2006 Mercedes-Benz E350: rotors or pads wearing out early

Filed Dec 27, 2022 · Engine · VA

Driving the vehicle on several occasions on Interstate 66 and the vehicle spontaneously went into limp mode. Now we find out it's a balance shaft issue and is a known problem from Mercedes in the M272 engines for our 2006 E350 4-matic. They evidently used balance shafts with materials that were too soft, resulting in premature wearing of the balance shafts with all of the M272 engines produced during this time having the problem. There was a previous class action lawsuit, which Mercedes settled, however, the consumers were not adequately notified and no recall was ever issued for the cars. Now we have 2nd or 3rd owners having these problems that didn't get a notice and have no idea there is a huge expensive and dangerous problem with their vehicle. On I-66 traffic moves at 70 mph (regular lanes) or 75 mph (express lanes). Having the vehicle spontaneously go into limp mode because of this engine issue is dangerous and could have caused a fatal accident on multiple occasions for us. Mercedes should be recalling all of these engines and fixing them properly before someone gets injured or killed. When I spoke with Mercedes, they said because I was not involved in the class action suit at that time, they were not willing to fix the car or pay for any portion of the repair, which they quoted me as costing $16,228.96. The problem is the Mercedes went into limp mode on multiple occasions and there was no check engine light to indicate what the problem was for several months. We had no warning that this was going to happen which created a dangerous situation while driving. There were several incidents on different dates spanning months before a check engine light came on with codes and Mercedes could identify the problem specifically was the balance shaft failure.

Filed Mar 19, 2015 · Engine, Fuel system · 103,586 miles · MA

There is a serious safety issue with 2006 mercedes-benz e class (mbec) because of a manufacturer's and/or design defect which causes this vehicle to not go into proper gear and/or stall suddenly putting the public at risk. I barely escaped being smashed into by oncoming traffic while making a routine left hand turn into a gas station because my mbec was stuck in gear and did not accelerate as it was manufactured and designed to do but rather sputtered at less than 5 miles per hour (MPH). The only reason I was not t-boned and likely seriously injured along with other people was because the other drivers swerved into oncoming traffic causing those drivers to also swerve. Miraculously no one was injured, this time. Also, the reason why I was turning into the gas station was because I was forced to get off the highway because my mbec would not change gear after I got on the highway and was approaching red-lining at and it seemed like the engine might blow. The tiptronic also failed during this malfunction. I had the authorized mb dealer that I have used since I purchased my mbec pickup my vehicle to look into this issue and my advisor told me I needed a new balance shaft because the one in my vehicle had prematurely worn (even though I have always stringently followed my mb advisor's suggestions) and it would cost roughly $6,500. S/he also said this occurs in roughly 15-20% of '06 mbec. But mb would not fix this safety defect unless I paid. Worse yet, my advisor never made me aware of this serious safety issue even though s/he previously knew or should have known and as a result put the public at risk by not enabling me to resolve this serious safety issue with my model year vehicle until the occurrence of a near catastrophe. There should be a safety recall now that this safety defect has come to light and unless there is, the public will remain at serious risk.

Filed Nov 28, 2011 · Brakes · 30,000 miles · FL

Mercedes benz knows about the sbc unit wearing out the brakes prematurely yet has done nothing about it. There has been a software update for the brakes also, but this has nothing to do with the premature wear. This has to do with fixing a bug in the software for the brake lights to come on and for you to bring in for service. Problem is they are charging consumers for this bug fix. I had to pay $120. My current mileage is 127,000. Brakes have been replaced going on 5 times already.

Filed Aug 31, 2011 · Engine, Transmission · 83,000 miles · CA

2006 mercedes e350. Check engine light on at 83,000 miles. Diagnostic code and inspection finds camshaft premature wear requiring full engine removal and replacement of parts. Service bulletin issued by mercedes and also search of internet finds numerous complaints of this problem. Class action lawsuit filed on this issue. My independent, mercedes only garage, is charging me at least $4200 to repair and vehicle will be unavailable for use for approximately ten days.

Filed May 27, 2010 · Tires · 54,000 miles · CA

Premature wear on the inside corner of my tires. This was ultimately discovered on all four tires. This lead to belt separation on all tires and a lost of belting on the left front of the car that caused driver surprise that demanded a dramatic emergency stop. This exposed me to highway traffic and almost caused an accident while pulling over in a shocked and concerned state. These tires were recommended for my car by the retailer and met both the speed rating and performance required. However, I don't feel they should be sold for this car based on my experience. They don't hold up to the challenging demands of this application. This failure is dangerous. Had it happened at night or on a wet surface, the consequences would have been much more severe. Note: this was on a car that was fully in alignment, with factory wheels and suspension. The car was driven only as a commuter. No racing or other extreme driving.