ENOUGH TO SAFELY MERGE IN AND OUT OF TRAFFIC. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD BE UNABLE TO ASSIST HER AND THEY WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE WOULD FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE DUE TO HER VEHICLE BEING A LEMON. THE FAILURE WAS 77 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 40,900.

Equipment › Appliance › Air Conditioner
Filed Aug 6, 200732,073 milesOK

WHILE DRIVING WITH A/C SET ON "AUTO" THE A/C SYSTEM WOULD SUDDENLY TURN OFF BY ITSELF AND WOULD TURN OF REPEATEDLY WHEN STARTED AGAIN. DURING SUCH EPISODES THE A/C WOULD ACT ERRATIC WITH FANS TURNING ON AND OFF AT DIFFERENT OUTLETS, CYCLES BETWEEN HEATING AND COOLING, AND MAKES HISSING SOUNDS. THIS WOULD OCCUR MANY TIMES A DAY ON A DAILY BASIS IN SUMMER WEATHER (EXCEPT WHEN THE CAR IS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, IT SEEMS). IT TOOK ABOUT 2 YEARS FOR THE DEALER TO FINALLY FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE THEY COULD NOT AVOID ADMITTING ITS EXISTENCE AFTER I HAD VIDEO TAPED THE MALFUNCTION AND SHOWED THEM THE VIDEO.. *JB

Electrical System › Alternator/Generator/Regulator
Filed Aug 3, 200743,620 milesNY

I OWN A 2003 MERCEDES C240 STATION WAGON WITH ABOUT 42000 MILES, A FEW DAYS AGO I OBSERVED SOME MESSAGES ON DASH WHICH SEEM TO INDICATE ALTERNATOR PROBLEM. MY VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN HEAVILY USED AND I AM SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT A NEW ALTERNATOR MAY BE NEEDED, THIS BECAUSE A FRIEND WITH C CLASS SEDAN HAS HAD THE SAME ISSUE JUST 2 WEEKS AGO AND COST HIM $1500 TO REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR & BATTERY. I BELIEVE THERE MAY BE MANY MORE FOLKS THAT EXPERIENCED THE SAME SITUATION AND PROBABLY THE C CLASS MERCEDES ARE OUTFITTED WITH FAULTY ALTERNATORS AND INVESTIGATION MAY BE IN ORDER HERE. *JB

Electrical System
Filed Aug 28, 200518,300 milesCA

MY MERCEDES-BENZ C-240 (2003 MODEL), HAVING LESS THAN 18500 MILES, SUDDENLY LOST POWER AFTER SOME 2-HOUR WORTH OF FREE-WAY DRIVING. AROUND NOON ON FRIDAY, 8/26/05, I WAS DRIVING SOUTH -BOUND ON I-15 PAST VICTORVILLE (CA), ABOUT 9 MILES PAST THE EXIT FOR ROUTE 18, WHEN MY C-240 SUDDENLY LOST POWER. AS I DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR, I FELT NO POWER AND THE RPM WAS DECREASING. IT FELT LIKE THE ENTIRE ENGINE-TRANSMISSION SYSTEM WAS SHUTTING DOWN. THERE WAS NO PRIOR WARNING. I MADE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL LETTING OTHER VEHICLES KNOW I WAS COMING OFF THE FREE-WAY. I MANAGED TO PULL OFF TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER SAFELY AND CAME TO FULL STOP ON THE GRAVEL. AT THAT TIME, MY DIGITAL ODOMETER READ "1 MALFUNCTION". USING MY CELL PHONE, I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE MERCEDES HOTLINE. THE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE REPRESENTATIVE, KRISTIN, ADVISED ME NOT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, EVEN AFTER THE "1 MALFUNCTION" SIGN BECAME "NO MALFUNCTION" A LITTLE LATER. MY VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER IN RIVERSIDE, SOME 50 MILES AWAY. AT THE DEALERS SERVICE DEPT, AFTER A BASIC CHECK INVOLVING COMPUTER AND ELECTRONICS, SOME FAULTY IDENTIFICATIONS WERE MADE, BUT IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE SAFE AND DRIVABLE. I DROVE MY VEHICLE HOME, PLANNING TO HAVE A MAJOR CHECK UP LATER. *JB

Unknown or Other
Filed Jun 4, 2004NY

VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED WHILE BEING SHIPPED. *MR *SC *JB

9 of 9 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1995
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20121000Routine
200813120Routine
20069200Routine
20055200Routine
200415120Routine
2003 — this page9000Routine
200231020Routine
200114000Routine
20008000Routine
19997100Routine
19986100Routine
19973010Routine
19966100Routine
199549021Fatalities reported
199415050Routine
19911000Routine

Compare every C Class year →

Reading this record

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.