Page 2 of 2 · complaints 51–63 of 63

2001 Mercedes Benz C320 complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2001 record →

Vehicle Speed ControlCrash
Filed Dec 8, 200429,943 milesNJ

CONSUMER WAS PULLING INSIDE OF A PARKING SPACE TO PARK AND VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY. CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THEN, VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE WITH SPEED, JUMPED THE CURB,AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE HEAD ON. UPON IMPACT, BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. NO INJURIES REPORTED. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, BUT MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Sep 17, 200457,000 milesCA

WHILE DRIVING 65-70 MPH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND VEHICLE STALLED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR LOCATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

Exterior Lighting › Tail Lights
Filed Jul 21, 2004NY

THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR 3 YEARS. I HAVE A MERCEDES BENZ C320. I HAVE HAD INTERMITTENT AIR CONDITIONER AND HEATER. MY ELECTRONIC KEYS HAVE BEEN INTERMITANT. THERE IS A SQUEAKING SOUND FROM THE SUSPENSION. I GET MALFUNCTION MESSAGES WHEN THERE IS NO MALFUNCTION. MY REAR-LIGHTS HAVE HAD TO BE REPLACED REGULARLY. *LA

Electrical System › Horn
Filed May 25, 200480,069 milesMD

INTERMITTENT HORN - 2001 MERCEDES BENZ C320 I TURN TO YOU FOR ANY HELP AND/OR ADVICE YOU CAN PROVIDE. WHILE ON AN INTERSTATE DRIVING MY HORN GOES OFF. IT WAS HUMOROUS AT FIRST AS I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE. THE HORN SOUNDED CONSTANTLY FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES THEN WENT OFF FOR THE NEXT HOUR WHENEVER IT FELT LIKE IT. NO ERROR CODES WERE DISPLAYED ON THE CONSOLE. NO HORN PROBLEM THE NEXT DAY. GAVE THE WIFE THE CAR SHE DRIVES TO WORK - NO PROBLEM. GET OFF FROM WORK, INTO THE CAR, STARTS IT UP....THE HORN GOES OFF AGAIN. NOT HUMOROUS ANYMORE, THE WIFE DID NOT FIND IT FUNNY. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, VALLEY MOTORS, INC, COCKEYSVILLE, MARYLAND THE NEXT MORNING WAITED 5 HOURS AND WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. BUT CHARGED ME $90 IN LABOR. STARTED THE CAR TO RUN AN ERRAND....HORN GOES OFF! DRIVE DIRECTLY TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER TEST DRIVES THE CAR THE NEXT DAY AND WHILE ON THE ROAD, THE HORN GOES OFF. THIS TIME 2 CARS BACK IS A POLICEMAN AND HE PULLS OVER THE TECHNICIAN. SO FAR THEY HAVE NOT DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE HORN PROBLEM, BUT CONTINUE TO CHARGE ME LABOR TO FIND IT. I'M AT $450.00 AND WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THEY ATTEMPTED TO REPLACE THE SAM UNIT AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. THEY HAVE TRACED THE HORN CONNECTION AND STILL NO RESOLUTION. SHOULD I KEEP LETTING THE COST MOUNT UP? WHO CAN I ESCALATE THIS TO AT MERCEDES-BENZ OR EVEN DAIMLER CHRYSLER. WHAT SHOULD I DO? ANY AND ALL ADVICE ON HOW I SHOULD PROCEED IS GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU

Electrical System
Filed May 22, 200329,457 milesIL

GAS FUMES SO OVER POWERING THAT YOU HAD TO DRIVE WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN AFTER YOU FILLED UP THE CAR WITH GASOLINE. GAS TANK HAD A LEAK AND ALL THE DASH WAS REPLACED AT DEALER. HOWEVER THERE ARE SHORTAGES IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM THAT CAUSE THE VISOR LAMPS TO NOT WORK AND THE AUTOMATIC LIGHTS AND RELAYS IN THE WIPERS DO NOT OPERATE PROPERLY. WHEN THE HEAT IS ON THE GAS FUMES AND MONOXIDE IS STRONG AGAIN . I THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS RECTIFIED WHEN THEY FIXED IT BUT IT STILL TENDS TO ACT UP. *NLM

Tires › Sidewall
Filed May 21, 200332,000 milesNY

THE VEHICLES TIRE SEPARATED FROM THE SIDEWALL. *NLM

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Mar 25, 200355 milesFL

THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. *JB

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Rotor
Filed Mar 20, 200328,000 milesTX

EXCESSIVE ROTOR WEAR ON 2001 MERCEDES C320 WITH ONLY 26,000 MILES. *JB

Steering
Filed Mar 7, 2003IL

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED STEERING PROBLEMS.*DT *JB

Unknown or Other
Filed Jun 26, 2002KS

THE ELECTRONIC KEY PRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD SINCE IT QUES IN ALL SETTING FOR THE DRIVER. WHILE DRIVING THE MIRRORS WOULD CHANGE POSITION. THE KEY CAN STOP "TALKING" TO THE CAR AND NOT ALLOW THE CAR TO BE STARTED. SOMETIMES WHEN STARTING THE PANEL AND OTHER INSIDE LIGHTS FAILED TO COME ON, BUT THE CAR WAS DRIVEABLE. THE OIL LEVEL CHECK SYSTEM WOULD SAY THE OIL LEVEL IS TO HIGH, AND ADD MILES TO THE NEXT SERVICE POINT. THE BIG CONFIDENCE BREAKER IS WILL THIS KEY STOP TALKING ENTIRELY TO THE CAR WHILE DRIVING? THIS WOULD SURLEY RESULT IN A NON-STEERABLE EVENT. I COULD NOT GET MERCEDES TO ANSWER SUCH INQUIRY, OR REASSURE ME THAT IT COULD NOT HAPPEN. I TURNED THE CAR BACK INTO THE DEALER AND NOW HAVE LEARNED IT WAS SOLD. I WANT TO WARN THE NEW OWNER OF THESE PROBLEMS, SINCE THEY WERE NOT FIXED FOR ME, AND I HAVE LITTLE CONFIDENCE THEY CAN BE.*AK

Seats › Front Assembly › Head Restraint
Filed Feb 7, 2002CA

HEAD REST IS NOT SUPPORTING NECK PROPERLY. THERE IS A 2 INCH GAP IN BETWEEN HEAD REST AND SEAT. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK. CONSUMER STATED THE FACTORY REP LOOKED AT THE HEADRESTS AND WAS SUPRISED OF THEIR POSITION, THE BRAKE DISC ARE SLIGHTLY GROOVED AT 3300M, ALSO THE ELECTRONIC MIRRORS DO NOT WORK AT TIMES, THE MIRRORS WILL CHANGE POSITIONS ON THEIR OWN.*JB

Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System
Filed Jul 3, 2001PA

ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE DASHBOARD, THERE IS A LARGE HEART-SHAPED VENT FOR THE VENTILATING SYSTEM THAT REFLECTS OFF THE WINDSHIELD, CAUSING RESTRICTED VISIBILITY AND DISTRACTION FOR THE DRIVER. *YH

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed May 17, 2001MD

WHEN THE DRIVER DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IN HEAVY TRAFFIC THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN, CONSUMER HAS BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS FOR PROBLEMS WITH ACCELERATION AND NOISE WITHOUT REMEDY. NLM

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Full record for the 2001 Mercedes Benz C320 → · Every C320 year → · How the figures are calculated →