ElectricalInterior & seats
Filed Feb 7, 2013
DRIVER AND PASSENGER POWER SEAT MODULES DRAIN BATTERY. *TR
- NHTSA ID
- 10496711
- Incident
- May 10, 2010
2002 Mercedes-Benz 230
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
4
Latest Feb 7, 2013
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview
Our database contains 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 Mercedes-Benz 230, most frequently naming the electrical, interior & seats and brakes categories. 3 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 2007 | 1 | 1 |
| Aug 2007 | 1 | 2 |
| Sep 2009 | 1 | 3 |
| Feb 2013 | 1 | 4 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Electrical333.3%
- Interior & seats222.2%
- Brakes111.1%
- Driver assistance111.1%
- Steering111.1%
- Transmission111.1%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical+2 more
Filed Sep 5, 2009
Crash reported
PRIOR TO FOLLOWING INCIDENT, THE VEHICLE, A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ C230 KOMPRESSOR HAS EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL FAILURES RESULTING IN THE COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE, POWER STEERING, SRS SYSTEM, CAR LOCKS, AND BRAKING SYSTEMS. THE AFOREMENTIONED FAILURES IN BRAKING, POWER STEERING WHICH RESULTED IN TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING HAVE OCCURRED 6 TIMES WITHIN A 2 MONTH PERIOD (AUGUST 15TH 2009- SEPTEMBER 5TH 2009). THE MOST RECENT EVENT IS LISTED BELOW. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AT A GAS STATION ON SEPTEMBER 5TH 2009 AT 10:30 AM IN FIRST GEAR WITH THE FOOT BRAKE ON. AFTER THE OWNER LEFT THE PARKED VEHICLE, IT BEGAN ROLLING FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO A NEARBY CONCRETE WALL OF THE UNION 76 GAS STATION ON RINALDI AND BALBOA IN GRANADA HILLS, CA. NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS CAUSED TO THE WALL, AND NO INJURIES WERE CAUSED, HOWEVER ON IMPACT THE CAR CONTRACTED A MAJOR DENT ON THE RIGHT FRONT BUMPER ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE OF THE CAR. THERE WAS NO KEY IN THE CAR, IT HAD BEEN ENTIRELY TURNED OFF AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ON. THE OWNER HAS NEVER EXPERIENCED THE CAR STARTING ON ITS OWN WITHOUT THE KEY IN THE TRANSMISSION OR WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ACTIVATED. THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY AND THE MERCEDES DEALERSHIP FOUND NO PROBLEMS WITH THE C230'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AT THE LAST CHECK UP. PRIOR TO SERVICING THERE WERE MULTIPLE WARNINGS THE CAR DISPLAYED IN MARCH 2009, SPECIFICALLY SRS MALFUNCTIONS AND LIGHT SENSOR MALFUNCTION. THESE WERE ABSOLVED AFTER MAINTENANCE BUT REAPPEARED AGAIN AT 1500 BEFORE SERVICE IN LATE AUGUST. THERE HAVE BEEN NO PRIOR REPAIRS MADE ON THE CAR. THE MOST RECENT REPAIR WAS ON AUGUST 27TH WHEN THE DOOR LOCK REGULATOR FAILED AND ALL DOORS OF THE CAR WOULDN'T CLOSE. THE ACCENTUATOR IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE WAS REPLACED ON AUGUST 27TH WHICH RESOLVED THE DOOR LOCK PROBLEM. HOWEVER NONE OF THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR HAVE BEEN RESOLVED AND WILL REQUIRE DEALERSHIP EVALUATION. *TR
- NHTSA ID
- 10282967
- Incident
- Sep 5, 2009
- Mileage
- 71,004 mi
Electrical
Filed Aug 21, 2007
MY 2002 MERCEDES 230 SLK FAILED TO START, STRANDED MY WIFE, BECAUSE OF A FAILURE IN THE IGNITION LOCK AND STEERING INTERLOCK. THIS IS THE SECOND FAILURE IN 50,000 MILES. *TR UPDATED 09/11/07 *TR
- NHTSA ID
- 10200371
- Incident
- Aug 16, 2007
- Mileage
- 51,000 mi
Transmission
Filed Jul 11, 2007
THE C230 MERCEDES BENZ 2002 STARTED LURCHING WHEN COMING TO A STOP. UPON BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER THEY DID A GLYCOL TEST ON THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID TO FIND GLYCOL IN THE TRANSMISSION. THE CAUSE WAS DUE TO A LEAK IN THE RADIATOR TO THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER. REPAIRS CURRENTLY INCLUDED A NEW RADIATOR, TRANSMISSION FLUSH, AND A NEW TRANSMISSION MODULE FOR ABOUT $2100, IF THAT DIDN'T WORK THEN A TORQUE CONVERTER FOR ANOTHER $2700. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 10196144
- Incident
- Jul 2, 2007
- Mileage
- 66,000 mi
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
463040
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP
FLOW NOISES FROM AREA OF POWER STEERING PUMP AND/OR FOAMING OF POWER STEERING OIL IN RESERVOIR. *TT
8235428
VISIBILITY:REAR WINDOW WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES
WINDSHIELD WASHER NOZZLES HEATING INOPERATIVE. *TC
5465130
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
PARKTRONIC TRIGGERS WITHOUT OBVIOUS CAUSE AT FRONT BUMPER IN MERCEDES MODEL NUMBERS 171/211/230. *TC
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.