What 435 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Mercedes-benz C-class Hybrid

The tire exploded on highway,left sever damage on my car. The dealership ruined even more by trying to fix it. I think this tires are not safe to drive on the road. since I didn’t use the car less then 4000 miles a year.

NHTSA ODI 11458126

PCV (Positive Crank Ventilation) error fault. Error message keeps coming and is affecting a large number of vehicles.

NHTSA ODI 11458079

MY VEHICLE'S Positive Crankcase ventilation valve NEEDS REPLACING. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE FOR A WEEK IM LEARNING THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE'S MAKE MODEL AND YEAR AND IS LIKELY TO OCCUR MORE THAN ONE TIME IN THE VEHILES LIFETIME. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY AN INDEPENDENT SERVICE CENTER I WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE BY MY VEHICLE'S CHECK ENGIN LIGHT

NHTSA ODI 11456933

I keep getting a litany of warnings on the dash.

NHTSA ODI 11456242

Looks like I am not the first one to complain about the strong smell of fuel on the driver side under the hood as well as inside of the vehicle. Upon further inspection it was determined that the fuel line at the pump is leaking fuel. My car has only 48k miles on it...How can such dangerous failure be ignored by MB for more than three-four years or longer?? Please note that this particular issie is leading the complaints chart. Based on the amount of identical complaints, it appears that this "manufacturer" is waiting for an injury or fatality before they do something about it. This fuel hose situation MUST be addressed IMIDIATELY. Please start the recall before it is too late!!!

NHTSA ODI 11456245

Car was parked in Garage with garage door open. Wife and I wanted to go biking and the bikes needed air in the tires. Pre-positioned one bike directly behind parked car and one parallel with the pneumatic air pump prepositioned to inflate the tires. Went to driver's side door and started car with foot on the brake and pushed the button. I then plugged in the adapter for the air pump into the cigarette lighter. The whole time the driver's side door was open and the car was not moving. I exited the car and walked backwards and knelt down abeam the left rear automobile tire to inflate the bike tire. I started the pump at the unit and started to connect the hose to the bike tire, I was then hit from behind by the car door which bent backwards as it passed over me in reverse at low speed. The bike may have saved me by creating a wedge to bend the door back and away from me. The car started down my driveway and dragged the bike parked behind it underneath wedged and sparking across the ground. I got some scrapes but jumped after the car and tried to stop it by trying to slow it with my weight and strength and it was not stopping or slowing. I was worried I may get run over a second time and let it continue to roll at low idle speed across the street and into the neighbor's car that was parked. I am positive the car was not moving after I started it and I didn't have my foot on the brake to engage the reverse function one I exited the vehicle. I believe that the car engaged in reverse once I started the air pump. Maybe it was a voltage or electrical spike. I have used this pump setup many times before to inflate the car's tires and my bike tires but never saw it do this before.

NHTSA ODI 11455877

This vehicle has a known issue of the timing chain needing replacement around 80,000 miles. When I hit approx. 78,000 miles i started hearing strange sounds and issues with my vehicle starting so I took my vehicle to a local mechanic and he said that the timing chain needs to be replaced. he also stated that there should be a recall on this issue as there has been a recall on the same vehicle for the same issue just a different year which has the same exact engine therefore this year of vehicle should also have the recall applied for the timing chain to be repaired. This issue is causing engine problems and will eventually lead to the engine completely blowing at any time now.

NHTSA ODI 11455690

I got a P052E code on my car which means a faulty crankcase or PCV valve. After doing some reading it seems to be a super common problem.

NHTSA ODI 11455780

While driving, heard loud flapping noise and when stopped discovered the tread on driver side rear tire had separated from the tire and was hitting wheel well, and passenger door. Road was clear and smooth prior to the incident Happened Saturday, March 5, 2022 at about 1:30 pm. Consumer stated Pirelli Risk Management wanted to make arrangements to have the tire shipped to them for inspection.

NHTSA ODI 11455428

Long story short, I own a 2015 C300 Mercedes with 59,500 miles I was driving on the street when my engine started shaking so rough and my car lost power. I panicked and pulled over and drove 10mph all the way home. My vehicle would shake rough, couldn’t exceed 10mph and would make loud noises. I take it to the Keyes Mercedes dealership and they tell me it’s a cracked piston. I couldn’t believe it because I only have 59k miles. I have my vehicle records so I have been up to date on my maintenance. They dissembled my engine and couldn’t find the cause to the failure but found the cracked piston in cylinder #1 and damage to the cylinder walls. They recommended to replace complete engine and it will cost me about more than $18,000!! The piston falls under Mercedes 7 year/70k miles emissions warranty and yet they deny coverage. After doing lots of research I come to find out that I’m not the only victim that has suffered the exact damage. People that also own a Mercedes c300 and other models are now without a vehicle and looking at a repair of $18k+ and making a car payment for nothing. This has caused us stress, inconvenience, and damage to our mental health. Keyes Mercedes located in Van Nuys is also aware of the common cracked piston issues on their vehicles. In 2 days I mark 4 months without my car. Please help!!

NHTSA ODI 11455271

PVC Pipe to turbo. I am very concerned because this is a reoccurring issue with many owners of C300s. Also, I think it is related to recall number 20V364000 Engine and engine cooling: Engine: Gasoline: Turbo/supercharger. The issue was confirmed by a dealer Check engine light illuminated.

NHTSA ODI 11454975

When I got my Mercedes 2.5 years ago I would always notice a very strong gas smell that would come very randomly. I would have to open my windows for the smell of fuel to go away. I presented this to the Greenway Mercedes Dealership 2X VERBALLY and they told me that it is just a "Mercedes thing" and everything is ok because it is not "VISIBILLY" leaking fuel. Which it was not. However, the smell of the fuel is EXTREME, It would happen to me through out the year (in the summer and winter, regardless of temperature) randomlly. I would have to leave the garage ASAP when I turn on my car just in case the smell of fuel was extreme because my parents would tell me that it would even COME INTO THE HOUSE. I thought I was crazy to think this was normal and just a "Mercedes thing". But then I got a letter on August 2021 and did some research and saw I was not the only one and there is a class action lawsuit -Mercedes sent a letter on August 21 announcing they will extended the limited warranty of the "Fuel hose connected to high pressure fuel pump" from the original warranty of 4 years/50,000 miles to 10 years/120,000 miles. HOWEVER, This does NOT HELP, they are still saying it is a wear and tear and REFUSE to replace the defected MANUFACTORER part and INSIST it is not "seeping fuel" from the connection at the fuel pump, so it is NOT under warranty. I am confused as to why this is not a recall? Extending the warranty did nothing to help Mercedes Owners at all. They continued to claim it is "wear and tear so that is why the fuel is sweeping at a different location" AS WELL, two dealerships told me it would take them 24-48 hours for them to JUST INSPECT my car to see if it is covered. This extension did resolve anything, but made sure the dealerships deny even more. Now, I have to continue to leave my garage within 30 sec. so I don't suffocate the cats that sleep in the garage or have my family smell the fuel as I leave. And to open my windows so I can breath fresh air.

NHTSA ODI 11454766

Car has 51,000 miles , no check engine light or any other warning light .driving in on the freeway at 70 mph when I hear a pop sound and my car loses power , I pushed on the gas and it started to shake violently and I panicked as the construction on the freeway was not allowing drivers a shoulder to pull over on . I was lucky enough to be driving at 2am and with the construction going on , drivers were already slowing down . My car also started blowing a thick white smoke through the back exhaust that could have made it harder to see that late night as it was already foggy here in California . At first I didn’t realize I was smoking through the back until my car began smelling like burnt oil . I wasn’t able to get off the freeway until the next exit all while thinking that my car was going to explode from the smell of the burning oil . When I pulled over and got out of the car I made sure I didn’t see any fire and then I waited to let it cool down , opened the hood and saw oil everywhere . I had it towed to Mercedes and I got the problem and the estimated cost to repair it . The problem turned out being a cracked piston in cylinder one , when it cracked it allowed oil to mix with the gasoline and that’s what was causing all the white smoke out the rear , the burnt smell was from the oil that was leaked all over my engine getting too hot from the engine. I found out a few days ago that Mercedes’ has a technical billeting regarding a faulty wrist pin that was causing the pistons to eventually crack . In the bulletin the faulty pin problem is fixed by replacing all the pistons and adding a upgraded pin and many other parts . So there are many other drivers that are experiencing this and driving with faulty wrist pins . Prior to all this happening the car always made a tap tap tap sound from engine and Mercedes’ said it was normal for 4cylinder turbos to make this sound, sounded like a diesel . But it turned out being from the loose wrist pin . Mercedes lied to us . THE CONSUMER REQUESTED THAT MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES, WITH THE M274 ENGINE, BE INVESTIGATED. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. THE CONSUMER STATED THE CAUSE MAY BE DUE TO A WRIST PIN THAT IS THE WRONG SIZE.

NHTSA ODI 11450360

The contact owned a 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while idle, the engine would vibrate with an abnormal sputtering sound coming from the engine. As the failure persisted, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had initially taken the vehicle to a dealer and the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the dealer and a diagnostic test was performed, and it was discovered that an engine cylinder had blown. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The contact then spoke to an independent mechanic who informed her that the failure was a common failure for her model vehicle. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and a case was filed. An email was sent to the manufacturer and the contact was informed that no further assistance could be offered. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,900.

NHTSA ODI 11448341

The wrist pin is defective in early engines during manufacturing. It is not safe to operate the vehicle because at any time without any warning this can cause fatal damage to the engine - piston crack resulting in total loss of control even at high speeds on the highway. Numerous complaints were filed on NHTSA regarding cracked pistons most likely related to this wrist pin manufacture defect. The problem is acknowledged by M-BENZ (NHTSA ID Number: 10058545), and starting around April 20 2015 M-BENZ started to install modified wrist pins to prevent future failures, but they did not address existing faulty wrist pins. The vehicle was always serviced at the official MBENZ Dealer service and was under comprehensive inspection multiple times but the issue was never acknowledged by the service technicians during the warranty period even though the issue existed since manufacturing and instruction of how to diagnose was distributed between service technicians via Manufacturer Communication Number: LI03-10P060916 in 2015. When the M-BENZ Delear service technician finally confirmed the issue, the vehicle was already out of warranty and there is a hefty price to a customer to fix this manufacturer defect that should not have been there in the first place. There are no warning lamps, messages, or other easily detectable symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The issue can be diagnosed under very special conditions described in Manufacturer Communication Number: LI03-10P060916 For most drivers, it's hard to diagnose that something is wrong and easily mistaken for normal operation noise of the engine

NHTSA ODI 11448391

Recall 2021070010----NHTSA #21V197--Panoramic roof not boned correctly to the vehicle during prior replacement -

NHTSA ODI 11446927

The car have anew recall Recall #2021070010. The dealership Garage Isla Verde won’t provide me any type of services to my car. Neither repair this safety recall. They cancelled my appointments because I’m not welcome to the dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11446565

Without any warring or indication my engine would start making bad noise then light comes on to check engine as the motor fails and car shuts off. This is while driving and has happened two times now. Both times I find it’s due to spark plug failure and pieces of the plug go throughout the engine and severely damage. First time this happened at 82,000 miles and was covered by warranty. Now this has happened again on the new engine with 81000 miles on it. I seen many forums on this issue. This time it’s not under warranty and it’s $18000 to fix. Mercedes Benz w205 engine seems to be notorious for spark plug failure in cylinder 1 as well as piston cracking. The first time this happened was October 12th 2019 and the warranty work was done at fletcher Jones Mercedes Benz of Newport Beach

NHTSA ODI 11446555

Power steering malfunctioned while driving. Received error on dash. The steering wheel was very difficult to turn. Issue was resolved after turning the car off for 5mins and restarting. However it is unclear whether the issue would fester again. This is the first time this issue occurred between 2017-2022.

NHTSA ODI 11446430

The contact owns a 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that a strong fuel odor could be smelled from both inside and outside the vehicle. The vehicle had to be serviced for the failure; however, upon inspection, the contact believed that the source of the odor was from the engine fuel lines. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed him that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA ODI 11444474

Constant fuel smell coming from the engine, you can see gas coming out of the high pressure line. When I park in the garage the whole house smells like gas. Even while driving gas smell coming through the vents constantly

NHTSA ODI 11444326

The contact owns a 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-60 MPH, the #1 piston cracked. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving, the vehicle was shaking and smoking. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the #1 piston was cracked, engine cooler, P0301 cylinder #1, P219 solenoid failure. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic and the engine was replaced. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 105,102.

NHTSA ODI 11444200

on 7/17/21 the piece of the top of the car right from the from window leading to sunroof came undone and flew off while on highway. vehicle was repaired a month later at body shop. this was out of pocket due to not wanting to claim on my insurance due to deductible. This piece flew off at a high velocity with no warning and couldve caused a accident. There was no indication of any issues no lights no warnings signs. There was a loud noise like a brick or large object falling on top which then I heard a lot of air. Recently again in October 5 I was driving on the highway and debris hit my sun roof, my window was shaking and I went to the body shop. in the brief drive there some 10 miles the same plastic part repaired was lifted and coming off. on this occasion I used my Insurance. On 03/2/22, another event in which the plastic portion between front window and rooftop flew off while driving 60mph on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11442155

Panoramic sunroof off centered causing glass to tilt on one side above vehicle. Note, a recall for the same on models 2015 c300 for vehicles with prior service but same issues/ problems for my vehicle that has not been serviced.

NHTSA ODI 11438782

Check engine light came on. Code P052E. Had this code in 2018 and the pcv valve and line were changed. Currently has the same issue 3 years later. This is a very common problem with mercedes that have this engine.

NHTSA ODI 11436743