While driving down the road at 60mph, I hit the brakes to slow down. I heard a pop and thunk from the rear of the vehicle. I thought it was some boxes in the back of my car and forgot about it. I then brought my car into the dealer for an engine computer update and during the inspection they found that the passenger rear control arm mount broke away from the sub frame and that the rear brake lines were heavily rusted. They quoted a new rear subframe and brake lines. If I was on the freeway and this happened or I had to take evasive maneuvers I most likely would have crashed. The mechanic told me the weld broke where the control arm mounts to the subframe. He inspected the rest of the vehicle and everything looks good. On a less than 9 year old vehicle the subframe should not have rusted enough to break. Especially on a safety issue like the suspension and brakes. Mercedes should have done a better job with their welds and with their rust proofing especially on safety components.
2014 Mercedes-Benz E350 suspension complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 30 of 30, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I brought my car into Mercedes on 9/13/2022 and was told my brake lines and subframe were rusting. It's a 2014 with only 80k miles on it. I was told I had a year before it needed to be replaced/addressed. I brought the car in again on December 12, 2022 and they said on a scale of 1-10 the subframes and brake lines were a 7 and were a safety issue. After doing some research, I am clearly not the only owner of this model dealing with this issue. This is safety issue and should be recalled. Subframes and brake lines should not rust so quickly.
I own a 2014 Mercedes-Benz E350, 4matic. that yeah car has approximately 64,500 miles on it. I recently Took it in for service and was advised that the rear subframe has a whole rusted through on the left side. The dealers advice was to replace the rear subframe. I was advised that it is not presently a safety issue, but it was going to be a safety issue as the rust continued. I was dubious about this advice, so I took the vehicle to a second dealer, who also identified the rust issue in the same area. Both dealer representatives advised that they had seen these issues before with the 350 class, and that there had been many complaints about them. I am aware that MB has replaced subframes on this group of cars in Germany and in Canada already—this is a well-known issue. The repair will cost between 3,800-5,000, but my real concern is that the subframe will fail and cause injury or death before it can be repaired. I do not believe this to be ordinary wear and tear as the car is relatively young, and rust is a very controllable problem with current vehicle technology. I am concerned that the scope of this problem is widespread, as both dealer representatives said that they had seen many cars with this issue. It needs to be recalled and repaired before people are injured or die.
Brake line to rear completely rusted through. Lost brake control while driving. Upon further inspection, the entire rear subframe has significant rust damage that warrants replacement.
--Rear sub-frame broken. Part is available upon request. --Rear of car swerved when turning and breaking, probably due to control arm dislocation. --Dealer is aware of problem and has in fact replaced many sub-frames. --The dealer has inspected the sub-frame and determined that it is broken. --No warnings prior to failure.
I was driving on the highway and braked for traffic ahead of me. My car swerved hard to the right; however, I got it under control and brought it into the Mercedes dealer as soon as they had an opening. Upon examination, the dealer told me that the sub-chassis had corroded and broken away, damaging the torsion bar and denting the gas tank. A search online quickly showed that this is a common issue with Mercedes, and in some countries, they have issued a recall. The dealer quoted $5,250 to fix the car. This easily could have been a tragedy on the road with a less experienced driver behind the wheel. Mercedes must issue a recall for the inspection and repair of all affected vehicles.
When I took my vehicle to the dealership for service to have it inspected, I was told that it would not pass inspection due to the corrosion of the rear subframe. They told me this is a serious safety issue and that they are seeing a lot of Mercedes, especially in the last year and a half, that have this issue. The repair will cost me $4,500, Mercedes does not cover the cost even though it is a major structural issue. The subframe should last the life of the vehicle which is only 8 years old/60,000 miles and has been garage kept with all recommended services done by the dealer. My life and and the life of others is at risk as if the subframe fails, it causes loss of control of the car. Mercedes will not issue a recall. Mercedes owners don't even know to look out for this problem. Why do they have air bag recall and braking system recall but not a recall for this as Mercedes Benz in the UK does??
Owned the car for only ONE winter season and it failed to pass a vehicle safety inspection required in my state for operation. Mechanic reported a rear subframe deteriorating from winter road salts and related weather conditions, and that this was a common issue for my car in these particular climates, but Mercedes refuses to cover the cost in the US, but is currently covering the cost of repair in Europe and Canada. This us ridiculous my car warranty will not cover it and I can’t afford $3500 to repair and replace. The vehicle only had 58,000 miles on it at the time of diagnosis. What’s worse is it could technically happen again even when repaired because the subframe lacks the special coatings needed for winter protection. Now my beautiful car is not safe and I’m subject to municipal fines and penalties. OUTRAGEOUS.
The rear sub-frame involving vehicle stability under braking and turning. A component that should remain attached to the vehicle has broken off due to corrosion. My vehicle is not that old that a key structural component of the car should break at the weld/attachment point. I have video of this defect. But its greater than 10MB and will not let me upload it is there an email I can send it to ?
In a routine oil change, Mercedes dealership reports poorly rusted subframe. 2014 E350 with 160,000.
2014 E350 with 41,000 miles. Rusted subframe and was informed that it represented unsafe and risky driving conditions. Reported this to manufacturer as, apparently, it is a very common problem with certain Mercedes classes. No recall and very expensive fix ($4500)! Not my idea of a safe and reliable car, as Mercedes likes to advertise. Consumers should not be responsible for manufacturing defects/ poor quality of materials used ..... and should definitely not be exposed to unsafe conditions when operating their vehicle!
Rear subframe crossmember that connects to rear suspension is cracked and rusted resulting in dangerous handling characteristics. Part is severely back-ordered due to volume of consumers facing this problem. When braking hard, car swerves to right and can cross lanes. While this part broke, the car is otherwise rust-free. Brakes have been recently updated. If this is a common complaint, there should be a recall. The severe parts back-order leads me to believe that there are significant failures in the field.
The subframe on this vehicle is broken I took it to an independent dealer and they said they have never seen anything like this on a car this old. The Mercedes dealer told me that it would cost me $5000 for them to fix it about 3 weeks ago but said it's rusting and beginning to crack. But never said it was something that needed to be addressed immediately. Upon further research it seems to be a common issue on this make and model on the right side. https://www.carproblemzoo.com/mercedesbenz/e350/2014/2014-mercedesbenz-e350-suspension-problems.php
This issue is pertaining to a 2014 E350 Mercedes Benz. The brake system is in jeopardy. The subframe has rotted and cracked. Mercedes Benz is aware that this is a problem for many of their vehicles. While the right side of the subframe is rusted and beginning to crack, the left side of the subframe is totally rusted and busted out. The vehicle is routinely brought to the Mercedes Benz dealership for maintenance visits. It was making cracking sound in 2021, we brought it in to be serviced for that reason on 11/23/21. This issue was not noted at that time. Mercedes Benz indicated the solution was a lube. The issue persisted post visit. The car is infrequently driven because the primary driver teleworks. We returned the car to the dealership for an assessment 8/6/2022 due to ongoing concerns for our safety. The first indicator that there was a problem was the unfamiliar cracking sound as if the car could snap in half, then hard pulling to the left when braking. There was never a warning light or any other indicator on the dashboard or otherwise. The owners initiated the visit to the Mercedes Benz dealership. Mercedes Benz reported that they did not see the rust when they assessed the car for the cracking sound in 11/2021, furthermore that the rust and deterioration happens rapidly. Had the right side of the subframe also rusted and rotted out, this could have resulted in a total loss of control over the vehicle and been needlessly catastrophic. Warning indicators necessary and routine free inspection are warranted. Repairs for the subframe alone will cost more than $4000. This is a hardship. Further, it's unclear if the malfunctioning rear left caliper resulted from the rotted subframe. The vehicle appears to be in otherwise pristine condition. Mercedes Benz has never indicated there were any issues with the vehicle's subframe despite routine class service visits at the dealership. An internet search confirms this issue is not uncommon and possibly negligible.
Vehicle is 9 years old, with 73000 miles. Dealer Service has advised that the rear subframe and brake lines are rusting and need to be replaced as a safety issue. Cost quoted was $8800. Mercedes agreed to pick up the cost of the parts and the dealer offered to split the installation cost, bringing my total down to $3150. On-line research reveals this is a common problem across several product lines and has been an issue for 20+ years. Failure at this point could lead to uncontrolled movement of the the rear suspension structure, the rear suspension members, wheels, and electronic sensors in the ABS causing loss of control and brake failure.
Have purchased a 2014 mercedes E350 59k miles. This vehicle has an issue as so do many Mercedes with their rear subframes rotted out at the control arm bracket which causes the rear link/thrust arm to detach from the subframe/axle carrier and posses a danger when breaking due to the rear spindle assembly flexing throwing the wheels out of alignment and could be at risk for a car crack. This vehicle has already been in a minor crash as a result of this issue. I personally have not brought it to Mercedes to get it diagnosed inspected or the police law enforcement but there are many cases online on the Mercedes Benz forums to which this has also happened to. This issue applies to other Mercedes models ranging from 2010 all the way to 2016. Videos of the exact vehicle brought to an independent shop available upon request.
During state inspection (Pennsylvania) I was told that the rear subframe was rusted. If this part failed the vehicle could become uncontrollable and crash. They are not able to repair this since so many other vehicles have this problem. They have no idea when they could get a replacement subframe. The car is 8 years old but very low mileage (~34,000). Do to the frequent occurrence of this problem (by their report) and potential safety issues, I believe this should prompt a recall.
I want to report a structural issue with the Mercedes rear subframe rusting. Three Mercedes dealers told me that it is common but there is no recall. The mechanic told me that if this is not corrected the back wheel will fall off while you are driving. There are no warning lamps. Please help.
Rusted Rear Subframe presenting a safety hazard. Possible separation of suspension link could lead to loss of control. Brought the 2014 Mercedes Benz E350 (85000 miles) in to the local dealership today for spark plug replacement. Technician performed a visual inspection of the underside of the vehicle and found that the rear subframe had rusted completely through making the care unsafe to drive. Car has been driven in Maryland since new and never exposed to any extraordinary corrosive elements that you might find on roads in colder climates. Car is in otherwise excellent shape with no other visible rust and has never been involved in an accident. The failure of a major suspension component like this on a car in otherwise excellent condition leads me to believe that there is a defect in the manufacturing of the rear subframe component. A quick Google search shows that other Mercedes vehicles suffer from this same problem. the federal safety agency ID Number: 11456512 also reports the same problem on the same model car. I have not had the problem repaired yet as I am deciding on next steps. Replacement estimate is approximately $4000. If I have the work done, I will retain the old subframe for inspection by the federal safety agency.
The car was brought in for scheduled maintenance and they told me that my rear sub frame rusted out and had snapped. Car is only 7 years old, always garaged, basically a main part rusted out. Mercedes prides itself on durability and safety. There were no warning lights, alarms, nothing. Whenever I braked the rear end of the car would slide to the left and I had to try and adjust accordingly. Prior to bringing the car in for its maintenance I was reluctant to drive it on highways and at higher speeds. Now that I am aware of the problem, had the rear of the car given out while I was on a highway, I had the potential to roll over and possibly blown up had the gas tank been impacted. I researched the issue on Google and found many instances of others having the same issue, with the same part, luckily no one appears to have been killed as yet. As I mentioned this was never picked up during all the scheduled maintenance work, nor state inspections, all handled by this dealership. The dealership is in the process of replacing the part and all work associated with that replacement. I don't know if they kept the part or tossed it out, but will ask. No one else has seen the car or rusted part other than the dealership. I'm also sending you a copy of the letter I sent to he dealership and Mercedes-Benz Home Office.
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