What 295 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Mercedes-benz E-class Cabrio

WHEN FILLING UP THE GAS TANK, THERE IS A STRONG GASOLINE SMELL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CAR. MERCEDES HAS EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON PREVIOUS YEARS AND OTHER MODELS BUT HAS NOT EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 15 YEARS FOR THIS DEFECT TO THE 2011 E350.

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THE STATED VEHICLE DEVELOPED STRONG GAS FUME SMELL AFTER FILL-UPS A FEW MONTHS BACK AT AROUND 36000 MILES. UNFORTUNATELY WE LEFT ON VACATION AND LATER TO OUR SECOND HOME AND MISSED GETTING TO THE DEALER BEFORE OUR 7 YEARS EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS OVER IN NOV. 2017. WE RETURNED HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS AND EVERYTIME WE FILL THE TANK THE SAME ODOR REAPPEARS MAKING IT NAUSEATING IN OUR GARAGE NOT TO MENTION PROBABLY DANGEROUS. I CALLED MBUSA AND WAS TOLD IT ISN'T UNDER WARRANTY (FUNNY MINE JUST EXPIRED) AND TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER FOR AN ESTIMATE. THIS IS A VEHICLE THAT AFTER ITS 3RD YEAR HAS HARDLY BEEN USED DRIVING LESS THAN 7000 MILES IN THE LAST 4 YEARS, AND THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN GARGAE KEPT. MY SEARCH IN THE WEB HAS SHOWN A LOT OF SIMILAR ISSUES WITH MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES, HOWEVER MBUSA TOLD ME NOT MINE. THIS IS A SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS ISSUE THAT I'M AFFRAID COULD CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE OR BODILY INJURY INCLUDING DEATH SHOULD A SPARK HAPPEN IN MY GARAGE. AGAIN FROM MY SEARCH IT APPEARS MERCEDES BENZ HAS HAD SIMILAR ISSUES AND PERHAPS HASN'T FOUND A COMPLETE SOLUTION.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ E350. AFTER FUELING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED A VERY STRONG FUEL ODOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE FUEL TANK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT ASSIST BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V557000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,440. *BF UPDATED 7/27/18*JB

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WE RECENTLY FILLED THE GAS TANK WITH FUEL AND NOTICED A STRONG FUEL ODOR AS IF SOMEONE SPILLED GAS ON THE FLOOR IN THE GARAGE. I PROCEEDED TO INVESTIGATE WHERE THE SMELL WAS COMING FROM AROUND THE CAR AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS STRONGEST ON THE PASSENGER REAR OF THE VEHICLE. I CHECKED ON LINE AND NOTICED SIMILAR ISSUES WITH THE FUEL TANK ON OTHER MERCEDES MODELS. I PROCEEDED TO REMOVE THE REAR SEAT AND ACCESS COVER TO THE FUEL TANK "SENDING UNIT OR FUEL PUMP" I'M NOT SURE OF THE CORRECT TERMINOLOGY, AND SURE ENOUGH THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF GAS ON TOP OF THE FUEL TANK APPARATUS. I PROCEEDED TO CAREFULLY SOAK UP THE GAS WITH A RAG AND WHEN I DID I COULD SEE GAS SLOWLY SEEPING OUT OF THE CRACKS ON THE UNIT. I WILL BE TAKING THE VEHICLE TO THE MERCEDES DEALER TOMORROW. I NOTICED THE RECALL DID NOT COVER MY VEHICLE AS IT WAS BUILT IN JULY OF 2010 WHICH IS A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THE 2011 E -CLASS EXTENDED RECALL. I HOPE THE DEALER WILL WORK WITH ME AS I CONSIDER THIS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE RESOLVED PROFESSIONALLY AND PROMPTLY.

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STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE NOTICEABLE IN THE INTERIOR AND AROUND THE EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE WHEN PARKED AFTER A RECENT REFUELING. THERE WAS NOT A GASOLINE SPILL WHEN REFUELING, NOR IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE OF A FUEL SPILL IN THE DRIVEWAY

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AFTER FILLING MY CAR WITH GASOLINE, I NOTICED A STRONG SWELL OF GASOLINE IN MY GARAGE WHEN I PARKED MY CAR. I HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED THE SMELL OF GASOLINE IN MY GARAGE AFTER FILLING UP MY GAS TANK IN THE PAST. I LEFT THE CAR IN THE GARAGE FOR AWHILE, BUT RETURNED TO A STRONGER SMELL OF GASOLINE. I TOOK THE CAR TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF BEVERLY HILLS IN CALIFORNIA FOR INSPECTION AND DIAGNOSIS. THE SERVICE ADVISOR INFORMED ME THAT THE FUEL FILTER SENSOR WAS BAD, AND IT MAY BE COVERED UNDER THE MANUFACTURE'S FREE RECALL DUE TO A FAULTY FUEL FILTER SENSOR. THE SERVICE ADVISOR INFORMED ME THAT HE HAD NUMEROUS CUSTOMERS WITH CARS NEEDING REPAIR RECENTLY FOR FUEL LEAK RELATED MALFUNCTIONS. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE HAD A CAR WITH A SIMILAR PROBLEM AS MINE BEING WORKED ON THE SAME DAY I BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE. THE SERVICE ADVISOR LATER CALLED ME AND STATED THAT MY CAR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE FREE RECALL FOR THE FUEL FILTER SENSOR, AND THAT IT WOULD COST ME $1,100.00 TO REPAIR THE CAR. THE SERVICE ADVISOR ALSO STATED THAT MY CAR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE FREE RECALL BECAUSE IT HAS A MEDAL GAS TANK INSTEAD OF A PLASTIC GAS TANK. WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE WHETHER THE GAS TANK IS MEDAL OR PLASTIC IF THE PART IS DEFECTIVE? I CHECKED OUT THIS WEBSITE AND FOUND THAT SEVERAL COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED FOR THE SAME MALFUNCTION WITH THE FUEL FILTER SENSOR CAUSING GAS TO LEAK. I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL CUSTOMER OF MERCEDES-BENZ FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS (I'VE OWNED TWO MERCEDES-BENZ THUS FAR). I WILL THINK TWICE ABOUT PURCHASING ANOTHER MERCEDES-BENZ IN THE FUTURE IF THEY DO NOT HONOR THE FREE RECALL FOR MY CAR FOR THIS DEFECTIVE PART.

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AFTER FILLING UP THE GAS TANK, THERE WAS A STRONG FUEL ODOR IN AND AROUND THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A DEFECTIVE FUEL SENDING UNIT/PUMP TOP COVER.

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BRAKE LINE CORRODED LEAKING. FUEL LINE CCORRODED

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ALL OF A SUDDEN, ONE DAY AFTER FILLING MY TANK, THERE'S NOW AN OVERWHELMING GAS SMELL PRESENT BOTH ~20 FEET AWAY FROM VEHICLE, AND INSIDE THE CAR. IT IS SO BAD, I HAVE TO LEAVE WINDOWS DOWN FOR 20-30 MINUTES WHILE DRIVING BEFORE THE ENVIRONMENT BECOMES TOLERABLE WITH THE WINDOWS UP. I HAVE READ THAT OTHER SIMILAR E350 MODELS HAVE THIS PROBLEM, BUT MY NEWER (2011) YEAR MODEL DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ON THE EXTENDED WARRANTY REPAIR LIST. I BELIEVE I HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME ISSUE OTHERS HAVE DESCRIBED BECAUSE THE SMELL OF GAS IS VERY STRONG AFTER A TOP-OFF, AND GETS GRADUALLY BETTER, BECOMING MUCH LESS NOTICEABLE AS FUEL TANK LEVEL APPROACHES 1/2 TANK AND BELOW.

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ADBLUE HEATER/SENOR FOR THE EMISSION CONTROL ON THE 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ E350 BLUETEC FAIL AFTER 80,000 MILES THE PROBLEM WITH THE SYSTEM IS THAT IT STARTS A COUNT DOWN WHICH IS DISPLAYED ON THE DASH TO HOW MANY STARTS ARE LEFT BEFORE THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN AND WILL NOT START BECAUSE OF A HEATER/SENOR. SO HERE I AM HELD CAPTIVE BY THE NUMBER OF STARTS I HAVE LEFT TO GET THE CAR TO A DEALERSHIP TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. MY PROBLEM WITH THIS IS A $50,000.00 PLUS CAR SHOULDN'T BE SHUTTING DOWN FOR A EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM. *TR

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BEGINNING SOMETIME IN MAY 2013, THE CAR BEGAN LEAKING FUMES INTO THE PASSENGER CABIN WHICH MADE ME VERY ILL. AFTER TAKING IT TO BOTH PARK PLACE MERCEDES HERE IN DALLAS, AND THEN MERCEDES BENZ OF PLANO, NEITHER SERVICE DEPARTMENT COULD DETERMINE WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE MATTER WITH PARK PLACE, I TOOK IT TO MERCEDES BENZ OF PLANO IN NOVEMBER 2013. THEY EVALUATED THE CAR, CHANGED THE BATTERY, AND GAVE THE CAR BACK TO ME IN DECEMBER OF 2013 FOR A WEEKEND, CLAIMING IT WAS FIXED. THE CAR, HOWEVER, WAS CONTINUING TO LEAK FUMES INTO THE PASSENGER CABIN, SICKENING ME AGAIN. I RETURNED THE CAR TO THEM FOR FURTHER EVALUATION. THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE REPAIRED IT, BUT INSTEAD OF GETTING IN THE CAR, I SENT AN INDUSTRIAL HYGIENIST TO TEST THE INSIDE AIR OF THE CAR, AFTER STARTING IT UP AND LETTING IT RUN FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. THAT TEST FOUND UNUSUALLY LARGE CONCENTRATIONS OF ETHANOL, PROPENE, ISOPROPANOL, ACETONE, TOLUENE, HEXANE, AND CYCLOHEXANE -- CHEMICALS WHICH ALL APPEAR TO BE COMPONENTS OF GASOLINE. I AM STILL, AS OF THIS WRITING, IN OCTOBER 2014, WRANGLING WITH MERCEDES BENZ AND MERCEDES BENZ OF PLANO OVER REPAIR TO MY CAR. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A COPY OF THE REPORT OF THE AIR TEST FROM THE INTERIOR OF MY 2011 MERCEDES BENZ E550 COUPE. *TR

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