On november 24, 2010 our 1999 mercedes benz c280 sedan engine stalled/stopped running with no warning. Fortunately for us we were not on a fast moving surface street, a highway or a freeway. This situation, when the engine stalls/stops makes it is extremely difficult to steer the car and stop it since the brakes and power steering are difficult to use effectively with the engine is not running. After refueling the car we traveled approximately 100ft when, without any dash board warning lights or any other indications, the engine stopped running. We attempted to start the engine several times and it would not start. We called aaa of southern california at approximately 3:15pm, the tow truck arrived at 3:55pm and the tow truck driver asked us to attempt to start the car and to our surprise the engine started. We drove to south bay mercedes benz, torrance, california, with the tow truck following us. While the work order was being prepared, service bay personnel attempted to start the car several times and were unable to do so. After about 35 minutes, another attempt to start the engine was successful. Our concern is that the engine stalling/stopping is major safety hazard and it would have been a total disaster for us and other drivers had this happened in a high traffic situation. This problem should be in-depth investigated by the federal safety agency traffic safety organization. This investigation should be made to determine frequency of occurrence, review mercedes benz service reports and other c280 owners. This car has always been serviced at south bay mercedes, torrance, ca, and has been driven less than 20,000 miles. The engine stalling/stopping was corrected by replacing the front crankshaft temperature sensor. There are no redundancies when this part fails.
1999 Mercedes Benz C280 engine problems
10 complaints (29% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 48,000.
- owner complaints
- 10
- of this car's complaints
- 29%
- typical mileage
- 48,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Engine: gasoline: belts and associated pulleys5
- Engine2
- Cooling system1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Mercedes Benz C280 engine problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Engine crankshaft pulley failure
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure that could result in loss of power-steering assist.odi has received a total of 546 non-duplicative reports that allege engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure on all mercedes-benz vehicles using the subject component.the subject component failures are progressive in nature and only a small percentage of the complaints and warrant claims involved a failure that had progressed far enough to effect power steering performance (6 of 55 odi complaints reference increased steering effort).there have been no crashes or injuries related to the alleged defect.a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see summary report attached for further detail.
PE03058
What 1999 Mercedes Benz C280 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Mercedes-benz 1999 c280. Crankshaft pulley fell apart while at a stop sign not far from home, was able to drive back home before complete breakdown. Smelled burning rubber, no fire. The car has only 25,284 miles.
Harmonica balancer on 1999 mercedes benz c280 v6 2.8l engine. I've had some problems with the power steering and starting the car. I understand there is a recall for this problem but I never received any papers from the manufacturer.
A loud noise was heard coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle then stalled. The consumer tried to restart the vehicle but was unable to so. The consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the consumer that the engine needed replacement. Please fill in additional information.
A squeaking noise was coming from my wife's mercedes benz c-280. On her way to our mechanic, her car died, conveniently in front of another mechanic. The mechanic identified a problem with the harmonic balancer which flew off its appropriate place on the engine. The car is being looked at on 8/31/04 to assess the amount of damged caused.
Engine crankshaft pully harmonic balancer failure
Consumer states that the drivebelt cracked and came off while driving, causing failure of power steering/ alternator, and the engine cooling system.
The drive belt pulley of my 1999 mercedes c280 broke. The battery charge light came up and I almost lost control of the car because my steering became stiff. My car just has 49k miles and I just use it as a commute vehicle. This is very similar to the federal safety agency recall number: 96v058000
The vehicles fuel tank filler failed and made it difficult to fill the tank with gas. The gas came back out the filler cap although the tank didn't have a half a tank of gas. *nlm sometimes the engine didn't turn over, and the vehicle was poor on gas.
Engine cable insulator crack and fell off, causing shorts and the engine cut off.
Questions about the 1999 Mercedes Benz C280 engine
Does the 1999 Mercedes Benz C280 have engine problems?
Owners have filed 10 complaints about the engine of the 1999 Mercedes Benz C280, 29% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 1999 Mercedes Benz C280 engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 48,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1999 Mercedes Benz C280 engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Mercedes Benz C280 have bad engine?
The Mercedes Benz C280 model years with the most engine complaints are 2007 (14 complaints), 2006 (13 complaints) and 1999 (10 complaints).
Other 1999 Mercedes Benz C280 problems
Lights 5Suspension 5Electrical 4Fuel system 4Steering 3Body 2Visibility 2Acceleration 1Airbags 1Brakes 1Transmission 1
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