Subframe cracked while driving vehicle and began to sway in the rear very badly.
2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 body complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 58 of 58, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Started noticing strange chassis behavior when braking. Braking hard would result in car leaning left, then leaning right when foot taken off the brake. Car appeared to "sway" on braking. Hard to control direction of vehicle on braking. Consulted local mechanic who put the car up on a lift. Discovered rotten rear subframe on left side. No substantial rust or rot on any other structural components. Looked into this issue online; no recall discovered. Found multiple instances of this rear subframe rot occurring to other owners of similar-year C300s who were then also quoted thousands of dollars in repairs. Car is not safe to drive until the subframe is replaced. The wrong pothole could cause the rotten rear subframe to snap and potentially cause more damage to the vehicle and injury to the driver and others. No warning lamps or other system messages to warn of this problem. A safety inspection performed at an authorized Mercedes-Benz service center on February 22, 2021 found no issues with the vehicle.
Rusting subframe to point of hole thru rust be leaf rear wheel/tire area. Garaged daily since purchased 2013. Reside in Ohio. Approx 80k miles.
Vehicle was taken in for standard maintenance and I was informed that the rear sub-frame had a rusted through hole on one side and was rusting on the other. This vehicle is well maintained, garaged, and has normal annual maintenance with the dealership. There was no prior warning that this was an issue or "normal wear and tear" was causing this problem. The repair is quoted to be over 5k and I was told it is/will be essential because of a safety issue. Through some brief internet research, it appears like this is a larger problem and could have catastrophic problems if it is not caught before it fails.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The rear subframe rusted off at where the lower control is connected due to corrosion =. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? When the control arm rusted off the frame I lost control of the car due fish tailing and car extremally pulling the to the left while hitting the brakes Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no warning lamps for the frame, it finally appears and almost caused me to crash after the control are finally rusted off the subframe completely.
2013 MB C300 4matic with 63K miles. It was taken to an MB dealership for yearly maintenance (Service A). A certified maint. tech provided me with an inspection video of the underneath of the car outlining an issue with the rear subframe. The right side has a hole rusted through it and the left side is rusted, but not rusted through...yet. Replacement is recommended, as it will not pass state inspection in it's current condition because it's a safety issue. They also advised that they have seen a few instances of this problem and have contacted Corporate. This is a 8-9 yr. old vehicle with low mileage and has had consistent maintenance at an MB dealership. The car was inspected in May 2021. There was no indication given at that time, that the subframe was rusting, could be a safety issue, and result in a replacement totaling over $5K. Once the information was provided during the recent service, I did research and found that this is an issue going back a few years. Some owner's have had this part break while driving causing a dangerous and potential life threatening situation. I then contacted MB customer advocacy to go over the issue and cost involved. I was advised that MB does not assist in repairing the vehicle. However, they would investigate and get back to me. I supplied information to them on 2/9/22 and am waiting for a response. I purchased this vehicle because of the quality of the brand, MB's reputation and longevity. I will not drive the car due to its diagnosis and other owner evidence that the subframe could potentially break while I am driving. It is unacceptable that a major structural component could fail on a vehicle of this age. This requires a recall of the subframe and MB's responsibility for the cost of the repairs.
Rear Cross Member Sub frame rusted through and broke in half causing lack of control of the car when braking. It is very difficult to control the car at low speed (25mph or less) and would be virtually impossible at highway speed. Had this component failed under a highway speed situation, the loss of control could have resulted in loss of life and property. Component has been removed from vehicle and is available for inspection. Video of the removal available for review as well. Mercedes dealership was contacted. They were unwilling to discuss the failure and referred us to the corporate office who have not responded to calls. There were no indications that the part was in danger of failing. Car had passed inspection in November. After the failure we conducted research online and found that this is a common and known problem on this model car. It is time for it to be addresses. Under no circumstance should a car that is 8 years old have a structural component of that nature fail.
COMPONENT FAILURE - Broken rear cross member driver side. Total and Complete failure and separation of rear mount from cross member due to corrosion of components. Passenger side rear cross member at same location found to be "near-failure" state at same location during replacement. (Rear cross member is physically available for inspection and photos are also available). Overall condition of the cross member is excellent other than at the TWO locations where the mounts connect to the cross member which have extensive corrosion, rust thru and failure at driver's side. SAFETY - Safety was put at risk as the car would pull to left when brakes were applied and it continued to get worse, fortunately we limped the car to a repair location before a fatal accident occurred. The worse part of this whole situation is that Mercedes has encountered this issue before (per research on web sites) and has chosen to not address in the United States. Per research, they have recalled this issue in both the UK and Canada as well as specific dealers in Germany have reimbursed owners for repairs of this issue. This vehicle had recently been to the dealer for services and Firestone for tires and alignment and nobody had noticed the severity of rust. WARNING - No warning lamps, the only advance notice was the vehicle starting to pull toward the left which is what prompted us to seek out repair service. Once, the repair service (Firestone) immediately saw the total failure of the mount disconnected from the subframe they immediately diagnosed the problem with the car pulling to the left.
While driving at low speed, there was a sudden imbalance in the steering wheel and the car started to pull to the right. The problem was more exaggerated while breaking with significant fishtailing. I immediately took the vehicle to Mercedes-Benz dealership who diagnosed the problem as severely rusted subframe with corrosion and structural instability especially near the rear passenger side wheel. The car is Mercedes C300 4Matic 2013. The incident happened on November 24, 2021. Mileage is 77,000 miles. Should I have waited longer, there was a very high probability of complete breakdown of the subframe which would result in rollover posing high risk of injury and death to the driver and other people on the road.
The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the rear of the vehicle started fishtailing with extreme vibration making the vehicle very unstable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who discovered the rear passenger’s side subframe was severely rusted causing a section near the rear passenger’s side wheel detaches. The cause of the corrosion was not determined. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 107,500.
The subframe rotted out causing the lower control arm bracket to detach from the frame. This has caused loss of control of the back left wheel and causes the car to shake and swerve when braking. This exact issue has led to recall in Canada. First noticed due to a squeaking and clunking sound. Later on the same day, I pressed the brakes on the highway and felt the described shaking/swerving. My mechanic has let me know that the car is now un-drivable due to the safety issue this causes. One of the rear subframe’s main purposes is to absorb and disperse impact. Not only have I entirely lost control of the rear left, but any crash that this could have led to could have been significantly more dangerous due to the failed subframe. As stated prior, this exact issue has led to recall in Canada and I believe that it should lead to recall in the USA as well.
Vehicle subframe has rusted through and parts of left rear suspension components are free, and one is about to poke a hole in the fuel tank. The right side is about to do the same. Everyone’s safety is at high risk with this problem. The car abruptly pulls to the left when applying the brakes as well as causing the car to shimmy on the interstate. I took it to my mechanic who to.d me what has happened, and I had it towed to the Mercedes dealership who confirmed the problem. When you search the internet you find a highly alarming number of people who have this same problem on 2009-2014 C300 models please do something before someone gets killed.
During a routine maintenance inspection at the Mercedes dealer, the mechanic found the rear subframe on the left and right sides of the car is rusting. Eventually it will rust through and possibly causing the loss of the control arms and wheels. At that point the car could become uncontrollable. The issue was discussed with Mercedes Benz USA Customer Advocacy. They informed me the once a vehicle falls outside warranty repairs are at the owners expense. Although the car is 8 years old it has only 51,000 miles. This is a known issue with my model year and in fact there is a recall in Canada for this issue.
The contact's daughter owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, his daughter lost control of the vehicle upon the depression of the brake pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle would veer off the road without warning. His daughter had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who informed her that the subframe had severe corrosion. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed his daughter that they could not offer any assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Mercedes dealership mechanic found rear subframe rusted through on 5/20/21 during oil change. Mechanic advised car is unsafe to drive, subframe can break apart while driving and cause accident. Dealership also advised this is a known issue with my model/year vehicle but currently no recall for it in the US, but there is a recall for this issue in Canada. I called Mercedes Benz USA customer care and spoke to a supervisor Benjamin who said they will not cover any repair expense for this issue.
The Contact owns a 2013 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that the vehicle exhibited a knocking sound and an abnormal vibration when driving. The Contact took the vehicle to the dealer for an inspection and the Dealer found the Sub Frame was corroded and had a hole. The dealer advised that the sub-frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 60,0000.
The rear subframe rusted through risking the control arms from detaching from the frame. This could cause the car to be uncontrollable with the right, rear wheel and control arm from detaching from the vehicle.
Interior door handle on doors, specifically the driver side door, will break, and the person is unable to get out of the car. This is a very serious matter, but mercedes benz company has not put out a recall on this. Many owners have complained about this issue with no results. The owners have to pay for this out of pocket, and it is costly. I feel as if this should be a recall issue, because it poses an hazard of getting out the car if the car is in an accident or worse, catches on fire. And yes, my door handle on the driver side of my 2013 c300 is broke, and have been quoted by the dealership that it will cost me $1100 to repair.
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