I have 2003 mercedes benz c230. Whenever I would start the vehicle it would give me jerk or make noise and finally just before taking it to a dealer it stalled. I had it towed. The vehicle was taken to a local shop, which suggested that the problem is much larger and needs the attention of the manufacturer and hence to taken to the dealer. It was diagnosed as the timing chain was defective and the local shop owner said this was a common problem with this vehicle and a serious problem with major cost to fix. The manufacturer was contacted who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle is not repaired as the cost of fix is as large as the cars current value. The failure and current mileage is 68,000.
2003 Mercedes Benz C230: jerking or lurching
5 of the 51 complaints about the 2003 Mercedes Benz C230 describe jerking or lurching.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 10%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 7 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Jerking or lurching by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz c230. The contact stated that whenever she would start the vehicle, it would jerk violently. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where it was diagnosed that the cam shaft sensor was leaking and the timing chain was defective. The manufacturer was contacted who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 92,000.
A year ago, I brought a c230 compressor at mercedes-benz and since then, I had to repair my A/C twice, the ABS light has been fixed twice in one week, and now my transmission is acting out. Although I have brought my car in a great deal, the problem(s) still exist. In one month alone, I brought my car in about 3 times to fix almost the same problem(s). My last visit was this past week, and just today, I got my car back and the transmission still feels funny. It jerks when I step on the accelerator and for some reason, I feel more unsafe now then before.
2003 c230 has transmission that jerks, and requires excessive effort to get vehicle to move when in reverse, also has weak rim design, and bend easily, hit pot hole on highway and bent front rim.
Vehile is an automatic. Vehicle "jerks" hard when lightly applying gas. This can be compared to starting in first gear (manual transmission) when not fully depressing the correct combination of gas and clutch. This happens when traveling from a dead stop at a traffic light or pulling into a parking space. Have had several near misses in hitting other vehicles.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
- Harsh engagement when changing gear range from P to D or R
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Mercedes Benz C230 jerking
Is jerking or lurching a common problem on the 2003 Mercedes Benz C230?
5 of 51 owner complaints about the 2003 Mercedes Benz C230 (10%) mention jerking or lurching. The model year with the most reports is 2006.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Mercedes Benz C230?
There are 0 recalls and 7 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Mercedes Benz C230
VIN decoder
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