Took car in for airbag recall, week later the car wont unlock, had to pay $50 to get in, was told battery had 12.4 amps, car wont turn over, electronic systems not engaging, alarm goes off, replaced battery $160checked fuses and bought $25, nothing now having to tow back to mercedes benz of chandler that did my "recalls" out of pocket. The recall service messed it up. The exact thing as in complaint 212.
2008 Mercedes Benz C300 steering complaints
Page 2 of 6: complaints 11 to 40 of 136, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Electrical fault in 2008 c300 mercedes in front sam module has water intrusion from windshield water drain next to driver side fuse panel/ sam. Water intrusion caused customers vehicle to die while driving and caused esl steering lock to lock steering column and ignition key esi to lose communication with low voltage codes. Dash instrument cluster only comes on when opening the door and bcm becomes active. No response from ignition and driver almost lost control of vehicle when steering locked during malfunction/ power problems. Driver had vehicle towed with steering locked in a left turn. Esm[ewm] - electronic selector module(n15/5) 1 problems exist 1.u016800 communication with the electronic ignition lock has a malfunction. Ezs - electronic ignition lock(n73) 2 problems exist 1.a10d00 the power supply is too low._ 2.c14600 communication with the central gateway has a malfunction. Driver-side sam - front signal acquisition and actuation module 7 problems exist 1.b215f71 relay 1 ''circuit 15r'' has a malfunction.the actuator is blocked. 2.b212171 relay 1 ''circuit 15'' has a malfunction.the actuator is blocked. 3.b172b15 the output of the front footwell illumination has a malfunction.there is a short circuit to positive or an open circuit. 4.b179715 left standing light 2 has a malfunction.there is a short circuit to positive or an open circuit. 5.b126231 a magnetic interference field was detected. 6.b126322 control unit ''n10/1 (front sam control unit with fuse and relay module)'' has received no lin message from component ''compass module''. 7.b127a54 component ''compass module'' is not calibrated. Rear sam - rear signal acquisition and actuation module 2 problems exist 1.b182811 the output for remote trunk opening has a malfunction.there is a short circuit to ground. 2.u016800 communication with the electronic ignition lock has a malfunction.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercedes-benz c300. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start without warning. The vehicle was towed to mercedes-benz of south charlotte (950 n polk st, pineville, nc 28134, (704) 837-7955) where it was diagnosed that the electric power steering seized and caused the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 142,017. *as
After driving completely normally for over 30 minutes, I parked in a lot and stepped out of the car without issue to run an errand. After getting back into the car only 5 minutes later, the car would not start. There was no noise, just an message on the display: "remove key from ignition". No other lights came up. The key could turn, but nothing else happen. After determining that it was not a battery or engine issue, the car was towed to a local dealership that determined that it was a failure of the steering column lock, which caused the no start condition. This was a sudden failure with no warnings, leaving driver and passengers completely immobile. Dealership is charging over $1600 for replacement, citing that this is a common issue with this model.
Issue: parked vehicle failed to start. Steering locked. Shifter locked. Sudden failure, no warnings. Vehicle towed to dealer. Dealer diagnostic: electronic steering lock (esl) failed. Affected p/n: 204-545-81-32. Special notes: (1) car maintained by dealer. Oem parts purchased from dealer. (2) this will be the second time part is replaced by the dealer on this vehicle. Last replaced in 2012. (3) contacted mb customer care (case manager) to share concern. Immediately stated: "not a safety concern." no interest in reporting issue to leadership or appropriate department. Safety concern and recommendations: (1) past history * and lack of oem intervention suggest esl could fail while vehicle is being driven causing driver to lose complete steering control of vehicle. (2) both a failure modes and effects analysis (fmea) and system safety analysis (ssa) should be performed and reported to the federal safety agency to ascertain this is not a safety issue. (3) safety summary report or official statement should be shared with the public. * over 100 combined complaints reported in this website, mb forums, and off-line.
I got out of my vehicle to stop at an atm when I got back into my parked car it would not start. None of the diagnostics worked. The dealer told me that the steering column lock stopped working. This is a common problem for the c300.
The els went out . Which I've been told is a very common problem with these cars because of the design of the els
Car will not start after diving. Power from battery is good. Door still lock and unlock. This particluaf brand has issue with electronic steering locking and leaving car mobileless. Cannot place car in neautral for towing.
Takata recall car is completely locked up says remove key from ignition, left me stranded seems to be a common issue with this vehicle failure with steering lock and esl
The electronic steering lock mechanism failed, locking the steering wheel, which prevented ignition and the ability to shift the vehicle into manual for towing. The vehicle was stopped on a public roadway in order to assist a lost child. After the police arrived to assist, the vehicle would not restart, pushed, or moved further off of the road. Research indicates that this repair is a common complaint on 2008 c300 cars and the oem parts were part of a bad batch of supplier parts.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercedes-benz c300. While attempting to start the vehicle, 'take the key out the ignition' appeared and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to mercedes-benz of boston (259 mcgrath hwy, somerville, ma 02143, (617) 666-4100) and repaired, but the contact was not aware of the diagnosis. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,669.
Vehicle parked and locked in front my house. When atempting to start the vehicle, the steering wheel would not unlock. I tried two different key to start the vehicle, but still the steering wheel would not unlock. There is no warning light. Mercedes benz roadside assistant was called, and the car was towed to the mercedes benz dealer. Then, dealer confirmed that steering lock module in the column has failed and will need to be replace, and will cost $1100 parts, labor, and tax to get it done even when I have extended warranty. It was said that the service contract is a named component warranty and this component is not on the list, so it is not covered. The vehicle is now in at the mercedes benz dealer and is being worked on.
Car won't start and showed no symptom. After reading the blog it appears a lot people are going through the same issue and dealerships are the only authorized to work on them and taking people hard earned money. It stopped working working at 18583 dallas parkway suite 120 dallas, tx 75287 while it was parked. Park place mercedes is working on the vehicle and charging is more than thousand.
The electron steering lock failed on my 2008 c300. There were no warning lights that came on previously but the car just did not start one day. This problem is prevelant among many owners so mercedes should cover the cost of repair.
The power steering suddenly stop working while I am driving.
When driving on the freeway at a certain speed the rear end starts fishtailing making it hard to control the vehicle
Need to have a recall for cars electronic steering column switch failure. Key switch failure caused steering column to lock while vehicle in motion. Unable to turn or pull over to side of road. Car engine stopped in middle of city street. Very dangerous situation. Driver and passengers unable to get to or no where to go for safety due to high volume of traffic. There are many numerous complaints and issues pertaining to the malfunctioning key switch should be investigated and car recall initiated to upgrade to a safer more reliable part immediately.
Steering lock mechanism faulty. Steering locked and car inoperable. Car was parked. Had to be towed to dealer.
Eis/esl failed at 100k despite regular maintenance
Steering wheel will lock disabling the car from being started .the key will turn but the car will not start . Good thing it was parked on driveway !we are unable to move the car whatsoever , shift mechanism is locked as well disabling the movement of car
My mercedes was running good all day then when I went to the mall and came back back to start my car it had no power. We try jumping the car nothing. Use a different key nothing.. It won't start I had to call a tow truck . I took it to mercedes dealer just to look at it $300 .. Now they say it's the key ingotion that needs to replace cost me $1200+.. I just bought the car 7 months ago I have no warrant.. I google the problem and it's a common problem that ppl have plz investigate this problem cuz it cost a lot of money to fix and I'm out of a car for a week . Thank you
While driving all of a sudden the steering stopped working. It turned freely both sides but the car was going straight. It happened on a city road. If it happened on a highway it would be a disaster.
Vehicle parked and locked. When I attempted to unlock vehicle with remote control, vehicle would not unlock. Door had to be opened manually with "key". When attempting to start vehicle, no warning lights went on in position 2 and car woud not start in position 3. Towing company was called. Was unable to start vehicle. Vehicle towed to mbz dealer. Dealer confirmed that the electronic ignition steering lock malfunctioned and required replacement. Replacement completed.
The steering wheel locks up and will not move. Dealership and web state this is a common problem with this model of the car and the eis and esl switches need to be removed and replaced.
Steering refused to unlock and thus the car would not start. Car was stationary sitting in the garage.
Last week I drove my daughter to school. Then I went to the gas station and turned the car off. When I tried to start the car to leave, it would not start. It did not do anything. I could not even roll the windows up. The car did nothing other than say "remove ignition key." the battery was tested and fine. It had just been replaced 1 month ago. The tow truck driver brought it to my mechanic who then said it had to be brought to the dealer. The mercedes dealer said it was the eis/steering switch. The cost will be $1900. I've called other mechanics. No-one can fix it because mercedes has the parts and coding exclusively. This is a lot of money and with the amount of complaints it should be a recall. Last year my car also experienced the SRS light malfunction. I brought it to the dealer and this was also another huge expense. The dealer did not take the responsibility of a recall. They acted like it was a big surprise.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercedes-benz c300. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering. As a result, the vehicle was not operable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000. The VIN was not provided.
Electronic steering lock (esl)goes out damage without reason,happen routinely to most of this models mechanic shops and dealer stated it,vehicle parked won't unlock steering or simple restart
The steering wheel electronic lock, shut down my car. I drove to the doctors office and it stop working. It would not start. I found out that there are 1000 of complaints from other people who had the same problem.. But since there isn't a recall we would be subjected to paying out of our pocket. About $950.
Ordinary day at my job, got off and went to my car and put the key in lights in the instrument cluster came on and message was " remove the key" turn the key to accessory nothing happens, turn it all the way to start the ignition nothing happens, the vehicle is stuck in park and there is no way to move the shifter. After a research online and few phone calls I found out that this is a very common problem among mercedes vehicles. I took it to the dealer they did diagnose it for steering wheel lock and quoted me $1,300 for repairs. I do believe this should be a recall or at lease mercedes-benz of USA take it's part and reimburse the parts since it's a very common problem. I'm not happy at all of the way they deal with this problem.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2008 Mercedes Benz C300?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history