Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercedes-benz e320. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the front end of the vehicle suddenly shook and vibrated before collapsing. During the incident, the front driver side suspension spring separated from the vehicle and caused a puncture to the fuel tank. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 60,000.
1996 Mercedes Benz E320 suspension problems
19 complaints (42% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 110,000. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 19
- of this car's complaints
- 42%
- typical mileage
- 110,000
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Front: springs: coil springs6
- Front6
- Rear1
- Front: springs: leaf spring assembly: hanger,bracket1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Mercedes Benz E320 suspension problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Front suspension coil spring ejection
Odi has focused this investigation on assessing the risks posed by a separated spring as (1) a road hazard and (2) the potential for vehicle control to be compromised after the front coil spring has been ejected from its intended position in the vehicle.both risks are associated with corrosion, flexing, and fracture of the upper front suspension mounting bracket.time-in-service failure rates are notably higher in salt belt states since corrosion is a primary contributor to the failure mode.since a number of incidents have occurred while the vehicle was being operated, odi is skeptical that owners can always detect the subtle side to side difference in ride height and/or inspect or notice that the upper suspension bracket has been compromised by corrosion.(1) road hazard - although the (approx. 7 lb.) front suspension spring that may be ejected at highway speeds could pose a serious road hazard to pedestrians and other vehicles, the occurrence rate has been low (.03% based on 51 reported incidents occurring and an initial population of 172,781 vehicles after 9 - 12 years of use / exposure) and there are no known injuries, fatalities, or property damage reports due to an ejected spring.also, many of the 51 incidents occurred at low speed or while the vehicle was stopped or parked.(2) vehicle control - vehicle handling and control could be affected by the fracture of the upper suspension mount and/or the associated spring ejection.odi first identified its concern about corrosion in the upper suspension bracket of subject vehicles in 2002, at which time mercedes provided a video that showed that a vehicle could be steered, stopped, and controlled through various maneuvers at high speeds with a front coil spring completely missing from the vehicle. During pe07-021, in addition to reviewing the 2002 video-tape, odi engineers drove an exemplar vehicle with the spring removed and simulated various combinations of steering angles to assess whether there were any possible conditions / displacements in which the separated spring might interfere with the wheels. In a vehicle with the front spring removed, the top of the wheel can lightly contact the bottom area of the wheel fender during high angle turns typically associated with slower speed maneuvers such as city driving. The light tire contact generated an obvious grinding noise and would likely abrade or bend the edge of the fender with continued use.however, the extent of the interference was not sufficient to affect vehicle steering and does not occur at smaller turning angles associated with highway driving.odi has not identified a safety related defect trend at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that a safety related defect does not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if future circumstances warrant.
PE07021
What 1996 Mercedes Benz E320 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Spring perch snapped and spring shot out on front passenger side while wife and children were in the car. Thank god they were less the 200 feet from the house and only traveling about 5 MPH.
I was driving down a back road in my 1996 mercedes e320 when I heard a bang and the passenger front side dropped. The front coil spring had popped out. If I had been going any faster I would have lost control of the car. I have heard that the front coil spring mounts in this model corrode due to improper undercoating.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercedes e320. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the front end suspension springs fractured, causing the contact to loose control of the vehicle. The contact crashed into the side rail on the highway. The contact spoke with a mechanic who stated that he had never experienced the type of failure described. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 67,000.
I recently heard a loud pop from the front of my car while traveling at highway speed. I stopped to inspect the noise and found that the car was slightly leaning to the right. Not seeing anything on the roadside, I drove it home slowly to inspect further. Information I read online informed me of a design flaw involving the failure of spot welds that attach the front, top coil spring perch to the chassis. Upon deeper inspection I found my r side spring perch welds were 80% failed and the force of the coil spring had bent the spring perch up 45 deg. From normal. Evidently the noise I heard were the welds breaking! The coil spring was bulging outward, about to pop out. Thankfully, the spot welds did not fully let go on this curvy road. If they had fully failed at highway speeds the car most certainly would have lost control and death could have been the result. I called the dealership and they offered to weld a new spring perch in for $440. The l side had already been corrected by a previous owner. I have photos and the failed part in my possession. I was totally unaware of this problem when I bought the car. I had it inspected but the defect was missed. At a minimum, owners of this make, year and model should be contacted and warned of this problem. The manufacturer should recall and repair at no charge.
Front spring perches must have been rusted at the welding seam. When I was driving at 35 MPH I heard a big snap and the front of the car hit the ground at which point I lost steering control. The front perches must have dislodged and almost caused accident while I was driving. This is a vital part of the suspension/steering system and should be recalled. The dealership would not help out replacing this part. This is clearly a manufacturing issue and should be recalled. Luckily I was driving on a local road, or it could have caused an accident or death, at which point they would have had a lawsuit on their hands. I also had 2 additional passengers at the time of the occurrence. This event could have been prevented by a recall as I've also heard the same issues from other owners. The car is a mercedes benz 1996 e320 with 134,000 miles on it.
Mercedes have a front suspension problem. Consumer states that the front driver side dropped and wants to know why there is not a recall for this. *nj the technicians found the problem to be the perch, which had to do with the front suspension letting go, which caused the frame to drop.
Front spring perches are rusted at the welding seam. It is only a matter of time before perch dislodges and may cause accident or death while driving. This is a vital part of the suspension/steering system and should be recalled. The best deal the dealership can give is half off repair bill. This is a manufacturing issue and should be for free!!!
1996 mercedes benz e320. Front suspension collapsed due to faulty spring perch. This seems to be a common problem among w210 chassis vehicles.
The left front upper spring perch failed causing the suspension to collapse. This occurred due to poor design of the perch attachment to the frame. The failure occurred in my driveway, luckily not at speed on the road where total loss of control would have occurred. The perch and spring was replaced.
Questions about the 1996 Mercedes Benz E320 suspension
Does the 1996 Mercedes Benz E320 have suspension problems?
Owners have filed 19 complaints about the suspension of the 1996 Mercedes Benz E320, 42% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 1996 Mercedes Benz E320 suspension problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 110,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Mercedes Benz E320 suspension?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Mercedes Benz E320 have bad suspension?
The Mercedes Benz E320 model years with the most suspension complaints are 1997 (32 complaints), 1996 (19 complaints) and 2003 (11 complaints).
Other 1996 Mercedes Benz E320 problems
Electrical 12Airbags 5Body 5Engine 5Fuel system 4Steering 3Seat belts 1Tires 1
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