2009 Mercedes Benz C300: ball joint or control arm failure

Filed Oct 17, 2022 · Body, Suspension · CT

I bought this car for my 18 year old son based on Mercedes reputation for safety and longevity, only to discover that Mercedes has a widely acknowledged issue with rotted sub-frames -- it's a serious safety issue and recalled in other countries. My son was was driving on the highway and the tire exploded. He was so close to being killed because the car went out of control. After getting it towed to my mechanic, he advised me that alignment adjusters were stuck, the subframe was rotted, the lower control arm subframe mounts were broken from the subframe and they were hitting the gas tank. Luckily, the tire only exploded as oppose to the entire vehicle bursting in flames. There were no warning lights or messages, only the feeling that the tires needed to be aligned. We bought new tires and were told an alignment was done from Town Fair Tires, which was untrue. My son's life was in immediate danger. Shame on Mercedes for not recalling this subframe. This is the first of many avenues I am taking to have this rectified and hopefully prevent a tragedy

Filed Jun 22, 2022 · Suspension · IL

Rear subframe rusted through near connection with control arm. This left the rear wheel connected to the rest of the car only through an axle and sway bar. This is a very common issue on these vehicles, and was remedied through the replacement of the subframe.

Filed Feb 25, 2022 · Body, Suspension · 83,000 miles · OH

the rear subframe @lower control arms right side rust on bracket when put break on the car go to right and make noise!!! the car just have 83.000 miles!! this have re call or not?we d'ont know untill seaching on web side findown couple owner C300 have problem said some

Filed Jul 27, 2021 · Body, Suspension · 120,000 miles · MO

The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving approximately 60-70 mph, the vehicle started shuddering and lost stability. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that as she disengaged the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stopped shuddering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rear subframe was rusted and had fractured into two pieces on both sides of the vehicle, and the lower control arms were hitting the gas tank. The check engine warning light and TPMS warning light were illuminated at the time of the diagnosis. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Filed Jul 17, 2021 · Suspension · 139,200 miles · MI

Driving at highway speeds car felt un-stable/un-safe. When applying brakes at those speeds car felt even more un-stable/un-safe. Took the car to the local tire shop and found the driver side rear control arm broken off. 2 weeks later the passenger side control arm is also broken off. It appears the only fix is to replace the whole rear subframe. Researching this on www.mbworld.org this appears to be a very common problem.

Filed Jul 7, 2021 · Body · PA

Rear Sub-frame corrosion required a complete replacement of component to pass PA Inspection - car had about 63,000 miles and has been garage kept (and barely driven in Winter) since I purchased it as a certified pre-owned vehicle from the dealer (6 months old with less than 6,000 miles on it). MB Mechanics state that they are seeing this a lot with these cars, replacement sub-frame design is modified to prevent corrosion and I personally think this should be a recall safety issue as the corrosion was classified by the dealership as "Aggressive" and can cause control arms to detach (yikes !). I contacted Mercedes-Benz corporate to see if they would provide some cost assistance, they agreed to pay $1000 towards the cost of the replacement, still leaving me with a bill of $2500. I have a 20 year old Ford Taurus that lives outside and is driven all year round that doesn't have a corroded subframe - why can't Mercedes make one that doesn't fall apart ?

Filed Nov 17, 2010 · Acceleration · 10 miles · CA

I own a 2009 mercedes benz, model c-300. The issue is the location of the cruise control arm on the left side of the steering column. In america cars the turn signal arm is in that spot on the top, in this car it is on the top. So if you reach for the turn signal arm you touch the cruise control arm first by mistake. As soon as you touch the cruise control is engaged and stats taking over. A very grave safety hazard.