Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Mercedes-Benz C220 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 17 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
WIRING THROUGHOUT VEHICLE IS INSULATED WITH A BIO-DEGRADABLE PLASTIC. SHORTING OUT OF IGNITION AND EMISSION LOOMS KILL MANY WHO STALL ON FREEWAYS AND 'INCONVENIENT SPOTS'. THE INSULATION FLAKES OFF LIKE CORN FLAKES AND ELECTRICAL LOSS IN MANY LOOMS DISABLE AND IMPERAL OCCUPANTS.
WAS DRIVING ALL GAGES WENT CRAZY STARTED TO BACK FIRE AND DIED ON THE HIGHWAY SO I HAD A FRIEND PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY BACK TO THE SHOP THE SHOP SAID THE WIRING HARESS WAS DEGRADED AND IT COST 2,700 DOLLAR TO FIX THE SAD THING IS THIS CAR ONLY HAS 30,000 MILE'S
MY 1996 MERCEDES C220 HAS A DEFECTIVE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC. HE TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS DUE TO THE TYPE OF INSULATION THAT MERCEDES USED FOR THE WIRING AND THE ENGINE HARNESS NEEDS TO BE REPLACED ASAP. MERCEDES USED A BIO-DEGRADABLE WIRE COVER THAT WITH HIGH TEMPS CRACKS AND FALLS OFF. THIS HAS CAUSED THE ENGINE TO RUN ROUGH, STALL AND LOOSE POWER AND IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE IN TRAFFIC. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF WITH A RECALL BY MERCEDES. MERCEDES HAS BEEN OF NO HELP EXCEPT FOR ME TO PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. *TR
ENGINE WIRING HARNESS, AND THE TRANSMISSION WIRING HARNESS, AND THE IGNITION COIL HARNESS, DEGRADED TO THE POINT THERE ARE INCHES AND INCHES OF BARE WIRES TOUCHING AND SHORTING WHICH CAUSES THE ENGINE TO QUIT. ALL THREE SEPARATE HARNESS WHICH RESIDE WITH OTHER HARNESS WHICH HAVE NOT DEGRADED. THE ENGINE QUIT ON THE FREEWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AND NEARLY CAUSED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS AT 65 MILES PER HOUR. REPAIR SHOP WANT $3500 TO CHANGE OUT THE THREE HARNESS WITH NO ASSURANCE THAT THE PROBLEM WILL NOT COME BACK. *TR
WHILE ACCELERATING THE MERCEDES C220 WILL SURGE, STALL AND CUT ENGINE POWER OR "CUT OUT". IDLE IS UNSTABLE. WIRING HARNESS INSULATION IS CRUMBLING. *TR
RECENTLY THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE CAR. THE TEMPERATURE GAGE WAS SHOWING THE VEHICLE AS HEATING UP. THE TEMP WOULD REACH CLOSE TO 120 F. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION BY OUR MECHANIC, THE VEHICLE NEEDED THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL WIRING TO BE REPLACED. OUR MECHANIC SAID THAT IF NOT REPLACED, THE CAR WOULD EVENTUALLY CATCH ON FIRE. THE ELECTRICAL WIRING IS FAULTY NOT DUE TO WEAR AND TEAR ON THE CAR BUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED BY MERCEDES FOR FAULTY WIRING. THE WIRING HAS COMPLETELY DETERIORATED AND THE WIRES ARE COMPLETELY EXPOSED AND IF THE WIRES HAPPEN TO TOUCH EACH OTHER, THAT IS WHAT WILL CAUSE THE FIRE. IN ORDER TO GET THESE WIRES REPLACED, IT WILL COST WELL OVER $1500.00 TO REPLACE ALL THE WIRING. *TT
WIRING HARNESS DAMAGED CAUSING DECREASED PERFORMANCE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND LOWER FUEL ECONOMY. *TR
ENGINE WIRING HARNESS WIRE INSULATION IS BEGINNING TO BIODEGRADE AND CRUMBLE APART. CAR WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PASS EMISSIONS WITHOUT A REPLACEMENT PART, WHICH COSTS NO LESS THAN $1350 (FOR A WIRE BUNDLE AND HOOKUPS THAT ARE DOOMED TO FAIL AGAIN IN THE SAME WAY), PLUS 4-7 HOURS OF LABOR COSTS. CAR HAS LESS THAN 60K MILES ON IT AND IS IN OTHERWISE GREAT CONDITION. AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE MECHANIC, HE SAID ANYONE WHO OWNS THIS MAKE OF CAR WILL HAVE A MANDATORY $2000 WIRE HARNESS REPLACEMENT FEE SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY (AT LEAST ONCE, IF NOT EVERY FEW YEARS). EVEN WITH A REPLACEMENT, IT WILL ONLY POSTPONE THE ISSUE UNTIL THE NEW ONE INEVITABLY BEGINS TO BREAK DOWN. EXTREMELY POOR AUTOMOTIVE DESIGN! MERCEDES SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT APPEARS TO BE A MASSIVE DESIGN FLAW AFFECTING ALL CARS OF SEVERAL SIMILAR MODELS WITHIN A HALF-DECADE OR MORE TIME FRAME. THE MAKERS OF THE FAULTY PART ARE MAKING BANK OFF OF MANDATORY REPAIRS AND PART REPLACEMENTS DUE TO THEIR OWN NEGLIGENCE. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG AND UNETHICAL, AND THE MAKERS SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND BE FORCED TO RECALL THE PART. *TR
I HAVE A 1996 MERCEDES BENZ. THE CAR LITERALLY SHUTS OFF ON THE ROAD. I HAVE REPLACED MAF AND O2 SENSORS REPEATEDLY TO NO AVAIL. I'M TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT THE PROBLEM IS A CORRODED ENGINE WIRING HARNESS. *TR
CAR SURGES, STALLS, IDLES ROUGH, AND ALSO REVS AT ABOUT 4000 RPM. TOOK TO REPAIR SHOP, WAS TOLD ELECTRICAL HARNESS WAS DETERIORATING CAUSING THESE PROBLEMS AND ALSO OTHER PROBLEMS. MECHANIC STATED THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR EARLY 90S MERCEDES. WIRING HARNESS COST $1,198.75. HAVE NOT REPAIRED AT THIS TIME. *TR
MY MERCEDES BENZ 220C WENT DEAD AT STOP LIGHT CAUSING DANGER TO WHO EVER WAS DRIVING. I TOOK AUTO TO MERCEDES DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THAT WIRE HARNESS WAS DETERIORATING AFTER ONLY 80,000 MILES ON CAR. ALSO AIR FLOW WAS BAD. *TR
ENGINE KEEPS SHUTTING OFF WHILE ACCELERATING. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVING SOMETIMES IN THE LEFT LANE AND THEN HAVE TO COAST TO THE SIDE. VERY SCARY AND UNSAFE!. ! I TOOK VEHICLE TO THE MECHANIC AND HE SAID THE ENGINE WIRE HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK
THE 1996 MERCEDES C220 HAD A DEFECTIVE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I SERVICED THE CAR. THE MECHANIC MENTIONED THAT MERCEDES USED A RECYCLED WIRING COVER THAT WITH THE HIGH TEMPERATURE CRACKED AND EVEN MELTED. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN THAT HE CHANGED A FEW, AND THERE WAS NO CHARGE. MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED, AND I WAS REQUESTED TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING. THIS WAS UNEXPLAINABLE. I HAD TO PAY TWICE FOR THE DIAGNOSTIC ($120) AND FOR THE LABOR ($700.). THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS COSTS $1400.00. I AM NEGOTIATING WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE IF THEY COULD COVER THE COSTS BECAUSE IT WAS AN ISSUE OF POOR WORKMANSHIP OR QUALITY. I HAVE NEVER HERD OF ENGINE WIRES CRACKING AND MELTING ON A CAR!! THE SERVICE PERSON WAS VERY NICE AND MENTIONED THAT THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME AND SOME EVEN RESULTED IN FIRES. I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED IN ALL CARS THAT MERCEDES BENZ CARS THAT HAVE BEEN EQUIPPED WITH THIS TYPE OF RECYCLED WIRE COVERING. IT IS A DANGER TO ALL THAT DRIVE THIS CARS AND OTHERS THAT IT MAY EFFECT IF AN ACCIDENT RESULTS. TO IGNORE THIS ISSUE AFTER IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF CUSTOMER SERVICE IS TO HOLD THEM LIABLE IN ALL ACCIDENTS, DEATHS AND INJURY THAT INVOLVE THESE VEHICLES. *AK
1996 MERCEDES C220 - WIRING HAS DETERIORATED TO THE POINT OF THE CAR NO LONGER RUNNING, BUT THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME $1080 JUST FOR THE 30 FEET OF WIRING HARNESS TO REPLACE IT - NOT TO MENTION LABOR CHARGES. DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND THE CAR JUST FLOODED OUT, STARTED SMOKING, AND QUIT. NOW IT WILL START THEN IMMEDIATELY DIE. MECHANIC SHOWED ME THE INSIDE OF NUMEROUS ENGINE WIRING CHANNELS WHERE EXPOSED COPPER WIRES LAY NEXT TO EACH OTHER WITH CRUMBLY DRY-ROT LOOKING RUBBER MATERIAL WHICH USED TO BE INSULATION. THIS CAR HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY TAKEN CARE OF. I HAVE SEARCHED AND FOUND THIS PROBLEM REPORTED ALL OVER THE INTERNET WITH PEOPLE COMPLAINING BUT MB REFUSES TO REPAIR FOR A CHEAPER CHARGE FOR THEIR OWN FACTORY DEFECT. THE DEALER SAYS THAT MANY LEFT THE ASSEMBLY LINE ALREADY CRACKED BACK IN 1996 AS THEY HAD TO REPLACE MANY UNDER WARRANTY BACK THEN. THIS SOUNDS LIKE A DELIBERATE SCAM TO FORCE CUSTOMERS TO PAY HIGH REPAIR COSTS FOR A KNOWN FACTORY DEFECT. *JB
THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE SURGES UP AND DOWN. VEHICLE IS DIFFICULT TO DRIVE. *NM
SEVERE DEGRADATION OF THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS WHICH SHORTED OUT THE AIR MASS METER AND THROTTLE ACTUATOR. THE VEHICLE STALLED IN HEAVY RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THIS WIRING DETERIORATION COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED IN A VEHICLE FIRE, AS HAS OCCURRED IN OTHER MERCEDES-BENZ VEHICLES WITH THIS DEFECT. MERCEDES HAS DENIED ANY RESPONSIBILITY. *JB
WIRING HARNESS ON A 1996 MERCEDES C220 WITH 74,000 MILES INTERMITTENTLY FAILING, AND CAUSING CAR TO STALL ON FREEWAY AND SURFACE STREETS. THIS IS PUTTING ME AND MY FAMILY IN DANGER, AS WELL AS OTHER DRIVERS. MERCEDES DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THIS AS A PROBLEM, THERE ARE NUMEROUS WEBSITES DEDICATED TO THIS ISSUE, HUNDREDS OF CASES, AND NO RESPONSE. THIS PART WHICH SHOULD OUTLAST THE CAR, IS FAILING ON CARS WITH LESS THAN 100,000. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR! I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS GOING TO COMPLETELY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY... AND GET ME INTO AN ACCIDENT. *LA
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.
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