1993 Mercedes-Benz 300 Series

BATTERY GOES DEAD, REPLACED BATTERY, IT GOES DEAD. CHARGED BATTERY , IT GOES DEAD. *TR

NHTSA ID

10546077

Incident

Sep 2, 2013

Mileage

98,500 mi

I HAVE TWO MERCEDES BENZ W124 CARS. BOTH CARS HAVE HAD THE WIRING HARNESS FAILURE AND THAT DESTROYED MANY VERY EXPENSIVE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS ON THE CARS. 1993 300E 4 DOOR SEDAN, WIRING HARNESS FAILURE AND DESTROY MANY THINGS VERY EXPENSIVE ON THE CAR 1995 E320 CABRIOLET RARE COLLECTORS CONVERTIBLE MADE IN 1994 AND 1995 ONLY! PLEASE SEND ME TWO FORMS TO FILL OUT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10403695

Incident

Apr 17, 2010

Mileage

178,000 mi

I HAVE A 1993 MERCEDES BENZ 300E AND THE WIRING HARNESS HAS BROKEN DOWN. THE INSULATION ON THE WIRES HAS COMPLETELY DISINTEGRATED TO THE POINT WHERE THE WIRES ARE TOUCHING EACH OTHER. THIS IN TURN MAKE THE ENGINE RUN POORLY AND REPLACING THE WIRING HARNESS IS THE ONLY OPTION. THIS AT A COST OF OVER $1200 FOR PARTS AND PROBABLY $1000 IN LABOR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10402468

Incident

May 23, 2011

Mileage

202,000 mi

300E ENGINE WIRING HARNESS DEGRADING, FLAKING INSULATION, SHORTING WIRES FOR ALL SYSTEMS, MULTIPLE PROBLEMS. RACING IDLE, UNCONTROLLABLE ACCELERATION, STALLING, CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS COMING ON AND OFF. REPLACED THOUSANDS $$ IN PARTS ONLY TO FIND IT IS A WELL SAFETY PROBLEM THAT NO-ONE, INCLUDING THE NHTSA HAS THE COURAGE TO ADDRESS. CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE AND REQUIRE OVER $3,000 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE HARNESSES. HOW MANY COMPLAINTS HAVE TO BE SUBMITTED BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN? SOME OF THE REPORTS INVOLVE DEATH AND OR FIRE. THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM ACROSS MULTI-YEAR MULTI MAKE, AND I AM SURE I AM JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE. RESEARCH ON YOUR DATA BASE FOR JUST A FEW MODELS MERCEDES MODELS, 1993 TIMEFRAME, REVEALED THE FOLLOWING ODI'S . PLEASE HELP! 300 SERIES 1991 - 10104057, 10269282, 10268253; 10259977, 10209057, 10186762, 10163311 1992 - 10152349, 10134359, 1993 - 10392515, 10292860, 10234293, 10214689, 10214249, 10210113, 10184197, 10182858, 10172275, 10155432, 10133655, 10105816, 10010094, 1994 - 10009343, 733503, 1995 - 10246761, 10229755, 10226574, 10221013, 10214284, 10212919, 10203075, 10200978, 717654, 1996 - 10213383, 10088701, 518437 400 SERIES 1993 - 10310130, 10257260, 10236751, 10178341, 10176827, 10176743, 10172386, 10163906, 10163905, 10157440, 10140856, 10134065, 10136148, 10010497, 805343 500 SERIES 1993 - 10211224, 10210291, 10208221, 10201073, 10200980, 10187000, 10166496, 10166495, 10167967, 10160120, 10158632, 10155987, 10118292, 10136633, 10130247, 852487. *TR

NHTSA ID

10395790

Incident

Feb 1, 2010

Mileage

160,000 mi

1993 300E EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE INTERMITTENT CHECK ENGINE CODE FAILURES, RACING AT IDLE, STALLING, ALL OF WHICH RESULTED IN COSTLY REPAIRS INCLUDING REPLACEMENT OF MAF , 02 SENSOR, HOT AIR FLOW SENSOR, OVER VOLTAGE RELAY, SEVERAL BLOWN FUSES, IGNITION COILS, CLIMATE CONTROL AMPLIFIER. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY PARTS I HAVE REPLACED.. CAR INTERMITTENTLY DIES OR RACES IDLE ON FREEWAY WITH NO WARNING AND NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, VERY DANGEROUS. TROUBLE SHOOTING REVEALED THAT THE MAIN ENGINE HARNESS IS DETERIORATING. THIS IS A WELL KNOW PROBLEM FOR MB BUILT IN EARLY TO MID 1990'S. THERE ARE NO RECALLS, NO ASSISTANCE WITH THIS PROBLEM AT ALL AT THE MB DEALERS. THEY KNOW ABOUT IT. REPAIRS COST MORE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH. THIS IS A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE; I AM IMAGINING THAT THIS PROBLEM COULD AND WILL AFFECT MY BREAKS. CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE AT THIS POINT AS I BELIEVE THAT A FIRE WOULD BE IMMINENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10395666

Incident

Jan 1, 2009

Mileage

152,000 mi

AFTER A MAJOR SERVICE TO THE VEHICLE, DURING WHICH THE WATER PUMP WAS REPLACED, A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO EMERGE. ONE SIGNIFICANT ISSUE WAS THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. ON ONE OCCASSION, WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE LOSS COMPLETE POWER AND I HAD TO REACT QUICKLY TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY TO SAFETY. AFTER THE ENGINE COOLED DOWN SLIGHTLY, THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I HAD THE CAR SERVICED AND A NUMBER OF SENSORS WERE REPLACED BUT THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE BEGAN RUNNING MUCH RICHER SHORTLY AFTER THIS LAST SERVICE. IT WASN'T UNTIL THE VEHICLE FAILED A STATE EMMISSIONS TEST, AND I HAD TO RETURN THE VEHICLE ONCE AGAIN TO THE DEALER, THAT THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN DISCLOSED THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH PREMATURE ENGINE WIRE HARNESS INSULATION DETERIORATION ON SEVERAL MODEL YEARS IN THE MERCEDES 300 AND 400 SERIES. AND IT WAS THE DECOMPOSITION OF THE INSULATION THAT WAS CAUSING THE SHORT CIRCUITS IN THE ELECTRONICS OFTEN DURING MAJOR SERVICE WHEN THE BRITTLE WIRES ARE DISTURBED. THIS DEFECT IN THE MATERIAL HOWEVER WAS NOT BEING CONSIDERED RECALLABLE BY THE MANUFACTURER, HE SAID. THE WIRE JACKETS ARE NOW VERY VISIBLY BRITTLE AND CRACKED AROUND THE ENGINE. THIS DEFECT IS NOW WELL KNOWN AND THE SAFETY CONCERNS ARE FAIRLY WIDESPREAD. IT TOOK CONSIDERABLE EXPENSE ON MY PART BEFORE THE DEALER WAS WILLING TO ADMIT THIS MATERIAL AND POTENTIALLY SERIOUS MATERIAL DEFECT IN THE MODEL YEAR TO WHICH MY VEHICLE BELONGS. THE MECHANIC STATES THAT BECAUSE OF THE NON-DISCERNABLE ERROR CODES RECORDED, THE ONLY WAY TO EVEN BEGIN TO PINPOINT THE PROBLEMS I MUST SPEND AN ADDTIONAL $1200 FOR THE ENGINER HARNESS PLUS APPROXIMATELY $1000 LABOR TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE WIRES FIRST, BEFORE FURTHER TROUBLESHOOTING FOR WHAT HAS BEEN DEMANGED BY THE SHORT CIRCUITS. I FEEL THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE IN NOT MAKING THIS A PRIORITY SAFETY ISSUE AND RECALL ALL VEHICLES AFFECTED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10392515

Incident

Mar 4, 2009

Mileage

109,000 mi

I OWN A MERCEDES 300CE WHICH HAS GIVEN ME PROBLEMS WITH OVER ACCELERATION, IDLING ISSUES AND ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. I LIKE MANY OTHER PEOPLE COULD NOT AFFORD A NEW CAR SO I DECIDED TO TAKE IT IN FOR REPAIRS. I STARTED WITH REPLACING THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS IN 2007 DUE TO THE ENGINE LIGHT CONSISTENTLY TURNING ON. AT AROUND THE SAME TIME, THE STARTER GAVE UP AS WELL AS THE TRANSMISSION. I ALSO HAD THE TAIL LIGHT PANEL REPLACED DUE TO THE BREAK LIGHT CONSISTENTLY TURNING ON. ADDITIONALLY, THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS REPLACED TWICE. YET, AFTER ALL THE REPAIRS IT UNDERWENT, THE MECHANICS HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO PIN POINT THE ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE LIGHT BEING ON. THE EGR VALVE WAS REPLACED IN HOPES TO FIX THE ENGINE LIGHT PROBLEM, BUT NO LUCK. I CONTINUED TO HAVE CONSTANT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE BREAK LIGHTS COMING ON, THE CAR OVER ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN, THE RPMS FLUCTUATING TREMENDOUSLY TO WHERE THE CAR APPEARS TO TURN OFF ON ME WHILE ON IDLE. I HAD THE REGENERATION VALVE AND THE AIR MASS METER REPLACED TO FIX THE IDLING AND ACCELERATION, BUT AGAIN THAT DID NOT FIX IT EITHER. IN SUMMARY, I SPENT ~$10K IN REPAIRS BETWEEN 2008 AND 2009 MY CAR CONTINUES TO HAVE THE ENGINE LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT ISSUE AS WELL AS THE OVER ACCELERATION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10292860

Incident

Jun 16, 2007

Mileage

149,000 mi

CAR STARTED RUNNING ROUGH,AND SMELLING LIKE SOMETHING WAS BURNING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10234293

Incident

May 1, 2008

Mileage

130,000 mi