Battery drains after being parked overnight, 58,000 miles, dealer maintained since new. Driven by a little old lady until I bought it. Took it to the dealer and they replaced one of the seat modules. Soon afterward, the problem recurred. Took it back to the dealer and they said it was a defective fuse box and replaced it for $650. Went to pick up the car and the battery was dead again. After some complaining, they refunded the bill. They looked at it again and said the problem was somewhere in the dashboard and it would cost $2300 just to take it apart and look for a bad module. They offered $2300 trade in toward a new or CPO car, and said my car would be sent to the crusher. I took the car back and installed a remote operated battery cutoff, and have been driving it ever since. Other than disturbing the engine computer, it's been running well for three years and 20,000 miles. Lovely car otherwise.
2002 Mercedes Benz C320 electrical problems
36 complaints (53% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 76,000. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 36
- of this car's complaints
- 53%
- typical mileage
- 76,000
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- 12v/24v/48v battery4
- Instrument cluster/panel2
- Wiring: interior/under dash1
- Wiring1
- Ignition1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Mercedes Benz C320 electrical problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2002 Mercedes Benz C320 electrical
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2002 Mercedes Benz C320 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
While changing one of the lights in the headlight housing, I found the wiring's insulation rotting off all the wires, exposing the bare copper presenting a fire hazard.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercedes benz c320. The contact stated that the battery was drained after the vehicle was parked and turned off. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the driver's side seat module was defective which caused the battery to drain. The module was unplugged to prevent the battery from being drained. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,000.
Battery draining
Was driving on highway when esp, bas and ABS lights show up, and speedometer display stops working - speed reading goes to zero, though there is no reduction in speed. Get to destination. On return it happens again. This time I go to rest area, stop the car, remove the key and restart. The car refuses to move out of park. Call roadside assistance and get instruction to override park, drive home with flashers on - very rough ride quality. Tow to dealer next day, they are not sure if new part will fix it, even if $1850 part is replaced. Lots of electrical problems over the years. Turn lights go out routinely. Changed cd changer. Seat drains battery,had to disconnect it. Poor electrical sensors all around. Now it also has rust damage, all of a sudden, at the bottom of doors.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercedes c320. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The contact mentioned that after an hour, the vehicle was able to start. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 123,384.
There have been two warning lights for rear lights and after driving for 4 hours, a warning came on for electrical stability and my car quit working completely. There was a burning smell and I had to restart it. I am very concerned about this.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercedes c320. The contact stated he had to replace the battery in the vehicle several times. The dealer stated the seat controls for the passenger seat drained the battery and the seat control module needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 89,000 and the current mileage 90,904.
I came out and my battery was dead without warning. I took the vehicle to downtown la motors(mercedes benz) dealer, where they explained that the seat control modules were staying on and causing the battery to drain. I subsequently had to unhook the seat controls and now I am unable to move my seats or steering wheel. They estimated that the repair would cost around 1500. Numerous customers have the same issue on the same vehicle, it is obvious that this is a manufacturer defect and not the fault of mercedes benz consumers.
On 1/14/2012 car wont start battery dead, call aaa tow truck. Jump battery ok used cared next day and on faul come up on my cars troulbe screen to indicated that I had any other trouble in any system it the car, we when to fl on the on the 16 of january car was home (in ny) son was going to take of house and start car once a week. Received phone call from my son on 1/17/2012 car wont start,battery dead, and key wont turn. On 4/21/2012 come home from fl fround dead car and transmistion leaking.called mercedes benz for a toe to the shop.this is thr thired battery since a have this car.battery was under warranty.it was chaneg lest then a year ago. M/b shop informed me battery was dead. Cause my seat modules shorted, to replace modules was cost $1200. I feel that the battery cause this trouble and the the modules should be replaced by b/m at no cost to me.
Questions about the 2002 Mercedes Benz C320 electrical
Does the 2002 Mercedes Benz C320 have electrical problems?
Owners have filed 36 complaints about the electrical of the 2002 Mercedes Benz C320, 53% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2002 Mercedes Benz C320 electrical problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 76,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Mercedes Benz C320 electrical?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Mercedes Benz C320 have the most electrical problems?
The Mercedes Benz C320 model years with the most electrical complaints are 2002 (36 complaints) and 2001 (26 complaints).
Other 2002 Mercedes Benz C320 problems
Seats 23Driver assistance 5Lights 5Transmission 5Airbags 4Brakes 3Engine 3Body 2Fuel system 2Locks 2Steering 2Visibility 2Acceleration 1Suspension 1
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