What 315 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Mercedes-benz C-class Hybrid

Panoramic sunroof fails to open/ close evenly due to binding issue and plastic track failure. One side binds while the other moves, causing glass to tilt and jam. Risk of dangerous injury including glass shattering, sudden detachment, distraction while driving, and water intrusion affecting airbags/electronics.

NHTSA ODI 11733700

ON OCT 14TH AT NIGHT CAR WAS DRIVEN IN HEAVY RAIN OFF INTERSTATE I5 OFF RAMP TO EXIT INTERSTATE. THERE WERE CARS BOTH IN FRONT AND BEHIND US EXITING AND UPON DRIVING FURTHER NOTICED THERE WAS STANDING WATER. OTHER CARS WERE MAKING IT THROUGH SLOWLY, THERE WAS NO ROOM TO TURN AROUND. THIS CAR ALMOST MADE IT TO THE END OF THE OFFRAMP AND THEN STALLLED. OTHER CARS WERE FORCED TO GO AROUND. TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR TO NO AVAIL. CALLED FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD AND THEN ALL LIGHTING WENT DARK IN CAR. THEN SAW FLAMES FROM THE HOOD. QUICKLY RAN THROUGH WATER TO ESCAPE AND FLAMES GOT SEVERAL FEET HIGH. PASSER BY'S HAD CALLED 911 AS ENTIRE FRONT OF CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO CUT OPEN CAR HOOD TO PUT OUT FIRE. CAR DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR AND THEY TOO WERE INCREDULOUS THAT A NEW CAR WOULD BE ENGULFED IN FLAMES AFTER STALLING IN THE RAIN.

NHTSA ODI 10916229

AFTER STOPPING AND WAITING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT FOR 15-30 SECONDS, I HAD MY FEET ON THE BRAKES AND LEFT TURN INDICATOR ON. THE "HOLD" OPTION TO LOCK MY BRAKES WAS NOT ENGAGED. THE CAR WAS STATIONARY. WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND JOLTED FORWARD INTO THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF ME AT THE LIGHT. (I WAS THE SECOND CAR IN LINE, AND I STOPPED ABOUT A HALF CAR LENGTH BEHIND THE OTHER DRIVER.) THE ACCELERATION WAS NOT A TYPICAL, GRADUAL MOVEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I RELEASE MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE TO DRIVE. IT WAS A SUDDEN AND JARRING JUMP REGARDLESS OF THE FACT THAT MY FOOT NEVER LEFT THE BRAKE. I TRIED TO PRESS THE BRAKES MULTIPLE TIMES TO STOP THE FORWARD MOVEMENT, BUT MY CAR HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME TWICE. THE STEEL BUMPER OF THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS NOT DAMAGED. THE FRONT AREA OF MY HOOD (EMBLEM AND GRILL) WERE CRUSHED. I REPORTED EARLIER ELECTRONIC ISSUES TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AS NOTABLE ODDITIES, BUT NONE MADE ME THIS CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY OF OTHERS, MY PASSENGERS, AND MYSELF. AS RECENTLY AS A WEEK EARLIER, MY REAR-VIEW CAMERA FROZE AND LOCKED AS I WAS REVERSING INTO MY GARAGE, SO HAD I TRUSTED THE SCREEN IN MY CAR, I WOULD HAVE REVERSED ANOTHER 5-10 FEET INTO MY GARAGE. I COULD NOT UNFREEZE IT WITHOUT PUTTING THE CAR BACK INTO DRIVE AND RESTARTING MY CAR. MONTHS EARLIER, THE SENSOR ON MY SIDE MIRRORS STARTED TO GO OFF WITHOUT ANY OTHER SOURCE OF DANGER OR COLLISION ON VACANT STREETS. THE AIR PRESSURE ALERT WARNED THAT MY TIRES WERE BECOMING DANGEROUSLY FLAT; HOWEVER, EN ROUTE TO THE GAS STATION, THE PRESSURE MONITOR NOTED THAT ALL TIRES WERE NOW RETURNING TO NORMAL PRESSURE LEVELS AND NO INFLATION WAS NEEDED. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY PECULIAR EVENTS WITH THIS NEW C300 IN RECENT MONTHS, BUT MY PRIMARY CONCERN AS A CAREGIVER IS THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION FROM A STOPPED POSITION--OR FROM ANY POSITION--WITHOUT MY DIRECTION OR INTENT.

NHTSA ODI 10907333