NHTSA ID Number: 10018417
Incident Date: 2003-05-06
Manufacturer's Name: Mercedes-Benz
USA, LLC
Vehicle/Equipment Make: MERCEDES BENZ
Vehicle/Equipment Model: C230
Model Year: 1998
9999 If Unknown Or N/A
Vehicle Identification Number: WDBHA23G0WA
Vehicle Mileage At Failure: 95000
Vehicle Speed: 0
Number Of Occurrences: 300
Was Vehicle Towed: No
Consumer Location: UXBRIDGE, MA
Summary of Complaint
I HAVE A 1998 MERCEDES C230 WITH A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION. FOR THE PAST 3 MONTHS I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET THE MERCEDES REGIONAL MANAGER (MACINTOSH) TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM, WHICH HAS BEEN PRESENT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW, BUT ONLY BECAME DANGEROUS IN THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. MACINTOSH IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND ITS SERIOUS NATURE, BUT REFUSES TO RETURN MY CALLS. I'VE BEEN TOLD BY THE MERCEDES DEALER THAT I CANNOT ESCALATE THE SITUATION FURTHER. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE TRANSMISSION CAUSES THE CAR TO LURCH FORWARD A FEW SECONDS AFTER A HARD STOP. FOR EXAMPLE, IF I HAD TO BREAK SUDDENLY IF A CHILD CAME OUT IN FRONT OF THE CAR, IT COULD LURCH FORWARD A FEW SECONDS AFTER I HAD STOPPED WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS. THE VEHICLE ALSO HAS DELAYED ACCELERATION, LURCHING FORWARD AT A MUCH FASTER RATE THAN INTENDED. THE TRANSMISSION HAS NEVER FELT RIGHT SINCE I TOOK DELIVERY IN 98, BUT AT THE TIME I WAS ENSURED THAT IT WAS NORMAL. I SPOKE WITH ONE OF MERCEDES?? TOP MECHANICS AT FOREIGN MOTORS WEST RECENTLY WHO TOLD ME THIS IS COMMON FOR C CLASS VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM 1997 TO EARLY 1998. THE SERVICE MANAGER ALSO SAID MY PROBLEMS ARE COMMON WITH TODAY??S VEHICLES. MERCEDES HAS APPARENTLY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TRANSMISSION ISSUE FOR YEARS. MERCEDES INSTALLED DIFFERENT COMPONENTS IN LATER MODELS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. SINCE THE TRANSMISSION OFTEN LASTS FOR ABOUT 100,000 MILES BEFORE THE PROBLEM OCCURS, DEALERS ARE OFTEN ABLE TO CHARGE THE $8,000 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION AND SHIRK RESPONSIBILITY. I'M SURE THERE HAVE BEEN SITUATIONS WITH DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES WITH LESS KNOWLEDGEABLE DRIVERS THAN I. THIS IS MY THIRD MERCEDES AND CLEARLY THEY'VE ADOPTED A LOWER-QUALITY APPROACH TOWARD BUILDING AND RECALLING VEHICLES IN THE LAST 5 YEARS. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN DO SOMETHING TO PROTECT CONSUMERS. I DON'T KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH AN EXTRA $8,000 LAYING AROUND TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT YOU WOULDN'T EXPECT IN A CAR LIKE THIS. *NLM
Complaint 10018417 Documents
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CRASH: No
WAS VEHICLE INVOLVED IN A CRASH
FIRE: No
WAS VEHICLE INVOLVED IN A FIRE
INJURIES: 0
NUMBER OF PERSONS INJURED
DEATHS: 0
NUMBER OF FATALITIES
Was Medical Attention Required: No
Was Incident Reported To Police: No
Date Of Incident: 2003-05-06
(YYYY-MM-DD)
Date Added To File: 2003-05-08
(YYYY-MM-DD)
Date Complaint Received By NHTSA: 2003-05-08
(YYYY-MM-DD)
Date Purchased: 1998-02-18
(YYYY-MM-DD)
Was Original Owner: Yes
Product Type: Vehicle
V = Vehicle T = Tires E = Equipment C = Child Restraint
Specific Component's Description: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Anti-Lock Brakes: Yes
Cruise Control: Yes
Number Of Cylinders: 4
Drive Train Type: RWD
[AWD, 4WD, FWD, RWD]
FI = Fuel Injection TB = Turbo
Fuel Type: Gas
BF = BiFuel CN = CNG/LPG DS = Diesel GS = Gas HR = HybridElectric
Vehicle Transmission Type [Auto, Man]: AUTO
(DOT) Department Of Transportation Tire Identifier:
Tire Size:
Location Of Tire:
FSW = Driver Side Front DSR = Driver Side Rear FTR = Passenger Side Front PSR = Passenger Side Rear SPR = Spare
Type Of Tire Failure:
BST = Blister BLW = Blowout TTL = Crack OFR = Out Of Round TSW = Puncture TTR = Road Hazard TSP = Tread Separation
Was Defective Tire Repaired:
Was Part Original Equipment:
Date Of Manufacture:
(YYYYMMDD)
Type Of Child Seat:
B = Booster C = Convertible I = Infant IN = Integrated TD = Toddler
Installation System:
A = Vehicle Safety Belt B = Latch System
Dealer's Name: FOREIGN MOTORS WEST
Dealer's Telephone Number:
Dealer's City: NATICK
Dealer's State: MA
Dealer's Zipcode: 01760
SOURCE OF COMPLAINT CODE:
CAG = Consumer Action Group CON = Forwarded From A Congressional Office DP = Defect Petition,result Of A Defect Petition EVOQ = Hotline VOQ EWR = EARLY WARNING REPORTING INS = Insurance Company IVOQ = NHTSA Web Site LETR = Consumer Letter MAVQ = NHTSA Mobile APP MIVQ = NHTSA Mobile APP MVOQ = Optical Marked VOQ RC = Recall Complaint, Result Of A Recall Investigation RP = Recall Petition, Result Of A Recall Petition SVOQ = Portable Safety Complaint Form (PDF) VOQ = NHTSA Vehicle Owners Questionnaire
Incident State Code:
Vehicle Operator's Name:
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