2010 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Steering Problems

After having the airbag recall for my Mercedes done, the Electronic Steering Lock failed and my car would not start and the steering wheel is locked. They said my car was ready to pick up and when I arrived the car was completely inoperable. The MB Dealership in Lynnfield, MA wants $2700 to fix it. If you google Mercedes W204 ESLfailure you will see thousand of owners on facebook, message boards and forums that have this part fail, leaving people stranded in sometime dangerous situations. There should be a recall to permanently fix this issue as owners are getting stranded. Its really an issue of "when" the ESL will fail on older models and not "if". The kicker is, the dealership said only they can fix the problem as it is an anti-theft issue. This seems very wrong, owners shouldn't be forced to pay Mercedes to fix their defective, cheap electric motors in the ESL that fail on almost every model that its in. These defective motors are what causes the steering lock failure in almost every instance. MB acts like its normal to be driving properly one day and then next your steering is completely locked and your car will not start because a $15 electronic motor in the ESL failed. Furthermore, these are All wheel drive or rear wheel drive, in addition to the locked steering wheel which makes towing very, very difficult and unsafe. Thank you

NHTSA ID

11736912

Incident

Apr 30, 2026

The contact owns a 2010 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to start after several attempts; however, the infotainment system was turned on. The contact stated that the engine failed to start. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact related the failure to an unknown steering coupling interlock mechanism recall. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the residence. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.

NHTSA ID

11707655

Incident

Dec 28, 2025

Mileage

98,000 mi

While i have a few recalls i plan on needing service from Mercedes for, I just found out that Mercedes has a Class action lawsuit involving my C class mercedes C300 from 2010-2022 years. I was driving and ran into a pothole. My car rear started making noise and sounds. I went to the auto shop amd was told my rear subframe was damaged and would cost over 2,000. I and putting in a complaint to make sure Mercedes honor this recall/ extended warranty for my vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11678959

Incident

Aug 7, 2025

The contact owns a 2010 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the steering wheel locked. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was scanned, and diagnostic trouble codes indicating the TRP and Power Steering failure were retrieved. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and required to be towed. An unknown local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle remained parked in the storage. The contact related the failure to an unidentified recall; however, the VIN was not included.  The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ID

11623773

Incident

Jul 15, 2024

Mileage

60,000 mi

For the 2010 Mercedes Benz C300, the failure of the steering lock control unit resulted in the vehicle being unable to start its engine. Vehicle was disabled, and I was left stranded. Car had to be towed to my house and separately had to be towed to the Mercedes Benz car dealership service center. The technician at the Mercedes Benz car dealership service center recommended replacement of the steering lock. Yes, this car is available for inspection upon request. This same problem was reproduced in another Mercedes-Benz C300 car that I own. This other vehicle is a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300. The car was not inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representative. The car was inspected by the Mercedes Benz dealer service center. No warnings or messages prior to the complete failure. This issue first appeared in August 2024. This steering lock failure is a critical issue as I had the same problem with another Mercedes Benz C300 that I own. Both steering lock failures for both cars resulted in the car being unable to start occurred around the same time period and were separately diagnosed and fixed at different Mercedes Benz dealer service centers.

NHTSA ID

11615786

Incident

Aug 2, 2024

I had to pull over in the emergency lane to take a very important phone call! Turned off the car and removed key! Upon trying to crank car back up the EIS (electronic ignition switch) failed and the car wouldn’t start back up! This is absolutely dangerous considering the car has less than 100,000 miles on it! This is a known problem with Mercedes and should be recalled! This is going to kill someone if this continues to go unresolved! Mercedes charges 1,000s of dollars to repair something that is happening with w204 generation year of the car!

NHTSA ID

11598341

Incident

Jun 22, 2024

Rear subframe completely rusted through resulting in multiple attached systems to break off. When applying the brakes the rear end of the vehicle swings and can force the car into random directions. Upon any basic research this issue can be seen in similar Mercedes models across the globe consistently. If the issue was not diagnosed sooner the likelihood of a fatal crash would have been extremely high due to critical components like braking and suspension systems being nonfunctional. Many vehicles that experience this design flaw are well maintained and kept in good conditions. I urge the NHTSA to release some kind of warning to owners of these vehicles because this issue can blindside even the most vigilant owners. Many posts regarding this issue describe nearly avoiding severe accidents. Please do not let this go unheard because it can be fatal if not addressed.

NHTSA ID

11481301

Incident

Aug 25, 2022

After parking my car , turned ignition off, did some work for 45 minutes I came back attempting to start the car. The car won’t start, I am not hearing any of the normal sound that usually takes place when I place the key in ignition. Message on dashboard telling me to remove the key. Car will not start. After checking battery and calling mechanic they tell me the my steering wheel lock is bad. The ESL went bad out of nowhere. Car won’t start, steering wheel is locked and the only way to fix it is to take it Mercedes’ dealer and pay over $2000. I search on google and found out that this is a common issue with my 2010 C300. This is a manufacturing defect and Mercedes should recall it and pay for repair. In my case I parked my car in my garage, imagine if I was traveling on highway way and the steering wheel locks or failed on the side of busy interstate hwy. the worst part is that Mercedes dealer did nothing t warn me when I bought the car about this issue especially since it is know since 2008, and they will not allow after market parts to be installed by other mechanics. So this is defective and Mercedes should be forced to recall and replace for free. We should not wait for someone to die before this is fixed. This happened without any warning PLEASE FORCE MERCEDES TO RECALL AND FIX THE ESL NOW.

NHTSA ID

11445013

Incident

Nov 16, 2021

SECURITY SYSTEM DISABLES IGNITION DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE ESL (STEERING LOCK). NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE CAR IT JUST WON'T START.

NHTSA ID

11383224

Incident

Dec 12, 2020

Mileage

155,500 mi

THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK IS STUCK AND NOW MY CAR WILL NOT START. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH MERCEDES CARS OF ALL MAKES & MODELS. I PUT MY KEY IN AND TRIED TO START IT AND IT FAILED TO START. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY AND HAD IT TESTED AND REPLACED. THAT IS NOT THE ISSUE. THE CAR STILL WILL NOT START AND COME TO FIND OUT IT IS THE STEERING LOCK MOTOR THAT HAS FAILED. IT IS A ESL FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

11343211

Incident

Aug 1, 2020

I NOTICES BACK IN 2013- 2014 A RECALL WAS SENT OUT BECAUSE THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS LEAKING IN THE 2010 MERCEDES BENZ C-CLASS 300. ON 07/01/2020 THATS WHEN I NOTICES MY 2010 MERCEDES BENZ C-CLASS WAS LOSING POWER STEERING FLUID. I NOTIFIED THE MERCEDES DEALERSHIP AND THEY PULLED UP MY VIN NUMBER. SHE INFORMED ME THAT MY CAR WAS SERVICE. APPARENTLY WHAT EVER THEY FIX ISN'T WORKING ANYMORE. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR IS THERE ANY WAY THAT YOU CAN HELP ME WITH THIS MATTER PLEASE THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID

11338934

Incident

Jul 1, 2020

SEIZED STEERING LOCK AND PASSENGER DOOR WON'T OPEN FROM THE INSIDE

NHTSA ID

11319057

Incident

Mar 23, 2020

Mileage

74,000 mi

REALLY CANT SAY MUCH CAUSE THATS HOW I BOUGHT THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

11315467

Incident

May 15, 2019

KEY IN IGNITION, STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT UNLOCK. ABLE TO GET KEY INTO RUN AND CRANK POSITION WITH NO INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTS TURNING ON. ALL OTHER ELECTRICAL FEATURES TO THE CAR WORK (RADIO, POWER WINDOWS, SEATS, LIGHTS). UNABLE TO SHIFT CAR INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT REMOVING GEAR SELECTOR SHIFT COVER. *TR

NHTSA ID

11312060

Incident

Jan 24, 2020

Mileage

100,000 mi

MY CAR WAS WORKING COMPLETELY FINE ALL MORNING. I WENT TO START IT AGAIN BUT WOULD NOT START AT ALL. I WOULD TURN MY KEY AND GET ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. DOORS AND LOCKS WERE STILL WORKING.

NHTSA ID

11307554

Incident

Feb 4, 2020

Mileage

133,000 mi

STEERING CONTROL LOCK UNIT HAS GONE BAD MANY ISSUES CAR WILL NOT START LEAVES YOU STRANDED MANY PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT IT OVER THE INTERNET SAME SITUATION MERCEDES REALLY NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS DON'T FEEL SAFE STEERING WHEEL CAN LOCK WHILE DRIVING THIS IS NOT SAFE

NHTSA ID

11296736

Incident

Jan 2, 2020

ON OR ABOUT 11/24/19, VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE OVERNIGHT AND NEXT MORNING, THE VEHICLE DID NOT START DUE TO STEERING BEING LOCKED ELECTRONICALLY. CAR DID NOT HAVE ANY POWER BESIDES DOORS OPENING AND WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER AND SERVICE ADVISOR CONTACTED ME TO INFORM ME THAT THE VEHICLE LOCKED THE SEETHING DUE TO FAULTY SWITCH. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND RETURN TO ME ON 12/4/2019. AT THIS TIME, I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY DUE TO POSSIBILITY THAT THE STEERING MIGHT LOCK WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION.

NHTSA ID

11287182

Incident

Nov 24, 2019

Mileage

105,394 mi

EIS , STEERING LOCK

NHTSA ID

11286537

Incident

Nov 29, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 56,000.

NHTSA ID

11245778

Incident

Aug 5, 2019

Mileage

56,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2010 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH THROUGH AN INTERSECTION, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION. THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO TWO OTHER VEHICLES. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED NECK, BACK, AND CHEST INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AT THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. A SECOND PERSON WAS INJURED FROM THE SECOND VEHICLE. NO FURTHER INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,000.

NHTSA ID

11232196

Incident

Jan 3, 2019

Mileage

67,000 mi

THE C300 MODEL HAS A NOTORIOUS PROBLEM WITH ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCKING LEAVING THE CAR MOBILELESS. CANNOT EVEN PUT IN NEUTRAL FOR TOWING. THE CAR SIMPLY WON'T START. IT WILL LEAVE A MOTORIST STRANDED AT ANY TIME, ANY PLACE AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND REPRESENTS A DANGEROUS HAZARD TO MOTORIST'S SAFETY. MERCEDES SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO COURT VIA CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT. *TR *TR *TR *JS CONSUMER STATED CAR HAS BEEN REPAIRED.*JB *JS

NHTSA ID

11230359

Incident

Jun 11, 2019

Mileage

71,517 mi

THE ELS PROBLEM AGAIN LIKE IN THE OTHER MERCEDEZ ..I PARK MY CAR WAS RUNNING GOOD NO NOISE OR ANYTHING WHEN I WAS GOING HOME DEAD NOT TURNING ON THE ENGINE ..HAD TO TOWED TO MY MECHANIC AND HE SOYED IS THE POWER STEERING LOCK

NHTSA ID

11229726

Incident

Jul 3, 2019

ON JUNE 9,2019 I WAS DRIVING GOING TO GIANT GROCERY STORE IN WEST-BARD SHOPPING CENTER IN BETHESDA. .IN THE PARKING LOT I LOST CONTROL OF STEERING COLUMN.HIT A CONCRETE POLE AND PASSED OUT.ALL OF MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, TIME WAS AROUND I WAS DRIVING ON CITY ROAD.FROM RIVER ROAD TO WESTBARD. I SUFFERED BRAIN,NECK,CHEST AND KNEE INJURIES. SUFFERRED TRANSIENT GLOBAL AMNESIAF OR NEARLY 4 HOURS OR MORE. STILL RECUPERATING. LAST TWO YEARS GETTING LETTERS FOR TAKATA AIRBAG RECALLS BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE, DID NOT KNOW THAT STEERING COLUMN HAD ISSUES. I DID MANUFACTURE RECOMMENDED SERVICE.CAR HAS ABOUT 48,000 MILE ON IT. IT HAS MULTIPLE OPTIONS UPGRADES.

NHTSA ID

11229711

Incident

Jun 9, 2019

Mileage

47,800 mi

CAM SOLENOID MOST C300 WILL STOP TURNING ON ALL THE CAR DOES IS ASK U TO TAKE KEY OF IGNITION.. I SEARCHED THE ISSUE AND THERE IS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. IT'S NOT FAIR TO CONSUMERS NOT TO HAVE A RECALL ON A PART THAT IS DEFECTIVE THAT COST OVER A THOUSAND TO FIX . PLEASE HELP US RESOLVE THIS MATTER

NHTSA ID

11204307

Incident

Aug 19, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE STEERING ABILITY BECAME DIFFICULT. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 128,650.

NHTSA ID

11191275

Incident

Mar 25, 2019

Mileage

128,650 mi