My c300 was functioning perfectly with no issues. When I came out to start the car, it would not recognize the key. I had it towed to a dealer and they informed me that it's the electronic steering lock fail. I looked this up and it is something very common with the 2009 model. There are several post on the internet asking for this to be a recall item. This is the second or third time. This needs a recall.
2008 Mercedes Benz C300 steering complaints
Page 4 of 6: complaints 71 to 100 of 136, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Electronic steering lock fail or eis the car will not start
A few months back, my wife was stranded in her office parking lot as the car won't start. When she put the key in the ignition it would simply make clicking sounds but will not start. She was able to lock and unlock the car. We called aaa who checked the battery and said it was working fine. The aaa rep said that he had seen this problem quite a few times before in the mb cars and we would have to call mb or they can tow it to the dealership. We then called mercedes benz (mb) road side assistance who came and checked the car. The mb rep said that there is an issue with the electronic steering lock and it will need to be replaced. They gave me a quote of around $1500 over phone. Finally I had aaa tow my car to my mechanic and got it repaired for around $800. While researching this problem, I was shocked to see that there were 1000s of threads online where the owners of 2008 and 2009 c class were complaining about the same issue and how each one had to shell out anywhere from $1200 to $1600 at the dealership to get it repaired. I called mb and they admitted that this is a common issue but cannot do anything about it. I was quite appalled at this situation where this being a known issue faced by 1000s of mb customers but mb would not fix it. Here is a sample of google search where you will find multiple people reporting this problem - https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=utf-8#q=2008%20mercedes%20c300%20electronic%20steering%20lock even youtube has multiple videos where customers have recorded this issue. Electronic steering lock, electronic ignition lock and electronic stability control are known and very prevalent issues related to c class of year 2008 and 2009. As I customer, I would appreciate if the nha can look into this and help customers recover the money they have spent towards the repair of these issues.
We parked the vehicle in a store parking lot after driving for 40 minutes, went into the store for 30 minutes came out and car would not start, steering would not unlock and shifter would not come out of park. Towed to mercedes benz of san jose and was told electronic steering lock had failed. Contacted mercedes benz as vehicle only had 52,000 miles and mercedes customer relations stated this was not the first time they had heard of this. They gave $200.00 toward the $1100.00 repair. I asked if this could of happened while I was driving and he stated he never heard of that but did not guarentee it was not possible. If this had happened while driving the wheel would have locked and I would not have been able to steer.
Electronic steering wheel lock failed
Drove my car home and it ran fine. The next morning the car would not start. Dash lights and radio came on but engine would not turn over. Took my vehicle to dealer and found out it was the eis switch that is bad which seems to fail in the model. It cost me $1500 to replace switch. Mercedes needs to do a recall or reimburse for repairs because there are over 2,000 complaints on this part and year vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercedes benz c300. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch or the computer system needed to be replaced or updated. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic steering ignition and lock needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,000.
Park this car on my daughter school after class turn off when tray to star engine nothing happens the steering lock doesn't work and shut down all car cost me 1600 plus two week rent a car because de part have to buy on germany believe it or not the part cost $350 two hrs dealer work $1250
Same issue as literally thousands of others are complaining of...car fails to start due to either a faulty steering wheel ignition lock or eis not recognizing the key and therefore not starting. It has happened twice to me, dealer service advisor knew immediately and even guessed at the model and year of my vehicle, which tells me that this is a prevalent issue, supported by the thousands of posts I have read on various forums. This is a potential safety nightmare waiting to happen, similar in nature, if not scope, to the gm ignition switch recall! The same thing could happen if the failure occurs at highway speed.
Last week 8/11/2015 I drove to the lumbar store, parked the car and upon returning to the car, the key turned completely to the right, the dash lights came on, the ringing noise sounded, but the car did not turn over, nothing happened. The dash read remove the key from ignition. I called my mechanic with the issue and he said use your key fob to lock and unlock the car; that did not work, still nothing. I called the tow company the battery was fully charged ( I purchased it last year 2014). The tow company disabled the cable to the battery waited 30 seconds and reconnected the battery, still the key would not turn the engine over. Because the lumber yard locked their gate at 5 pm the car was scheduled to be towed the next morning. The car started the next morning, I allowed the tow company to tow it anyway and have their mechanic assess the problem. Thorough-out the day the tow mechanic attempted to turn the car on and determined the car would intermittently start. The next day I drove the car to a foreign car service shop, they stated the eis system is not always recognizing the key and only a mb dealership can fix ignition related problems. I called and got a quote, the eis part and labor will cost me $872.31 includes taxes (assuming this is the problem). As a note, I used my other key and still had the same problem. This morning I used the key I always use and it started. Off to the mb dealership.
My car did not respond when I tried to start and the steering was locked and I could not fire the ignition. I towed the vehicle to the nearest mercedes showroom and they said that the steering was locked and should be replaced which will cost me $1100. I have read couple of posts online and I see this is a known issue and it is really bad that mercedes did not fix this and not even taking care of the vehicles which are effected.
I have been driving my c300 for the last 3-4 years and have multiple issues ranging from steering pump failure to condensor issues and lighting issues including a recall for the tail lights. Yesterday after having parked my car for almost 4 days since I commute for work and take train, upon starting the vehicle there was no ignition. I could see the lights inside the car including the speedometer was visible and I can activate the locks with key, but engine would not start. Car is standing in park position so I cannot even move it to neutral. I called mbenz road side assistance and they diagnosed it is related to steering lock. Now that I got it towed, checked with mecedes benz dealership I have to pay almost 1000$ just for this steering lock malfunction. This issue has been occurring to a lot of c300 2008 models. This should be seen as a serious issue as vehicle is totally non-functional. My work is effected and missed a couple business meetings.
These parts pose a risk vehicle safety and may exist on other vehicles of this design and manufacture. Please review air bags, steering lock. Electrical main system. And tires used on this car.....updated 03/15/16 *bf updated 03/17/16.
The car cut off and then would not star tor go into gear after that. Tried using both keys with no response from the vehicle.
The key locks and unlocks the doors the lights come on and the dash lights up. You can insert and turn the key but the car will not start. The stering wheel is locked and it is stuck in park. I tried power jumping and it did nothing, I didn't think the battery was the problem but had it checked anyways. The battery checked out fine. I check the fuses that are associated with the starter and all was fine also. Only thing left was get it towed to the mercedes dealership, found out that the steering wheel lock issue is a common thing with my car model, eis failure seems increasingly common on 2008 models for some reason.
Parked the car and went to work. Came back and the car couldn't start. Had to tow to the dealers place last night. Today, got a call from them saying the steering got locked and said tat it is very common on these cars. It will cost about $1200 to tear up steering and change the esl. By checking online y'day evening and today, I came to know, this is not new and most of the 2008/2009 c300 have this issue. We asked dealers not to repair it as they are waiting on our word. I am planning to contact the benz customer service first and see what they say. Then I will go an attorney and file the complaint. I do see that customer service did not even respond to the request. So, I do not want waste my time by calling them and getting upset. They have the details and contact info if they want to contact me. We buy benz for reliability and that very point is not true looking at this issue and checking the online complaints. Luckily we do have a 3rd car that our son uses and I can leave benz in garage until this issue gets fixed from benz corporation.
Car will not start - did a search common fault steering wheel lock fail - mercedes needs to recall fix for free
I went to a store and when a return back for my car, my mercedes benz c300 2088 didn't start, I though it was the key but when I use my other key didn't work ether. I towed my car and took it to the mercedes benz dealer. Now the told me that the problem is the steering column loo and they want me to cargo me over $1400. I don't think is fare because it is a manufacture problem, a lot o people is complaining about the same think, even the employes told me that they have one car a week for the same problem. That has to be a recall. I'm not paying for a manufacture problem. Lets do something about it!
The electronic steering lock just shutoff. The car came out of comfort while I was driving, the c-in the box-just disappeared off the cluster and I knew this is what happened because it happened three times them started up two days later. This has been a common problem with mercedes c300 as I read so many complaints and posts.
Was making a turn and the steering wheel locked up and gas would not work. Car slowed to the stop and I had to turn off and turn back on. 5 minutes later was driving and steering wheel locked again and car slowed to a stop. Had to get car towed when it would not turn back on.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercedes benz c300. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact mentioned that the key was stuck in the lock position and the key was not programmed to the ignition switch. In addition, the steering wheel failed. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine ignition lock fractured and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,000. The VIN was not available.
Same as everyone else. The car would not start and we had it towed in. I researched the complaints online and saw that mercedes has a problem with this issue (eis/sis) they sold me a new key for $547 and said that it was fixed. Picked it up on saturday and had it towed back in on tuesday. Now they say it's the eis to the tune of another $1500. I will not buy another mercedes until I see how they stand behind the one I have...I hope that we do not have to call the news stations and file a class action suit to get it fixed. Mercedes needs to do the right thing and repair their defect.
The serpentine belt shredded for the third time after having it replaced twice within four weeks. As of 4/15/2015 this car will have its 4th belt installed. Clearly the tensioner and pulley(s) are majorly defected. Each time these incidents were life threatening for me and my daughters. We were simply blessed not have been hit by other drivers when the car lost total control with no steering power. Each time of the car's malfunction, I was surrounded by other drivers, moving with the steady flow of traffic.these are serious issues. I can't imagine if I had been driving on the freeway at a faster pace. Now I am facing the expense of replacing the belt for the third time(making this the 4th belt), replacing the parts, the cost of labor, and the cost for a rental during the repair time. Mercedes should be honorable and demand a recall on these parts immediately, before serious injuries or death(s) occur. This country does not need to be reminded of the senseless behaviors of the ford pinto or the most recent, toyota tragedies. Mercedes can control the outcome of these situations with a simple recall. The cost of the parts in bulk or wholesale would be a very small price compared to the heartache of loosing the quality of life or causing the ultimate result - death!
My wife was going to take my daughter to school went to start the car and car won't start. The key would turn light s work but engine wouldn't turn over had it towed to gainesville mercedes where they said the steering interlock system had to be replaced at a cost of $1200.00. There are lots of complaints for this same issue lucky my wife was not alone at and this happened no warning at all!!
Upon entering my vehicle after pumping gas late one evening, I proceeded to turn the key in the ignition and the key would not allow the car to start. All the lights on the dash, radio and headlights were operative at that time. I attempted a jump start to no avail. I proceeded with having he vehicle towed to a local dealer where it was determined that there was an issue with the electrical steering/ignition system that was electrical in nature and "common" for the year and model of the car. If this potential defect is common then it is "known" to the manufacturer and its dealers who can be held strictly liable or any manufacturing or design defect, or inadequate warning. That being said, if the product is defective, what prevents the recurrence of the issue after replacement of the part, which would essentially be replacing it with another defective part. This matter is serious to the consumer, and the manufacture could easily reduce the risk of harm to its consumers by altering the design in a much more cost effective manner than allowing its consumers to bear the costs of its manufacturing error.
I entered my 2008 mercedes benz c300 after work, and it would not start. I was stranded for 2 and 1/2 hours waiting for the complimentary tow truck mercedes benz was sending. I had it towed to the mercedes benz dealership at 7pm where it sat all weekend until they checked it on monday 3/9/15. They called on 3/9/15 and stated it was the electrical steering device and would cost $950. This is a common malfunction in the 2008 c300 that mercedes is not taking ownership of. There are numerous individuals who have faced this problem, and are charged extreme amounts to have it fixed. (see mbworld) this is not a defect due to wear and tear, this is a problem with manufacturing, a defect which is unfair to the consumer. There needs to be a recall on the electronic steering device and electronic ignition system on this make and model of car. Campaign number 2008020003 (nj) to: all mercedes benz centers, model 204, model year 2008, replace electronic ignition switch was published in march 2008 noting "daimier ag has determined that the eis may malfunction preventing the electric steering lock and the central locking from functioning. Dealers will replace the eis on the affected vehicles during the next workshop visit." consumers are left shouldering the cost of a problem mercedes benz is aware of, yet will not do a recall.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 mercedes c class. The contact stated that while stopped, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering system seized and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
I drove to work on the 29th, and to and back an appointment, I went to leave work that evening and my car would not start. The was no indication that there was a problem. And we were in the middle of an ice storm, I called mercedes road side assistance and I guess my assistance expired so they told me it would be $175 to tow my car, so I used my verizon roadside assistance to pick up and take to a friends shop to fix but because of the storm I was not able to get my car picked up for 25 hours and since it was friday night by that time my car didn't get looked at by my friends repair shop until monday 4 days later I find out that the vehicle cant be fixed by anyone else but mercedes, because everything in the car is seized up and no one knew how to get it unseized. So monday at noon I called mercedes roadsideagain to get the car towed again. Because of the wonderful customer service from the roadside assistance team at mercedes they ended up sending 3 tow trucks over to pick my car up, the first one showed up after my first shop closed, the second tow truck was unable to pick up the car because they didn't know it wouldn't go into gear so finally another 24 hours had past before they got my car which is 1/4 of a mile away from the repair shop where it was. My car has been broke for almost a whole week know and still know one knows what is wrong with the car in the mean time the dealership has no loaner car for me to use and I spent 3 hours sitiing in a disabled car in an ice storm waiting for someone to come and get me. It really sounds like the same problem everyone else on this site has experienced who knows how long it will take them to kfigure it out at this pace, I will update this if I ever find out.
I drove car to work in the a.m. When I got ready to leave for the day the car would not start. The lights and locks and radio worked, but the engine wouldn't turn over. It was towed to the dealership and has been there for a few days. Just got a call that they think it is both the eis and esl, but they need my second key to be sure. After reading multiple forums with this problem, and calling another dealership, it seems the real issue my only be the esl. I say only because it cuts my cost in half, but it really sucks that this is obviously a very common problem and mercedes has yet to do anything about it.
My car would not start, but the key turned over. I had it towed and was told it was the electronic steering lock, and mercedes benz dealership was the only one that can repair it. I was told that a technical service bulletin was issued for this part. I had the car towed to the dealership. I did research and saw that hundreds of cars of the same model had a problem with this part. I informed the dealer that I was amazed that there is not a recall because it is evident that there is a defect with this product and mercedes needs to address it, and I don't feel I should be responsible for the repair. My service advisor admitted that there was a problem with this part but no recall has been issued. The general manager forwarded my concerns to mercedes. They called me back and said there was nothing they could do. It is between the dealer and me, so as of now, I am probably gonna end up paying nearly a $1000 for a part that is clearly defective. There needs to be a recall on this. It is unacceptable that there is not one!
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