2009 MERCEDES BENZ C300 Structure Problems

Vehicle inspection by independent service center indicated that a new rear frame was necessary. This was the second communication to nhtsa on this issue. This automobile (2009 c300) is inoperable due to this Mercedes rear frame defect .

The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the rear end of the vehicle would fishtail and become extremely unstable while driving over a bump in the road or while turning. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the subframe was severely rusted. The cause of the failure was not determined, and the vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 201,000.

Mileage: 201,000

The entire rear subframe of any W205 body model including but not limited to the C class from 2009-2014, CL class, SL, class ETC. suffers admittedly from MB USA, premature rust, deterioration etc. there is an active recall for these same models in Canada and all of Europe but not the USA. My garage kept 2009 C300 has suffered extensive rear end damage from a factory defect that Mercedes refuses to recognize in the Continental U.S. but will admit the same issues occurred in the EU and Canada. Keeler Mercedes, USA, of Colonie New York, stated they completed my subframe repair under the MB rear subframe extended warranty. The vehicle was driven home and inspected only to find out Keeler Mercedes of NY did NOT replace this crucial safety component under MB-USA extended warranty issued for this defect. This is pure negligence. When asked why the subframe wasn’t replaced as the work order stated it did, they stated “a mix up in paper work” I believe Mercedes-Benz USA and Keeler Mercedes of New York conspired together to push this massive safety defect aside and lie about completing the work in fear of the payment from warranty not being worth the labor hours required by the technicians. This oversight COULD have been a multi million dollar lawsuit if any injury was sustained after said repairs were done in belief the vehicle was safe to drive. Keeler Mercedes’ has also had this vehicle in their possession from June 14th 2024, to todays date, July 5th 2024 with no word on when repairs to subframe will be completed. Subframe replacement stated on MB website states it is an 8 hour labor job. We’re on day 18 now. MAJOR safety issue and shady dealing by dealership

This car I have owned since brand new and I am the original owner. This car has never been used in winter despite I live in New York and always has been maintained in very good condition however, this car has developed noises from the rear when driven. I took the car to my trusted mechanic and he found out that the rear subframe has corrosion making it unsafe to drive.

The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would sway from side to side as an abnormal clonking noise would emit from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they discovered that the subframe had cracked due to severe corrosion. The dealer was contacted about the failure, and she was given an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was given a case number. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 94,200.

Mileage: 94,200

The brake lines and subframe were completely rusted and the vehicle was unsafe to drive. Dealer confirmed at regular service appointment. I have documentation and competed all regular maintenance. Dealer would not cover costs for what appears to be a major defect. I had another shop replace the brake lines and subframe.

Authorized Mercedes Benz dealership in Ann Arbor, MI advised replacing tires, valve stems and other items. I dropped off the car at the dealership for the work. During Alignment they found right rear out of spec due to subframe rusted out. They said rear subframe replacement is needed. This is a very dangerous condition and Mercedes Benz does not cover rusted subframe replacement costs at all, neither do they advise routine checks for this problem which seems to be a very common issue for the C Class. In Europe and Canada, Mercedes replaces rusted subframes for free. Why is it not done for free in USA? This is a very serious issue and can cause serious and fatal accidents. The cost to replace rusted subframe is very high and car can break down while driving without any notice or warning. Additionally, there is no warning light or signal displayed to alert the driver of a potential problem. The car can have an accident without any warning light or alert.

I bought this car for my 18 year old son based on Mercedes reputation for safety and longevity, only to discover that Mercedes has a widely acknowledged issue with rotted sub-frames -- it's a serious safety issue and recalled in other countries. My son was was driving on the highway and the tire exploded. He was so close to being killed because the car went out of control. After getting it towed to my mechanic, he advised me that alignment adjusters were stuck, the subframe was rotted, the lower control arm subframe mounts were broken from the subframe and they were hitting the gas tank. Luckily, the tire only exploded as oppose to the entire vehicle bursting in flames. There were no warning lights or messages, only the feeling that the tires needed to be aligned. We bought new tires and were told an alignment was done from Town Fair Tires, which was untrue. My son's life was in immediate danger. Shame on Mercedes for not recalling this subframe. This is the first of many avenues I am taking to have this rectified and hopefully prevent a tragedy

The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle swayed on the roadway. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rear subframe was corroded and needed to be replaced. The mechanic contacted the dealer to order the replacement part and was informed by the dealer that there was a recall for the subframe; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Mileage: 70,000

The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, he heard an abnormal clunking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the road. After looking under the vehicle, the contact noticed that the subframe located next to the gas tank was fractured. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear subframe had fractured from the weld point. However, the parts to do the repair were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

Mileage: 190,000

My spouse was driving approx 40MPH. Traffic light turned amber so she applied the brakes, at that point the vehicle pulled violently to the left into on coming traffic and at the same time the vehicle rear end was fish tailing out of control.Our mechanc inspected the vehicle and discovered the rear sub frame assembly had cracked on the driver side. We were advised by the mechanic this car is un driveable. Our Insurance appraiser inspected the vehicle and stated this is very common with this model vehicle and is a very bad design flaw. I contacted the Mercedes dealership and they advised there is no re-call on the subframe so I would need to pay $4000-$5000 for the repair. This vehicle is worthless to me now and is a grave safety risk to drive. I do not have the funds to fix this vehicle so I am now without a car. Mercedes customer care will not even answer any telephone calls. I have called 3 times and been on hold for over 60 minutes each time. This design flaw needs to be corrected by Mecedes before someone gets killed.

Take my car to the dealer and told me my rear subframe is rusted out and is dangerous to drive. Total cost replace they said around $5800 . Why there isn’t recall for the problem in the USA ? I find out there is one in Canada and Germany for this car. What I’m supposed to do with the car? Take it to a junkyard because Mercedes’

The contact's son owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for servicing, he was informed that the subframe was severely rusted. The contact stated that his son then informed him that while he was driving approximately 50 MPH and depressing the brake pedal to come to a complete stop, the vehicle started wobbling significantly. The dealer replaced the subframe, the rear tires, and completed an alignment on the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000. Vehicle has been repaired.

Mileage: 87,000

the rear subframe @lower control arms right side rust on bracket when put break on the car go to right and make noise!!! the car just have 83.000 miles!! this have re call or not?we d'ont know untill seaching on web side findown couple owner C300 have problem said some

Mileage: 83,000

The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the driver’s side rear tire inverted into the wheel well due to excessive corrosion. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where he confirmed the failure and informed him that the subframe needed to be replaced. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 130,000.

Mileage: 130,000

The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving approximately 60-70 mph, the vehicle started shuddering and lost stability. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that as she disengaged the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stopped shuddering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rear subframe was rusted and had fractured into two pieces on both sides of the vehicle, and the lower control arms were hitting the gas tank. The check engine warning light and TPMS warning light were illuminated at the time of the diagnosis. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Mileage: 120,000

Rear Sub-frame corrosion required a complete replacement of component to pass PA Inspection - car had about 63,000 miles and has been garage kept (and barely driven in Winter) since I purchased it as a certified pre-owned vehicle from the dealer (6 months old with less than 6,000 miles on it). MB Mechanics state that they are seeing this a lot with these cars, replacement sub-frame design is modified to prevent corrosion and I personally think this should be a recall safety issue as the corrosion was classified by the dealership as "Aggressive" and can cause control arms to detach (yikes !). I contacted Mercedes-Benz corporate to see if they would provide some cost assistance, they agreed to pay $1000 towards the cost of the replacement, still leaving me with a bill of $2500. I have a 20 year old Ford Taurus that lives outside and is driven all year round that doesn't have a corroded subframe - why can't Mercedes make one that doesn't fall apart ?

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SUBFRAME BRACKET WAS SEVERELY CORRODED. THE CONTACT NOTICED THE FAILURE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL SOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AND INSPECTED WHICH THE TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THAT THE REAR SUBFRAME NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. MERCEDES-BENZ OF EASTON (4300 MORSE XING, COLUMBUS, OH 43219, (888) 530-5742) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE HOWEVER, NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 77,000. ## VIN PASSED ## MERCEDES-BENZ 2009 ##

Mileage: 77,000

BOUGHT C300 2009 4 MATIC SEP. 2017 USED FROM A DEALER. CARFAX INDICATES GETTING SCHEDULED SERVICE FROM DEALER AND IT DOES NOT SHOW PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. IT HAS NOW 90K MILEAGE. LATELY, I STARTED HEARING SOME NOISE AT THE BACK WHENEVER I HIT A SMALL BUMP, SO I DECIDED TO BRING IT TO THE MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER AND HAVE IT CHECKED LAST JULY 21, 2020. THEY FOUND OUT THAT THE REAR SUBFRAME IS BROKEN BECAUSE OF RUST. THE ESTIMATED REPAIR COST IS $6,000. THEY ALSO SAID FRONT END LINKS TORN AND LEAKING, BOTH FRONT AXLES BOOTS TORN AND LEAKING, CENTRIFUGE AND VACUUM PUMP O-RING LEAKING OIL, TRASNFER CASE LEAKING OIL. THE COST OF REPAIR IS AN ADDITIONAL $4,000. I COMPLAINED TO THE THE TECHNICIAN THAT I JUST HAD A SCHEDULED SERVICE ON IT LAST YEAR, HOW COME IT HAS THIS SERIES OF PROBLEMS NOW. TECHNICIAN ADVISED ME TO CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SEE IF THEY CAN GOODWILL THE REPAIR COST. AFTER A SERIES OF EMAIL AND TEL. EXCHANGES WITH C.S., I FINALLY GOT THE RESULT TODAY AUG. 7, 2020 FROM THE C.S MANAGER AND SAID NO DISCOUNT OR GOODWILL ON THE REPAIR. THEY CAN ONLY GIVE A DISCOUNT OF $1,000 IF I BUY A NEW ONE FROM THEM OR $500 IF I BUY A CPO. IS THIS THEIR TACTIC ON SELLING THEIR CARS IN THE INVENTORY? THIS CAR IS SO EXPENSIVE THAT THEY BRAG THEMSELVES TO HAVE A VERY DURABLE CAR BUT YET, HAS THIS KIND OF ISSUES. I FOUND OUT LATELY THAT A LOT OF MERCEDES -BENZ OWNER HAS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. MERCEDES-BENZ DID NOT DO THEIR JOB TO AVOID THIS KIND OF ISSUE OCCURING, SO I FOUND THEM TO BE AT FAULT ON THIS AND MAKING THE CONSUMERS UNSAFE TO DRIVE THEIR CARS. CONSUMERS ARE GOING TO BE ALWAYS ON THE LOOSING END NO MATTER HOW CAREFUL WE ARE ON DRIVING AND MAINTAINING THE CAR, IF THIS KIND OF CAR AND SERVICE IS WHAT WE'RE GETTING FROM MERCEDES-BENZ. I'M APPEALING TO YOU TO HELP ME MAKE MERCEDES-BENZ SHOULDER THE COST OF REPAIR. I CAN'T DRIVE IT NOW BECAUSE OF SAFETY ISSUE. THANK YOU.

Mileage: 90,000

MY REAR SUB FRAME IS BROKEN DUE TO RUST ON MY 2009 MERCEDES C300. IT WAS CAUSING MAJOR WIGGLE WHILE BREAKING AND I THOUGHT IT WAS THE ROTORS. THE CAR HAS 98,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN STORED DRY IN MY GARAGE. UPON LOOKING ONLINE, IT APPEARS THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH NUMBERS MERCEDES C CLASSES UPON 90,000 - 100,000 MILES. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP FOR THEM TO LOOK AT THE ROTORS, THEY WERE SURPRISED IT DIDN'T COMPLETELY BREAK AND CAUSE A WRECK. THEY ARE HAVING ME TOW IT TO A BODY SHOP.

Mileage: 98,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR (TPM) INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. HELMS BROTHER MERCEDES-BENZ IN FLUSHING, NEW YORK REPLACED ALL FOUR TPM SENSORS AND ALL FOUR TIRES, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. IN ADDITION, WATER ENTERED INTO THE REAR PASSENGER SEAT. THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 65,000.

Mileage: 65,000

2009 MERCEDES-BENZ 300C. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO RUSTED LEFT SUB FRAME. *LD *TR

Mileage: 109,000

2009 MERCEDES-BENZ 300C. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO RUSTED LEFT SUB FRAME. *LD *TR

Mileage: 109,000

DRIVER'S SIDE INTERIOR DOOR-OPENING LATCH/HANDLE HAS DISENGAGED SO THAT I CANNOT OPEN THE DOOR TO EXIT THE VEHICLE. IN ORDER TO OPEN THE DOOR, I MUST OPEN THE WINDOW AND REACH OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE TO ENGAGE THE EXTERIOR DOOR LATCH/HANDLE. THIS IS TIME-CONSUMING AND COULD BE QUITE DANGEROUS SHOULD I NEED TO EXIT THE VEHICLE QUICKLY. IT HAPPENED SUDDENLY AFTER I HAD RETURNED HOME AND PARKED. I WAS ABOUT TO EXIT AND THE LATCH JUST GAVE UP WHEN I TRIED TO ENGAGE IT. I FOUND SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE WITH OWNERS STATING THAT THE INTERIOR DOOR LATCH/HANDLE (INNER PART) IS MADE OF VERY CHEAP PLASTIC.

Mileage: 56,011

TROUBLE WITH SUN ROOF ASSEMBLY. MECHANIC WARNED ME NOT TO USE IT AS IT IS DEFECTIVE AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED BUT MUST BE REPLACED WHICH WOULD COST TOO MUCH MONEY. THE CAR WAS PURCHSED USED AND THIS WAS NOT INDICATED AT THAT TIME. HE WARNED ME AFTER I BOUGHT IT.

"TAKATA RECALL" I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AROUND 10:30 AM IN MY 2009 MERCEDES BENZ C300 ENJOYING THE COMMUTE. AS I APPROACHED THE STOP LIGHT.....BLANK!!!! I LASTLY REMEMBER BREAKING ....TO OPEN MY WATERING EYES TO SEE THAT I HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE AND DON'T RECALL ANYTHING AT ALL. AS I GET UP IN REALIZED THAT MY HEAD HURTS AND THERE WAS A SMALL TEAR IN THE STEERING WHEEL AS A SMALL PORTION OF THE BAG DEPLOYED BUT NOT FULLY.. IT APPEARED TO BE A FAULTY BAG THAT HAS CAUSED THIS SERIOUS INCONVENIENCE.

Mileage: 112,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE FRACTURED. IN ORDER TO EXIT THE VEHICLE, THE POWER WINDOW SWITCH HAD TO BE ACTIVATED TO ENGAGE THE EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

Mileage: 80,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, HE HEARD A POPPING NOISE. UPON INVESTIGATION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE PASSENGER TAILLIGHT BULB FAILED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE DRIVER'S FRONT INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE DETACHED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS CONFIRMED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 47,000.