What 516 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Mercedes-benz C-class Hybrid

Rear taillight ground wire melting. Dealer said that this recall was performed previously, so now I had to pay for the repair parts. NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V177000

NHTSA ODI 11452814

The rear suspension subframe rotted. The car has 140,000 miles and is kept in a garage. There was no warning regarding the damage. I nearly lost control of my car on a highway, it was I reported this to Mercedes to see if there was a recall. There was no recall on the part, Mercedes did not take responsibility for repairs. I paid to have the car repaired. There were no warning lamps that alerted me to the problem. The car was towed to a Mercedes dealer and I opened a claim with Mercedes.

NHTSA ODI 11452412

I haven't had an issue with this yet but have heard others having this issue. Mercedes Benz fitted cheap plastic Electronic Steering Lock (ESL) in these models that are prone to failure. Unexpectedly, this device will fail and will lock out the steering which can happen anytime and can cause a serious accident. The car will have malfunctioning steering when this device fails and should have a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11451693

Went to work and came out and the vehicle says to remove key from ignition. Was stuck in the middle of the night in freezing temperatures and had no way to get anywhere. It’s a common problem that Mercedes knows about and is charging thousands of dollars to repair because it can only be done through them.

NHTSA ODI 11449789

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact son stated while driving at various speeds, the rear of the vehicle would sway while braking. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with needing the subframe to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

NHTSA ODI 11443670

Rear subframe failure of left lower control arm mount bracket at weld that rusts prematurely from improper treatment at time of manufacturing After failure while braking at low speed 10mph rear end of vehicle fish tails left and front end of vehicle moves right There are numerous reports around the world with this specific model and identical safety hazard on the left side of vehicle in almost all cases Mercedes Benz refuses to acknowledge a defect in craftsmanship of the specified part and in many cases offer a $1000 credit towards a new vehicle As 1 of millions of Americans that owns this vehicle in question I believe it is necessary that the NHTSA steps in to assist with this issue as millions of American lives are at risk even if they do not own or operate this vehicle

NHTSA ODI 11443558

Lost control of vehicle while driving on highway. Brought vehicle to have brakes done at Pep Boys who identify the sub frame was corroded and that vehicle was not drivable, after many attempts with Mercedes Benz, from emails to phone calls also following up with customer service line and not been able to even have them look at the vehicle I’ve decided to follow up with a complaint. My car was earlier this year at Mercedes-Benz for another reason and I was never made aware of this issue. I brought vehicle to another European auto shop they just told me that they just did another vehicle same model with same problem. I’ve also read online many complaints. I’m aware that many individuals have no idea on how to file a complaint at this level to hold MBenz responsible. Is time for a recall. My extended warranty company would not take care of the bill which is over $2000 since there is corrosion on the vehicle. Thank you for your assistance

NHTSA ODI 11440684

I was told by the Service Department at the Fredericksburg, Va Mercedes Dealership/Service Department on October 29, 2021 that the Rear Sub Frame had rusted out and needed to be replaced. This apparently affects the basic functioning/stability of the car, handling, alignment and breaking. This is apparently an "known" issue with this car and was recalled in Canada, but not the USA. The car was inspected for Virginia registration/etc. in July 2021, so I am not sure when this defect became "obvious". However, I was told in April/May 2021 during basic maintenance that the breaks were wearing unevenly. I cannot provide a specific date of exactly when the car was not "handling properly".

NHTSA ODI 11439564

Rear subframe broke off.

NHTSA ODI 11439298

Every time I fill up the gas tank, I smell gas in the passenger side back seat close to where you pump the gas?

NHTSA ODI 11435263

Rear suspension is rusted and the arm to the wheel has disconnected. This vehicle can’t be driven and is a major safety issue - per the Mercedes dealership. From Mercedes : The rear sub-frame serves a number of purposes. It adds to the rigidity of the rear body structure and supports the vehicle's cabin and some chassis components. Most importantly, the sub-frame helps to protect occupants in an offset rear impact. In a collision, the sub-frame first helps to absorb some of the impact forces on the side that is hit. It also channels some of the impact forces to the side of the vehicle not involved in the impact. This also helps to absorb some of the forces of the collision before they can reach the passenger cabin Reason A damaged sub frame puts everyone in the vehicle at risk. During a collision the sub-frame is responsible for absorbing and evenly distributing the force from the impact. If damaged the sub frame cannot distribute the impact causing a complete collapse of the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11435150

2011 MERCEDES BENZ C300. CONSTITUENT WRITES REGARDING SUBFRAME CORROSION SAFETY RECALL ON VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT WOULD NOT TAKE RESPOSIBILITY FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED A GOOD WILL INCENTIVE OF $500.00 TOWARDS A USED VEHICLE OR 1000.00 TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF A NEW VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 11434828

Gas is leaking under the car. Gas dripping location is by the rear passenger tire.

NHTSA ODI 11434893

When the fuel tank is full, there is a strong smell of gasoline at the rear of the car. The gasoline odor is extremely strong on the outside, and very strong on the inside. (This is NOT due to overfill or spillage). I searched some Mercedes-Benz blog sites, and discovered others are experiencing similar problems since 2019 to now. The strong gasoline odor can likely pose a health risk. There is also real concern about potential fire or explosion risks.

NHTSA ODI 11433488

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the contact was going around a corner when he noticed a vehicle in front. The contact depressed on the brake pedal and the vehicle violently jerked and stop. The contact stated that the steering wheel was leaning towards the left. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to his residence. The following day the contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the failure as a fractured and detached rear control arm due to corrosion of the undercarriage and subframe. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be repaired however, the contact declined the repair due to cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

NHTSA ODI 11432823

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated he started to smell an abnormal fuel odor and noticed a spot where fuel had leaked onto the garage floor. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, he noticed both fuel tank covers were cracked. The contact drove another vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V557000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

NHTSA ODI 11430074

07/31/2021 Fuel smell in the cabin, and in the garage, and a small paddle of gas formed under the car, but at that time I wasn't sure if it was the A/C condense, or gas. Took car out of the garage and left it there overnight. Drove the car next day and the smell was less noticeable, and it disappeared in about two days. Next two weeks did not ill up the tank completely, and there was no smell or leak. Yesterday, Sunday, Aug 22nd, I filled the car with gas again until the pump stopped, and the smell came back instantly, as I was driving home. Parked the car in the driveway and immediately noticed a large paddle of gas forming under the left rear wheel. Removed back seat and both fuel tank pump metal covers, and both plastic fittings/covers were leaking gas, more so on the driver's side. There are hairline fractures in both covers, and both are leaking gas. Removed both covers and siphoned gas out of the car until the leak stopped. I went to Hendrick's MB of Durham and asked about the recall, they denied that my car qualifies. The parts alone were quoted at $1229.12, without labor, and I was told fuel tank worth about $1,000.00 (without labor) may need to be changed as well. NHTSA recall campaign 2013020002 mentions my car. My defect is worse than most because both sides leak gas, not just the pump, and both have visible with naked eye fractures that leak gas. I cannot understand how is my risk of fire and death while driving less than that of other MB's with exactly the same failure, in the same class, and the same C300, for the same year. I expect the cost of repair with labor to be more than $3,500 .

NHTSA ODI 11430095

On July 1, my daugther who is driving the car since about 8 months noticed a strange noise coming from the rear of the car. Since I was in Europe at that time I could not give her any assistance. On July 16 we both took a drive to Rhode Island to visit a college. I was the one driving, and I could also hear the noise coming from the rear. On the highway there was a back-up developing and I had to hit the brakes a littler harder. In doing so. the car was very unstable and it look like if the rear was going to overtake the front of the car. I was very scary even for myself who is a long time experience driver. After returning home I took the car to a mechanic and have him look at it. The resulting diagnosis revealed that the subframe was completely rusted out and was about to get disconnected from the under carriage of the car at any moment. The mechanic had a hard time to find a replacement part, and was finally able to locate an OEM subframe in California, the only one in the US. The price for the part alone was $1,500. I had no choice other than to have the car repaired at the mechanic since it was at that time undrivable. The total repair was almost $3,200. I took 2 pictures of the replaced subframe (see attached). The car is a 2011 MB C300-4-matic with just 100,800 miles on it. The was purchased used, with about 12,000 miles, in Febr. 2012 from Mercedes Benz of Westford, MA, which had used the car as a loaner/company car. The car was well maintained, used up until 2020 by my daughter's mother. She then bought herself another, newer C300 (2017 model) and decided to gift her older car to the daughter instead of trading it in. We thought, we knew a lot about the car and considered it a low risk transfer for a new, still learning driver. I will also file a formal complaint with Mercedes Benz if I have figured out the correct contact point. The internet shows, other people have experienced similar situations. And eventually, see also your ID-# 10504684 and 11023618.

NHTSA ODI 11427640

The rear tail light housing harness melted due to an electrical issue. This caused my rear tail light & break lights not to function.

NHTSA ODI 11425681

2008-2011 Mercedes models were manufactured with cheap electronic steering locks that fail often. While I haven’t experienced a failure while driving, the system is and has been extremely problematic and unreliable. It is highly plausible that the system could fail while driving due to the cheap components and unreliable and faulty programming. I urge the NHTSA to look into this and require Mercedes to replace these ESL’s with a safer, more reliable steering component that doesn’t have the potential to suddenly lock or unlock due to a unforeseen failure.

NHTSA ODI 11425064

The rear sub-frame of my Mercedes failed and resulted in a dangerous situation due to left rear suspension attachment point breaking free. Braking became uncontrollable. This seems to be a common problem in the 2008-2014 C300 Mercedes based on a quick scan of the internet.

NHTSA ODI 11425036

THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MERCEDES BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING, THERE WAS A CLUNKING SOUND COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS EXAMINED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DISCOVERED THAT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE REAR SUB-FRAME HAD CRACKED AND SEPARATED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT YET CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 138,000

NHTSA ODI 11417788

A STRONG SMELL OF GAS IS COMING FROM BACK SEAT (PASSENGER SIDE)

NHTSA ODI 11415479

WHILE DRIVING, I HIT MY BRAKES AND IT WERE AS IF AN INVISIBLE HAND GRABBED THE STEERING WHEEL AND TURNED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT. I NEARLY WENT OVER A MOUNTAIN. I DROVE SLOWLY HOME BUT EACH TIME I WOULD HIT MY BRAKES THE SAME WOULD HAPPEN. LONG STORY SHORT, MY 2011 C300 WITH 80K MILES, BOUGHT FROM THE SHOWROOM AND GARAGE KEPT HAS A RUSTED AND BROKEN SUBFRAME. MY VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVABLE. I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION ALSO THAT THE AIR CONDITIONER HAS A TERRIBLE MOLDY ODOR.

NHTSA ODI 11403678

I WAS DRIVING MY 2011C-CLASS ON I-95 NORTH OF PHILADELPHIA WHEN I HAD TO SLOW DOWN DUE TO TRAFFIC. WITHOUT WARNING THE REAR OF THE CAR STARTED FISHTAILING ALMOST CAUSING A MULTI-VEHICLE ACCIDENT WHICH WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN INJURIES OR WORSE. I EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND TOOK SMALLER STREETS TO GET TO MY MECHANIC WHO HAS SERVICED THE CAR SINCE THE MERCEDES EXTENDED WARRANTY EXPIRED. UPON INSPECTION HE NOTICED THE REAR SUBFRAME WAS ROTTED OUT COMPLETELY AND THE TOE ARM WAS NOT ATTACHED. I HAVE OWNED THIS CPO CAR SINCE JUNE 2012. THE CAR IS GARAGE KEPT AND THERE ARE NO OTHER ISSUES OR RUST ON THE CAR. IT HAS APPROXIMATELY 129,000 MILES. THIS SEEMS TO BE A DEFECT AS OTHER OWNERS WITH THIS MODEL HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS.

NHTSA ODI 11403697