1997 Mercedes-Benz C230

These are unverified consumer reports filed with NHTSA, shown as submitted.

• 11/13/2006· SUSPENSION

  DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE, A LOUD CLANGING NOISE WAS HEARD. UPON INITIAL INSPECTION, IT WAS DETERMINED THE LEFT FRONT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE HAD FALLEN DOWNWARD ONTO THE LEFT FRONT TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE FACTORY WELDS OF THE STRUT FRACTURED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 1/19/2007 -*NM

• 10/24/2001· POWER TRAIN

  CHILD WAS IN VEHICLE AND VEHICLE WAS PUT INTO REVERSE AND ROLLED BACKWARDS WITHOUT KEY IN IGNITION OR MOTOR RUNNING. VEHICLE ROLLED BACK, AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER HAD NO RESPONSE. STATED IT SHOULD HAVE ONLY DONE THAT IF KEY WAS IN IGNITION. *AK *SLC

• 08/20/1997· POWER TRAIN

  DEALYED TRANSMISSION ENGAGEMENT WHEN RAPID ACCELERATION AND TRYING TO ACTIVATE REVERSE GEAR. *AK

• 07/25/2002· AIR BAGSCrash

  FRONT CRASH AT 35 MPH, NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. CONSUMER SUFFERED NECK AND ARM INJURIES, DAMAGE TO VEHICLE WAS $ 17000.00.*JB

• 07/24/2001· VEHICLE SPEED CONTROLCrash

  THE FIRST TIME WE NOTICED A PROBLEM WAS IN MT. PLEASENT, SC. WE WERE DROPPING THE CHILDREN OFF TO VISIT THEIR DAD. AS SOON AS WE RETURNED TO THE CAR IT WOULD NOT START. WE BOUGHT A NEW BATTERY BUT THAT DID NOT DO IT EITHER. WHEN WE FINALLY GOT THE CAR TO START IT WOULD TAKE OFF AS IF IT WERE DRIVING ITSELF. SEVERAL DIFFERENT THINGS WOULD HAPPEN. EITHER IT WOULD STALL WHILE IDLING OR IT WOULD REV UP THE MOTOR TILL YOU COULD HARDLY STOP IYOU WOULD NOT EVEN HAVE TO PUT YOUR FOOT ON THE GAS. ANOTHER TIME IT DID THE SAME THING EXCEPT IT SOUNDED LIKE THERE WAS A JACK HAMMER IN THE ENGINE. THEY SAID IT WAS A BROKEN AC COMORESSOR AND ADJUSTED THE TIMING BELT AND REPLACED A AIR FLOW SENSOR. ANOTHER TIME IT HAPPENED MODERN CLASIC MOTORS (WHERE I USUALLY TAKE IT) SAID IT WAS A DEFECTIVE AIRFLOW SENSER AND REPLACED IT WITH A NEW ONE. I ALSO GOT A NEW AIRCOMPRESSOR AND FIXED THE AC. THE NEXT TIME WAS JULY 21, 2001. ON MY WAY HOME FROM COLUMBIA THE CAR STALLED IN TRAFFIC A BYSTANDER AND POLICEMAN PUSHED. *AK

• 07/20/2001· AIR BAGS

  I LEASED THE CAR AS NEW IN 1997 FOR 3 YEARS. LAST AUGUST, 2000, I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE OUTRIGHT. ONE MONTH AGO, I STARTED GETTING WATER LEAKING UNDER THE DASHBOARD, PASSENGER SIDE WHEN IT RAINED. DEALERSHIP STATES IT NOT A REPORTED DEFECT, WHICH I HAVE DOUBTS TO BE TRUE. MERCEDES TOOK MY COMPLAINT, BUT THEY TOLD ME IT WAS AN OUTSIDE T CAUSED THAT, LIKE WIND AND RAIN. THIS RAIN SHORTED THE SRS (SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM, IE. AIRBAGS) WHICH THE BOX IS LOCATED UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT, AND I HAD ELECTRIC SEATS! PAY $40,000. FOR A (SUPPOSEDLY) QUALITY CAR AND ALL THEY CAN DO IS UNCLOG THE DRAIN HOLES, SO THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN!! RIDICULOUS. THE ISSUE PRESENTS A SAFETY PROBLEM WHEREBY THE AIRBAGS WILL NOT ACTIVATE IN AN ACCIDENT! THIS TO ME, IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. AND THERE IS NO WARNING OF THIS IN THE VEHICLE MANUALS.*AK

• 05/15/2014· TIRES

  CONTI PRO CONTACT TIRES PUT ON RIMS AND BALANCED FOR SUMMER DRIVING. 195/65 R15 91H DOT#65PCAXH61610 2 MILES AWAY FROM GARAGE TIRE SUDDENLY DEFLATED. INSPECTION SHOWED BUBBLE CAUSED BY MANUFACTURING DEFECT. IN GOOGLE- SUBSTANTIAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE TIRES I.E. BUBBLES, BLOW OUTS ETC. -DANGEROUS! *TR

• 05/12/2012· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEMFire

  WAS DRIVING VEHICLE DOWN THE HIGHWAY TRAVELING AT NORMAL SPEEDS. ALL OF A SUDDEN CAR BEGAN BACKFIRING AND SPEED DROPPED FROM 65 MPH TO 30 MPH. THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND BEGAN TO BACKFIRE MORE. TEMP WENT UP AND CAR STARTED SMOKING. PULLED OVER TO CHECK ON CAR AND IT NEVER RESTARTED AGAIN. CONTACTED MB ASSIST AND WAS TOLD I WOULD NEED A JUMP WITH THICK GAUGE CABLES AND THEY COULD SEND A TECH BUT THE CHARGES WOULD BE AT MINIMUM $100. ITS BEEN OVER A WEEK AND THE CAR WILL NOT START. I'VE PUT BATTERIES IN FOB (THEY NEVER HAD ANY BEFORE) , CHARGED CAR BATTERY , CHECKED ALL FUSES, JUMPED CAR BATTERY AND NOW AM BEING GIVEN A P1570 IMMOBILIZER CODE . THE CAR ALARM HAS NEVER BEEN ACTIVATED. . THIS CAR IS MAKING ABSOLUTE NO SENSE WITH THE ERRORS AND NO EXPLANATION AS TO WHY IT NEARLY CAUGHT FIRE AND WONT START NOW... *TR

• 05/02/2003· VISIBILITY

  WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN THE VEHICLES WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING AND AS A RESULT THE CONSUMER HAD TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. *NLM

• 04/07/1999· SEAT BELTS

  DRIVER WAS INJURED IN COLLISION; SEATBELT WORKED AS DESIGNED. *YC

• 04/06/1998· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

  THE MESSAGE PANEL CONTINUES TO INTERMITTANTLY SIGNAL LIGHT DEFECTIVE EVEN AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO FIX.

• 03/05/2002· ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

  WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ABRUPTLY SHUTS DOWN WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING VEHICLE TO LOSE ALL POWER. DEALER CANNOT IDENTIFY THE CAUSE. TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP AFTER 80000 MILES. *AK *TS

• 02/09/2010· SUSPENSION

  MY MERCEDES 1997 C-280, PURCHASED FROM THE MERCEDES DEALER, HAS EXHIBITED SEVERAL INHERENT DESIGN ISSUES. THE ISSUE THAT IS THE GREATEST SAFETY ISSUE IS THE CONSTANT DETERIORATION/DESTRUCTION UNDER NORMAL USE OF THE UPPER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS, EVERY 50,000 MILES OR SO, WHICH IS NOT NORMAL FOR ANY MODERN CAR. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO MAINTAIN A CAR AT THAT FREQUENCY (AT $1000/ REPAIR), AND YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL FAIL. MOST PEOPLE EVENTUALLY GIVE UP. WHEN THESE BUSHINGS SUDDENLY FAIL, THE STEERING AND BRAKING ARE AFFECTED. IT IS ESPECIALLY NOTICED IN SHARP TURNING SITUATIONS, SUCH AS PARKING AND EMERGENCY ACCIDENT AVOIDANCE MANEUVERS. PARTIAL CONTROL OF THE STEERING IS LOST AND WHEN THE ANTILOCK BRAKES ARE APPLIED IT BECOMES SEVERELY ERRATIC. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER AND MERCEDES BENZ USA AND BOTH HAVE DENIED ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT MUST BE EITHER A DESIGN FLAW IN THEIR PRODUCT OR SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CAR THAT I HAVE, PURCHASED USED AS A 'STAR MARK' CAR FROM THE DEALER. THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM ONCE UNDER WARRANTY, AND THEN IT FAILED ABOUT 50,000 MILES LATER. THE PROBLEM IS EXACERBATED WHEN IT IS RAINING. TODAY I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR IN THE RAIN AT 45MPH WHEN I ENCOUNTERED A SEAM IN THE PAVEMENT, TRIED TO CORRECT AND APPLIED THE ABS BRAKES. THREE WAS NO COLLISION OR INJURIES, LUCKILY, BUT IT IS TIME THAT MERCEDES TOOK RESPONSIBILITY FOR A PROBLEM THAT THEY CREATED AND FIX IT PROPERLY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT I HAVE ASKED FOR A PERMANENT FIX AND THEY DON'T HAVE ONE, AND SEEM TO BE AWARE OF AN INHERENT DESIGN PROBLEM IN THESE CARS. ALSO, IF IT HAD FAILED ON A STEEP MOUNTAIN ROAD SUCH AS OUR LOCAL HWY 154, WITH NO RAILING, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL ACCIDENT AND INVOLVED OTHER CARS. *TR

• 02/04/1998· VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

  VEHICLE WILL SOMETIMES NOT ACCELERATE FROM A STOP SIGN. *AK

• 02/01/1999· VISIBILITY

  WINDSHIELD FAILURE. *YC

• 01/15/2004· AIR BAGSCrash

  WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 45 MPH, WITHOUT WARNING THE CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND HIT A GUARDRAIL HEAD ON. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY UPON IMPACT. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES AS A RESULT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY OTHER DETAILS. *JB

• 01/04/1999· ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

  ENGINE CONTINUALLY STALLING, REPAIRS MADE HOWEVER WERE NOT THE CAUSE OF FAILURES.