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

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact took the vehicle in for an oil change and was informed of a recall for fuel system failure. The contact stated that there was an abnormally strong fuel odor whenever there was more than ¾ tank of fuel. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was provided with Mercedes-Benz Technical Service Bulletin Number: 2013020002. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V557000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11478143

I do not know what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and my vehicle has been inspected. My safety and the safety of others were put at risk, because my vehicle was speeding in reverse and not responding to my multiple braking. The Dealership informed me that they did not find or detect any malfunction at all. Mercedes Benz performed a "full inspection on my vehicle". There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the incident.

NHTSA ODI 11477965

Just been told by the Mercedes Benz Service/Dealership that on my 2011 E-350 which has only about 73,000 miles that rear subframe of the car is so badly rusted that it is a serious safety hazard to drive this car, and it wouldn't pass the PA State Safety inspection. For safety reasons, the MB Service Manager has advised not to drive the vehicle until the issue is fixed. The cost to fix/replace the sub-frame and associated labor charges is quoted is $5400.00. The car has been serviced regularly as recommended by the manufacturer exclusively at the same Mercedes Benz dealership. It is hard to imagine that a company such as Mercedes Benz would make parts that would be rusted and damaged so easily and quickly. This ought to be a flawed part and/or poor-quality material to rust and become a safety hazard. I have now seen many postings on the BenzWorld.org forum who are experiencing this issue. I strongly believe, Mercedes Benz should be held liable and accountable to replace and/or repair the issue at their own cost - there should be a safety recall. Over the years, I have driven many cars for much longer time (over 15 years) and many more miles (over 150,000 miles) but never had such a rusting issue, and such expensive repair/replacement to rectify the issue. It is unfair to the consumers to subject them such safety hazard to themselves and others on the road.

NHTSA ODI 11473350

The air suspension started leaning heavily on one side after being parked for 12+ hours. And 2 days ago, while warming up the car, air suspension did not stop pumping air until front right air strut blew up. It was really loud and unexpected, I was lucky the car was not driven when the explosion happened. Checking through forums, most people who own W212 E-Class with airmatic suspension have issues with car lowering over night. This is a big Safety concern that might lead to blow out of the strut(or multiple)

NHTSA ODI 11469220

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes Benz E350. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH and abruptly depressing the brake pedal to avoid striking a deer, the vehicle inadvertently veered to the left out of the lane almost causing a collision with another vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the subframe was severely rusted causing the rear subframe to fracture. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 123,000.

NHTSA ODI 11465123

I was pulling up the passenger seat to put something in the backseat of my parked car. The headrest unexpectedly deployed and a small plastic piece broke off. Now I am fearful this could happen when driving the car, potentially harming myself or others. A witness saw what happened. There was no warning.

NHTSA ODI 11464681

While filling the gas tank, gas continued to pour from the pump, even though the tank was full. Usually the pump automatically stops dispensing gas when the tank is full. Gas splashed all over my car and myself. Also, my car often smells like gas after filling up the tank. It seems dangerous to have gas fumes inside of my car. I feel like a rolling bomb driving after a fill up. What’s going on?

NHTSA ODI 11464625

While in a mall parking lot I stepped on the brake and the pedal went down to the floor. I pulled over into a safe location and placed the car in park. I got out and looked at all four wheels and saw brake fluid leaking out of the left rear brake line. I had the car towed to my authorized service center. After inspecting the auto they informed me both rear brake lines were severely rusted out and the left rear burst where it attached to the break hose. They replaced both rear lines and hoses from the center of the car back to solve the issue. This is the first time in all the cars I've owned (including 5 previous Mercedes) that I have had brake lines rust through. I feel this is an extremely serious safety issue that shouldn't occur on an 11 year old car with about 111,000 miles on it (about 10,000 miles/year). After researching this issue on various online forums it appears this was not an isolated incident and should be looked into.

NHTSA ODI 11462357

Hello, I was driving one night I hit the brake and the car lost control ..I was able to drive home afterward I took the car to a shop and after inception They found the rear K sub frame rusted and broken. The car in excellent shape with no rust or corrosion in any other area. The car has 108k miles and always parked indoor.

NHTSA ODI 11456111

My vehicle developed a raw fuel smell inside and outside the vehicle. Also the check engine light came on. The problem was resolved by the dealer after some time under PZEV warranty. What I am concerned with is why was this not a recall as the vehicle fuel vapors could of caused a fire in our garage or while we were operating it. Please note there was raw gas on the outside of the fuel tank.

NHTSA ODI 11452300

The contact owned a 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 30 - 35 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the driver's side front door. The contact stated that the steering wheel and knee air bags deployed upon impact. The contact was unaware of the side curtain air bags had deployed; and if so, did the Emergency Response Unit cut away the curtain air bags to remove his daughter from the vehicle prior to his arrival. The contact stated that the driver’s side door was totally smashed but he did not see where the side curtain air bags might have deployed. The contact's daughter was transported by ambulance to the hospital with a fractured and dislocated pelvic bone in four locations and a fractured left arm. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11446291

1.ENGINE MOUNTS & TRANSMISSION MOUNTS COLLAPSED. This is the second time in 10 years that this is happening. It happened at the two year mark & Mercedes Benz made me pay for half of it. Now 8 years later it is happening again. They are asking $2,130.00 to replace it. 2. OIL FILTER GASKET Found severe oil links from oil filter housing. they are asking $1189.13 to replace it. this also happened 8 years ago & they made me pay for half of it as well.

NHTSA ODI 11446219

Transmission cooler which i manufactured inside the radiator failed causing transmission fluid to mix with anti-freeze/coolant, now the transmission slips and per recommendation from a mercedes dealership the vehicle needs a new transmission, torque converter, radiator, radiator cap, new upper and lower radiator hoses, new upper and lower radiator overflow hoses, new thermostat and the entire cooling system to be flushed and the transmission lines to be flushed, estimated at $11,200 for the repair

NHTSA ODI 11443261

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, a strong fuel odor was detected inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact rolled down the windows, but the fuel odor was still detectable. The contact pulled over and inspected the vehicle, but there was no visible fuel leakage. The failure recurred three times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was diagnosed that a cover for the passenger's side fuel sending unit was leaking gasoline. The passenger's side fuel sending unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 194,000.

NHTSA ODI 11441470

the vendor is supplying tires that guaranteed fit for vehicles that are lower than the load specified for the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11433667

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The back of the driver seat failed due to my car being rear ended. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Unable to sit looking straight forward when driving. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. By Mercedes Benz dealer Fletcher Jones of Newport Beach, CA. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? I have reported the problem to my auto insurance co.: AAA. AAA said they need to send their own appraiser to confirm the finding of the Mercedes Benz dealer. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? None. My auto was rear ended on 3-22-21. Immediately, the problem was reported to AAA. Prior to 3-22-21, my auto was with my regular repair shop for regular oil changes and nothing was reported was wrong with the driver seat. I waiting for AAA decision in order to do repairs. I have three emails from Mercedes dealer and from AAA auto insurance. I could not figure out to forward them to you.

NHTSA ODI 11433714

We took our car into the local Mercedes Benz Dealership at Ft. Washington, PA for a routine service and PA inspection. Our vehicle is a 2011 MB E 4 matic and has ~70K miles. We received a call stating that the rear subframe of the vehicle had failed and was not considered safe and therefore did not pass the PA state inspection. We authorized the dealership to replace the component, which was done. The dealership suggested the corrosion may be caused by salt used for removing snow. The car was garaged routinely, washed including undercarriage routinely and the google search suggested that the amount of snow since 2011 was lower than normal. I explored the internet and it appears that this issue has been documented by others for this and other models of MB vehicles. I also found a police inquiry which suggests failure of this component could cause the vehicle to lose control during driving. I spoke with the MB USA people and they did not think there was a significant issue and that this was not a recall or warranty issue currently. I wanted to report this to you for reference.

NHTSA ODI 11432427

The rear "K" suspension subframe assembly had to be replaced because of rust internally in the vehicle frame. There was no other rust, internally or externally visible, on the entire car. My mechanic indicated that the car would not pass inspection without major repairs at a cost of over $2800. If the subframe became disconnected, steering control would be lost resulting in a potentially serious injury due to loss of directional control at high speeds. My mechanic has already replaced parts to repair this issue on at least 4 other cars within a short period of time.

NHTSA ODI 11432196

Panoramic roof area is constantly popping loudly during driving across unlevel and uneven surfaces. The sound is very loud and startling causing me to abruptly swerve or break. The repair shop is able to reproduce the noise and stated: "Origin of noise 42180-42185, noise from center panoramic roof; cross support mounting bar bolts loose, headliner needs to be dropped and bolts tightened). I was also warned the sunroof could loosen to the point that the glass could fall out causing a dangerous road hazard!

NHTSA ODI 11430808

Strong smell of gas noted at the driver rear wheel well after a fillup. Under the rear seat, the top of the fuel tank is under a pool of gasoline. The cap that covers pump/filter/sending units is leaking. I cleaned up the gasoline, and almost immediately the indent on the top of the tank began filling up with gasoline again. Air is getting into the fuel system, making it difficult to start. No warning lights to indicate an issue.

NHTSA ODI 11425833

hit and run

NHTSA ODI 11424155

On 3-22-2021, my car was rear ended. The car that that rear ended my car was going at a high speed: the neck rests opened due to the accident. The air bags did not open. I noticed that there was a recall on airbags for 2011 Mercedes but no recall for my VIN. How can I know that my air bags function?

NHTSA ODI 11422670

MY 2011 E350 SOFT CONVERTIBLE TOP IS LEAKING HYDRAULIC FLUID FROM THE PISTONS AND THE FLEXIBLE TUBING RUNNING THROUGH THE SOFT TOP ROOF (DRIVERS SIDE) TO THE LOCKING MECHANISM WHICH SECURES IT TO THE WINDSHIELD IS DEVELOPING A SERIOUS KINK THAT WILL LIKELY FAIL SOON AND LEAK FLUID INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. DEFINITELY A POOR DESIGN AS THE LINES DO NOT HAVE A FLEX JOINT AT THE HINGE POINT TO ALLOW FOR REPEATED BENDING DURING OPERATION OF THE TOP. I BELIEVE IT TO BE A BAD DESIGN / PREMATURE FAILURE AND SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM PAID FOR MY MERCEDES BENZ.

NHTSA ODI 11413215

STRONG SMELL OF FUEL AFTER REFUELING THE VEHICLE, INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. APPEARS TO BE SIMILAR TO ISSUES RELATED TO THE 2003-2009 MODEL YEARS PREVIOUSLY INVESTIGATED BY NHTSA AND CLOSED IN DECEMBER 2014.

NHTSA ODI 11407421

CAR WOULDN'T START. LIGHT CAME ON WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO START THE CAR BUT IT WOULDN'T COME ON. DIAGNOSIS FOUND THAT IT'S DUE TO A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH MERCEDES BENZ E CLASS CARS-A FAILED ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH (EIS). IGNITION SWITCH AND KEY MUST BE REPLACED. I WAS TOLD THAT THE COST WILL BE $2,103 AND IT WILL TAKE UP TO 10 DAYS TO REPAIR (CAR WAS TOWED 3 DAYS AGO). THIS COST DOES NOT INCLUDE COSTS FOR A RENTAL CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11405032