What 300 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Mercedes-benz E-class Wagon

Vehicle subframe corrosion (manufacturer extended warranty offered). Rear brake lines corroded/leaking. Vehicle leaks fuel; steel fuel line corroded. Vehicle has about 105k miles. Minor fire started when yard maintenance came in contact with fuel saturated ground where vehicle had been parked/moved out of the way just prior. With rear suspension subframe springs corroded, vehicle bottom can contact road surface while driving, scraping steel exhaust with fuel present. EXTREMELY dangerous. Local Sunbury Ohio Mercedes dealership inspected then offered subframe replacement. Stated it was leaking fuel and not hydraulic fluid we originally thought. Brake, suspension and fuel line corrosion repairs were quoted in excess of $4,000, which was a "great deal" according to them "because the subframe would already be removed and would make it much easier."

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Brake line failure. Front section of the line that feeds the rear wheels leaked while traveling. Warning light came on. Purchased brake fluid and drove to local service provider. The rear section left to right above subframe was found to be rotted, but not leaking yet. Local service provider replaced front and rear brake lines.

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Brake lines leaking because corrosion under frame from ABS module which is essential a safety aspect that should not be happening.

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Badly corroded rear brake lines requiring replacement on a rust free car. Noted by the dealer as recommending replacement at approximately 70,000 miles: THE REAR BRAKE LINES ARE SUPER RUSTED AND CORRODED. THE REAR BRAKE LINES NEED TO BE REPLACED BEFORE THEY RUPTURE OPEN AND ALL BRAKING ABILITY IS LOST. ALIGNMENT WILL HAVE TO BE DONE AFTER BRAKE LINES ARE REPLACED SINCE THE REAR SUB FRAME HAS TO BE REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE SEE ALIGNMENT RECOMMENDATION FOR ALIGNMENT COST--------3 DAY ORDER TIME

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2014 Mercedes e350 these models as well as those from2009-2015. Have recall on subframe but the brake lines rust out and deteriorate as mine has now done. If you go on line you tube etc. you will see the issue and all complaints. I had my subframe replaced under warranty at Mercedes of flemington. About 1 1/2 years ago. While it was being serviced they asked me if I wanted to replace brake lines for $1200 since they had this part out job would be easy. So this means Mercedes is well aware of the deterioration of these line the man at mb said the metal was inferior and this is result. On YouTube it was stated that individuals took mb to court or accountability for this but results were negative. Yet problem exists. If you breaks fail while driving it is very dangerous. Also I believe there is a recall for gas lines for my model 2014 manufactured from June and July. The brake lines on my vehicle are rusting as is gas tank. This also is dangerous condition should accidents occur the lines because compromised with rust can much easily rupture causing fuels to spew out causing possible explosive condition. I have pictures and can forward

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vehicle rear brake lines are corroded and leaking, while no corrosion was observed on surrounding parts

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Rear’s brake line leaking brake fluid and car will not stop ;the rears brake line is all rusted the car only has 65 k miles and garage all it life It’s a very serious safety issue thanks for taking this e mailed [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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The rear brake lines, along with the rear subframe have experienced severe rust and corrosion.

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Driving home on a 30MPH street, had the brake light go on and felt the brake petal sink to the floor when I had to stop. Very concerning was grateful I wasn’t going faster. Cautiously made it home, and when I took it to the shop, they diagnosed that the brake lines had corroded. This is a huge safety concern and should be a recall as it could be fatal in certain circumstances.

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Rear brake lines have rusted out causing a safety concern. Mercedes will not extend the warranty to repair the recognized inferior parts as they did for the rear subframe. The rusty rear brake lines are related to the rusted subframe which was repaired under extended warranty by Mercedes at no cost. The same should apply to the rear brake lines. I am currently having the rear brake lines replaced due to this rust and safety issue. Please require Mercedes to extend the warranty and related repair to the rear brake lines as it is systemic to these cars.

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The emergency brake often gets stuck, especially on cold days. I have to repeatedly push and release it or manually adjust it by pushing behind the brake to return it to the release position. This problem starts on 28000 Mile on this car

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Dealer reports that, in addition to the dangerous corrosion on rear subframe covered by the extended warranty program, the rear brake lines are dangerously corroded and may fail at any time. I inquired about how this is even possible as I am accustomed to vehicles with cupronickel brake lines that do not corrode. I was told they are merely enameled steel on this model and prone to premature corrosion where they are mounted to the chassis with plastic clips that wear off the enamel and allow premature corrosion and eventually catastrophic failure. I was also told the replacement parts are now cupronickel, indicating Mercedes understands the original design was defective. I believe this should have been covered under the same program as the rear subframe, not be used as an upsell tool to customers affected by that issue. I also believe steel brake lines should just be banned outright for all vehicles, the risk of rupture due to corrosion leading to brake failure is far too high.

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10/14/21 Was cautioned that the rear brake lines and caliper hoses were very corroded. Mileage 43,185 10/19/22 Cautioned about rear brake lines. Mileage 48,459 12/11/23 Rear brake lines replacement cost $4497. Repair not done at that time. Mileage 53,375. Again cautioned. 10/30/24 service date- Was informed that the rear subframe was corroded and would be replaced by Mercedes-Benz. I have photos from the dealer. There are holes in the rear subframe.The brake lines could be replaced at the same time at a cost of $2820 due to the fact it is in same area. Mileage 58,597 I asked M-B Customer Service to cover the rear brake lines as the under coating was not sufficient to protect the rear subframe and brake lines. They rejected my claim. I was told others have also tried to get M-B to cover this cost and were rejected. My vehicle has very few miles for its age. I have never had to replace rear brake lines in the 40 years I have owned a Mercedes Benz vehicle. I believe that they have not adequately protected the undercarriage from weather. The rear subframe is my evidence. At some point these brake lines could fail. They will be replaced. I want the manufacturer to cover the cost of the brake lines when the rear subframe is replaced. Please advise.

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Rear brake line corrosion

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Brake lines are rusted and corroded. It appears that the rust may have spread from rust on the rear subframe. The rear subframe warranty was extended for premature rust and failure, but the brake lines are not covered. This could have led to a dangerous situation. I've never had a vehicles brake lines rust like this. They should also extend the warranty coverage to cover rusted brake lines.

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2014 Mercedes E350 with 129,000 miles. It was discovered recently that the subframe was rusted, and a hole had formed. The subframe was replaced under extended warranty offered by Mercedes. During the replacement, the dealership discovered that the metal rear brake lines are also rusted.

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Brake pedal became "spongy" and then total brake failure with dashboard warnings to check brake fluid. Caused by corroded brake lines that failed and allowed all brake fluid to be lost in the system. Extremely dangerous as no braking was available.

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Rear brake lines rusting and corrosion.

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Rear subframe snapped under hard braking on the highway and caused my to veer into leftmost lane. It was terrifying and a severe hazard on the highway. Had vehicle towed to my house. I lifted and inspected my car and found the rear subframe was rusted and a crack straight through. The rear brake lines were also severely corroded and are very close to failing. Front brake lines have no corrosion. It seems that the rear subframe and rear brake lines have the same anti rust coating which are clearly not sufficient.

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The rear brake lines on my 2014 Benz E350 was blowout while stopping at a traffic light. After inspection, the both rear brake lines were rusted

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Rear subframe rusted was covered under an extended warranty (after a lawsuit), but the rear brake lines are also very rusted and not covered by warranty. Rear springs also broken (rusted) and bolts seized.

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Brake pedal went to floor and brake function became significantly impaired and dangerous. Took car to local shop who diagnosed as failed rear brake lines, and most of the entire length of the rear lines were in very bad condition. Car only has 104k on it. It doesn't take much searching on the internet to see how widespread of a problem this is, and even the dealer admits they do multiple of these per week on the W212 (and a few other platforms are affected). The front lines seem to be in good shape so there does seem to be a design issue here.

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All of a sudden my brake error lights went on while driving to work. By the time I could stop at a garage on the way my brake fluid was very low and more was added. Had to again add more when I got home just so I could take the car to my repair shop. Independent repair specializing in mercedes identified 4 leaks in rear brake lines. Pictures show that all leaks are at or adjacent to clips attaching to the car. Something is wrong with the design or materials for this to happen consistently in the same car. Mechanic said this isn't expected until cars get at least 100k and shouldn't be consistently in the same connections. The fluid was draining so fast that if someone were driving a longer distance they may not have the ability to refill before brake failure. This is a safety hazard to have so many material failures at the same area of the brake lines.

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Suspension Rear Sub-frame rusted through, rear Lower control arm disconnected from rear sub-frame due to rust/corrosion. It is available for inspection. While braking at highway speeds the car fishtailed and I almost lost control of the vehicle. This has not been confirmed or inspected by any service, Insurance or Police entity. No warning lights, messages etc. Brakes: Rear brake lines are severely corroded in the same area as the rear sub-frame. Electrical System: Battery continuously discharges and is dead after 5 hours.

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I am losing brake fluid. Likely from rotted brake lines. Was given a quote attached below for repair of rotten brake lines 2 years ago. My friend has the same vehicle (a 2014 model) and had to replace brake lines for the same issue. I've never heard of break lines rotting and leaking on another make of vehicle after only 8 years of use at 70K. The car is always garaged, washed weekly and currently at 91K miles. I believe the coverage of the rear subframe should be extended to the break lines for this model of vehicle since it is a commonly reported problem per the dealer.

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