The Defect...
Mercedes-Benz made an engineering blunder of gigantic proportions when it decided to use an inferior and unsuitable material for the insulation on the electrical wires of their vehicles. This insulation prematurely disintegrates under normal use causing the wires it is designed to protect and insulate, to short causing many problems.
The company continued using used this unsuitable material for many years, even on replacements and repairs. It is not yet known how many vehicles are affected, but it is estimated the number exceeds 1.5 million vehicles manufactured after 1991. It is not a matter of IF the insulation will fail, but of WHEN.
The engine Harness and how a simple harness can kill people...
This harness contains hundreds of wires bundled inside tightly wrapped tape. The wires communicate information from the many sensors of the vehicle’s engine and accessories back to the computer modules. The modules use this information to regulate critical functions such as engine idle speeds, RPM, fuel mixture, fuel injection, ignition and many more..
When the information received by these computers is garbled or erroneous the engine will run rough, accelerate unexpectedly or quit altogether. In addition when the wires short it could cause engine fires, sudden stalls on the highway and other failures that could cause death or serious injury.
Repairing these defects have been a bonanza to Mercedes Dealers, the typical cost of a harness exceeds $2,500, in many cases much more due to collateral damage (see below)... Most of the “repairs” were made with the same defective wires, so a few years later the failures reappear. Innocent victims have forked hundreds of millions of dollars to repair a safety defect that should have been covered by the company that created the problem, erroneously thinking that if the vehicle is out of warranty. Mercedes, aware of the seriousness of the problem, selectively and quietly replaced the harnesses at no cost only to the loudest complainers. They refused to effect a safety recall presumably due to the huge number of vehicles affected.
It gets better...
To add insult to the injury, the very dangerous safety defect also causes collateral damage in other parts of the engines. The expenses of there repairs may exceed the value of the vehicle. The collateral damage extends to very expensive and critical components of the vehicle such as the various computer modules and ECU’s (Electronic Control Units) that regulate the engine’s operation and the microprocessor-controlled fuel injection system,
including the PMS (Pressurized Engine Control) Control Unit, the Engine System Power Control Unit, The HFM (Hot Film Air Mass Sensor) control unit and many others. Replacing these modules cost in excess of $10,000 in many cases. The computer modules get fatally damaged by the shorted wires in the harness.
In effect, the vehicle self-destructs.
The question is not one of IF they will fail but of WHEN – All vehicles manufactured in those years (at least ’91-’96) have the defective insulation and will fail sooner or later, thus you can understand Mercedes’ reluctance to own up to the problem:
A 3 BILLION DOLLARS problem…
Here are some links to web postings on this problem:
Mercedes Shop Forum
Auto News
Google Answers - Mercedes Wire Harness Defect
What you can do about it...
File a complaint with the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
The NHTSA is a politically-controlled agency driven by... you guessed... politicians whose campaign cofers depend on the auto industry's donations, and no one expects them to do much other than keep track of the complaints filed. But, by all means, EVERYONE should file a complaint with them. Contact your state's representatives and attorney general and file a formal complaint as well. There have been several attorneys interested in taking the case to a class action and this might be the final solution to ensure Mercedes-Benz assumes responsibility for its negligence.
Safety Defects have no statute of limitations. This has nothing to do with warranty, it's an engineering error that creates a potentially hazardous condition (engine fires, sudden stalls in highway traffic, stranding in dangerous locales, etc). Mercedes is well aware of the problem they created and refuses to do the right thing which is recall all vehicles affected, not wait for the NHTSA to do it, nor count on naive customer/victims not to do anything about it erroneously thinking that the age of the vehicles is a factor.
Letter to Mercedes-Benz President about the wire harness safety defect.
Response letter from Mercedes-Benz disclaiming responsibility - The arrogant "got suck an egg" "...so sue us" boilerplate letter.
More Photos of the Mercedes Wire Harness Safety Defect
4 comments:
A small cooler of water spilled in the TRUNK of my 2007 GL450. The Electrical Damage has exceeded $4,000! I am being told that it's my fault, and damage is not covered!
Here's the letter I wrote to the president of Mercedes.
August 28, 2008
Ernst Lieb
President of Mercedes-Benz
3 Mercedes Drive
Mont Vale, NJ 07645
Dear Mr. Lieb,
I have been the proud owner of a Mercedes-Benz since November of 2006. We purchased a 2007 GL450 from the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Wilmington, Delaware. We bought this car to transport our busy family of five. My husband and I have three active young children that play sports; therefore we travel thousands of miles by car each year to sporting events and for family vacations.
Until now, I have been very happy with my vehicle. Unfortunately, a recent experience has tainted my view of Mercedes-Benz.
On August 23, 2008, my two-year-old Mercedes-Benz broke down leaving my husband and three kids stranded on the side of the road. I called your roadside assistance, and two hours later a tow truck towed the vehicle to Mercedes-Benz in Pleasanton, California. We were later informed that the servicemen found an empty small cooler of water in the trunk. They assumed that the water leaked out of the small cooler and caused water damage.
The cooler was in the trunk, because my son had football practice Friday night. In fact at least three nights a week, we take a full cooler of ice and water to the practices. By the end of the two-hour practice most of the water is gone, because he drinks it and pours some of the cold water on his head to cool off. Therefore, there could not have been a lot of water remaining to spill out Saturday morning.
Although I cannot say for sure how much water dripped out, I can intelligently estimate that less than 32 ounces could have spilled into the trunk.
Ultimately, Mike Marino, the Service Manager at Mercedes-Benz in Pleasanton, California has informed us that we are responsible for more than $1500 dollars worth of damage. He has also informed us that the interior of all Mercedes-Benz have electrical panels throughout the car that can be easily be damaged by water. Claudia, an Escalation Specialist from Mercedes-Benz verified this information as well.
Imagine my surprise? Why was I never told this information before? Why are these panels not better protected or made water proof with a simple plastic cover over the panels to protect them from moisture? Imagine the disappointment of millions of Mercedes-Benz owners, if they knew that simply spilling a cup of Starbucks in their luxury car could cost them thousands of dollars.
This is an unacceptable quality standard for a family vehicle, especially a Mercedes-Benz. I am no engineer, but I know the technology to waterproof electrical panels exists. Please explain to me why these electrical panels are not protected? And if there is no way to protect the panels, why are consumers not informed and warned of this possibility.
I am an educated and informed consumer, I have searched the Service and Warranty information and the Operator’s Manual and I do not see a warning to consumers! This information should be plastered everywhere, not hidden in the fine print of an automobile manual.
Your highly trained and skilled sales team should tell customers. Yet, no one attempted to warn us of the exposed electrical systems that cannot withstand even one quart of water. My family drinks beverages in our car while traveling, we transport groceries, we practically live in our Mercedes-Benz, and therefore we need a car that can withstand an accidental spill.
From the beginning, if we were told that this car could not withstand a small spill, we would have never written the check for over $65,000.
I am also very disappointed in my service experience. It has been six long days of waiting and inconvenience. The service department is still waiting for parts from Germany. Therefore, we do not know when we will receive the car back. We were not offered a loaner. Yesterday, after several calls and insisting that we be given a loaner, Lance, the serviceman called Enterprise and gave us an Impala to drive. Is that a comparable replacement? Once again, this has been a huge inconvenience. VERY POOR SERVICE!
Moreover, we had our first multi-family camping trip planned for this weekend. The camping gear barely fits into the rental car. We had to revise our plans, because our Mercedes-Benz truck broke down and our replacement Impala does NOT have space for everything. Unacceptable!
And finally, my husband has had his sights set on a Mercedes 500SL for his 40th Birthday, my two best friends and I all bought a GL450 within a few months apart, because we considered it the best in class. My neighbor just asked me about for my insight, because she is considering the GL450 also. But I can honestly say, this incident has made me feel like a Mercedes-Benz is not appropriate for the majority of commuters, like my husband who drives 35 miles into the city every morning with a cup of coffee or busy soccer moms who have to drive around town carpooling, transporting children, and occasionally driving through McDonalds to feed the kids on the way to practice or ball games. With the escalating cost of air travel, more consumers are taking road trips. Consumers should be warned that a small spill during that road trip could cost you much more than airline tickets.
The bottom line, I consider this problem a defect in the design and manufacturing of your vehicle. I am not willing to take responsibility for this damage, because no reasonable person would assume that a fairly small spill of water could possibly cause thousands of dollars worth of damage. After all, I am not talking about a window or sunroof being left open during torrential rains or God forbid, horrible flooding. This was a small spill from a water cooler… in a luxury car.
I hope you will address my concerns.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Lena
Disappointed GL450 Owner
Mercedes touts the GL as "Light Truck / SUV" in their own web site. They also have made various claims as to its military heritage, its "ruggedness" and "off-road suitability" implying this is a well-constructed, tough vehicle designed for the rigors of off road driving.
The experience from Lena reflects Mercedes' intentional deception. This vehicle is nothing more than another frail car complete with the Mercedes tradition of engineering mistakes and sub-standard design under the pretty carpets. Definitely not an "SUV" or anything close.
naive lena..the MB to be proud etc died with the eighties..their reputation is thru money at the dealership, in a hypothetical more stupid world (around the corner he he)they could give the car at cost..they have the 1000 bucks washer will make the car run fine again..or the wires(?)by today standers MB is a waste of money..they are selling the badge this days; get three times more with a top of the line asian..DAMN! I hate what i just said but is true in my experience MB is like an Edsel very fine cars WHEN THEY WORK!
naive lena..the MB to be proud etc died with the eighties..their reputation is thru money at the dealership, in a hypothetical more stupid world (around the corner he he)they could give the car at cost..they have the 1000 bucks washer will make the car run fine again..or the wires(?)by today standers MB is a waste of money..they are selling the badge this days; get three times more with a top of the line asian..DAMN! I hate what i just said but is true in my experience MB has become an Edsel very fine cars WHEN THEY WORK!
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