Owner-reported complaints naming the body or structure system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C250 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 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
Our garage housed C250 4d SDN year 2013 had its service B performed 12-5-22 and revealed rust on Chassis. Was informed that this has been seen frequently on cars of this genre. Was told deterioration could result in chassis breaking and causing an accident. A recall for this issue occurred in Europe...why not here?
The interior driver side door handle broke and I was trapped inside my vehicle. Upon checking with the local Mercedes-Benz repair shop, this is a known problem with this type of vehicle and the design of the door handle is prone to this kind of a problem. As of now, the contact has stated that their current solution for the issue is to roll down the window and open the door with the exterior handle.
DROVE UP TO DESTINATION PLACED THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED OFF IGNITION WHEN I THEN REACHED FOR THE DOOR HANDLE AND WAS UNABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR. DRIVERS DOOR LATCH/ HANDLE BROKE AND UNABLE TO OPEN DOOR TO GET OUT OF CAR. I TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATED IT WAS NOT A RECALL AND NOT A SAFETY CONCERN AND I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE DOOR WHICH THEY QUOTED ME $1000.00 (LABOR/DOOR). THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN WHEN YOU CANNOT OPEN THE DOOR WITH WINDOW UP. DEALER STATED THE PART HAS 2 YEAR WARRANTY AND THERE WAS NO ASSURANCE THAT IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN NOR IF THE OTHER DOORS LATCH/HANDLE WILL BREAK AS WELL.
THE INSIDE DRIVER'S DOOR HANDLE TO OPEN THE CAR BROKE. IT DOESN'T OPEN AND THOUGHT WAS EASY TO FIX. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND TOLD ME IT COST A $1,000.00 BECAUSE NEED A NEW PANEL. UNACCEPTABLE. LOOKING IN INTERNET, FIGURE OUT THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. THERE'S A LOT OF CARS IN U.S. THIS REPRESENT A SERIOUS LIFE THREATENING BECAUSE IN CASE OF ACCIDENT INVOLVING FIRE YOU CAN'T OPEN THE DRIVER'S DOOR FROM THE INSIDE AND HAVE TO OPEN THE ELECTRIC WINDOW TO USE THE OUTSIDE HANDLE (YES, IT OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE!) IF THE CAR IS WITHOUT POWER IN AN ACCIDENT, YOU CAN LOOSE YOUR LIFE IF FIRE IS INVOLVE. YOU SIMPLY ARE TRAPPED AND THE ONLY OPTION IS BREAKING THE WINDOW. I WROTE TO DAIMLER, MB U.S.A. AND GARAJE ISLA VERDE (OFFICIAL DEALER IN PUERTO RICO), AND IT JUST COST $1,000.00. MB U.S.A. REFERRED THE CASE TO GARAJE ISLA VERDE BUT THEY THREAT ME LIKE...NOTHING EVER HAPPENED. OK, I TOOK THE CAR AND START SEARCHING IN INTERNET. SURPRISINGLY, MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM! THEN I THOUGHT TO WRITE BECAUSE THIS IS NOT SIMPLY A MATTER OF MONEY, ALSO IS A MATTER OF THREATENING. THIS IS MY WIFE'S CAR. WE TOOK THE CAR THERE FOR LOOKING FOR THE COST OF FIXING THAT, PRICE OF FIXING A CRASH AT BACK BUMPER AND FOR GENERAL INSPECTIONS. WE LEFT THE CAR SEPTEMBER 11. WE CALLED AFTER 2 WEEKS. I PICKED THE CAR OCTOBER 19. THE SAFETY MATTER CONCERNS TO YOU, NOT WITH MY CAR, BUT WITH ALL THE CARS IN THE NATION. MAKE AN INVESTIGATION ABOUT THAT AND DECIDE IF IT PROCEED. MY BEST REGARDS AND THANKS. [XXX] RETIRED CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE A SIMILAR COMPLAINT. I JUST DID MY PART. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
THE DRIVER DOOR HANDLE IS BROKEN, AND WE HAD THE PART ON ORDER SINCE 11/7/2017 YEAR, WE CAN NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR, ONLY WHEN WE ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW. IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT THERE IS NO WAY OF ESCAPING.
ON MAY 13, 2018, MY DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR HANDLE WOULD NOT OPEN. I HAD BEEN DRIVING AND WENT TO EXIT THE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT GET OUT. I PANICKED THAT I COULD NOT EXIT. I HAD TO START THE CAR TO ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW AND TO OPEN DRIVERS DOOR FROM OUTSIDE. I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE REPAIR AND NOTIFIED THE PLASTIC HANDLE BROKE AWAY INSIDE THE DOOR PANEL. TOLD IT WOULD BE 6-12 MONTHS OR LONGER WAIT TIME TO RECEIVE REPLACEMENT DOOR PANEL. MERCEDES BENZ DOES NOT JUST SELL A HANDLE REPLACEMENT AND HAVE TO PURCHASE THE WHOLE INTERIOR DOOR TRIM.
THE INTERIOR DOOR LATCH BROKE, KEEPING THE DRIVER FROM OPENING THE DOOR AND SAFELY EXITING THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT IN MANY MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES WHERE THE INSIDE OF THE DOOR LATCH SNAPS OFF INSIDE THE DOOR. TO EXIT THE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER MUST LOWER THE WINDOW AND OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE.
INSIDE DRIVERS DOOR HANDLE BROKE AT THE ATTACH POINT TO CABLE. ON INSPECTION FOUND THAT HANDLE IS MANUFACTURED IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH MATERIAL IN THE BODY OF THE JOINT TO MAINTAIN INTEGRITY FOR SUCH A HIGH USE ITEM. THIS PRESENTS A DANGER AS THE HANDLE WILL FAIL AND COULD FAIL IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION, TRAPPING THE DRIVER IN THE CAR.
ON 1/29/17 WE AWOKE TO THE SMELL OF SMOKE COMING FROM OUR GARAGE. UPON OPENING THE INSIDE DOOR TO OUR GARAGE, WE DISCOVERED THE ENTIRE GARAGE WAS ON FIRE. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATIONS RESULTED IN AN UNKNOWN CAUSE. HOWEVER THE FIRE WAS CENTERED AROUND THE LEFT REAR OF THE VEHICLE AND THE LEFT REAR DOOR WAS FOUND OPEN/AJAR? THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED IN THE GARAGE FOR OVER 24 HOURS PRIOR AND AS RECENTLY AS 9PM THE NIGHT BEFORE ALL WAS WELL WHEN I VISITED THE GARAGE?
THE DOOR HANDLE BREAKS FROM THE INSIDE MAKING IT WHERE YOU CAN'T EXIT THE VEHICLE WITHOUT THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE ON AND WINDOW ROLLED DOWN TO OPEN HANDLE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. MERCEDES CONSIDERS THE DOOR HANDLE TO BE A "TRIM PIECE" AND NOT A FUNCTIONAL PIECE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE AND SHOULD BE A RECALL OR AT LEAST COVERED IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT CUSTOMERS PURCHASE. IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO EXIT MY VEHICLE IF THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2013 MERCEDES BENZ C250. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE AND EXPLODED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND VIN WERE UNKNOWN.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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