Mercedes-Benz E350 loss of power problems

Filed May 4, 2026 · Fuel system, Suspension · NC

The failed component is a fuel pump, and it is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others was put at risk due to the following: 1) Sudden engine stalling 2) Dangerous power loss while accelerating 3) Potential fire risks; a damaged fuel pump assembley can cause fuel leaks and overheating due to insufficient fuel supply can increase the risk of explosion or fire. 4) Gas fumes from a fuel leak are highly harmful and dangerous. They are toxic to inhale causing dizziness, headaches, nausea or respitory issues.

Filed Oct 23, 2025 · Transmission · TX

Major issue found with engine cylinder head in various models with 2.0 Liter Turbo charged engines (Engine code M260 or M264). Cylinder heads have premature wear at valve seats, causing engine misfires and unsafe driving conditions. (Sudden loss of power, even on freeways.) Mercedes-Benz had improved cylinder head design to mitigate this issue, thus proving that they knew it was their product quality that is causing these unsafe issues. Mercedes-Benz even put out a service bulletin to address these defective cylinder heads. This publication can be found under XENTRY, Topic Number LI01.30-P-072328, Version 8, published 9/26/2023. My contact at Mercedes Dealer informed me that they are seeing a drastic increase in this problem affecting roughly over 25% of the models with these engines. They are beginning to fail at around the same time as the warranty expires. There are numerous stories on the internet concerning this issue, examples can be found in the following links: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mercedesbenzowners/posts/10162557430080937/ https://www.mercedesgleforum.com/threads/cylinder-head-replacement-11-500.4399/ We contacted Mercedes-Benz US Headquarters, they do not believe it is their problem and throws petty money around in attempt to strong-arm owners to shut us down. All we request was for Mercedes-Benz to own up to their quality issues and handle the repairs at their expense. Please help me among all the other owners that this is affecting. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter.

Filed Jul 14, 2025 · Engine · TX

My 2021 Mercedes-Benz E350 (VIN [XXX] ) developed a serious engine issue involving cylinder misfire and check engine light. The dealer diagnosed it as a leaking exhaust valve on cylinder 4, related to TSB LI01.30-P-072328, which documents valve seat wear in M260 engines. This is a known defect acknowledged by Mercedes in technical bulletins, and other customers in the U.S. have received warranty extensions or goodwill coverage. I was denied coverage even though this is a manufacturer defect that can lead to misfire, power loss, and potential stalling, posing a safety risk on the road. Mercedes-Benz USA refuses to cover the repair (~$7,600+), even though it relates to a factory-documented problem. I’m requesting that the federal safety agency investigate this engine defect, as it may qualify for a safety recall or mandatory extended warranty coverage. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 9, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · AL

The engine is misfiring and not powering correctly during driving. Car is failing to take off and today almost caused an accident due to the car would not pull off from the traffic light with oncoming traffic due to loss of power. Safety was at risk due to an accident was almost caused due to car not moving in on coming traffic Dealership is citing that is needs to have a cylinder replaced but will not tell me why it needs to be replaced, why this has happened or what could have been done pre maintenance to avoid this issue Check engine light came on Dealer has been contacted, and was told this is a common issue for this to happen to newer cars, but will not fix the issue and extended warranty will not cover due to this is a manufacturer issue

Filed Aug 18, 2023 · Transmission · VA

When driving on a highway, heard a clunk and lost all power. Not much traffic and was able to pulled over to side of road. Mechanic reported that front drive shaft failed. Not sure of exact details but could have involved the bolts in the driveshaft shearing off. Apologies for the late report, did not know owners could make these reports.

Filed Jul 15, 2022 · Fuel system · CA

Vehicle fuel system known component issue, fuel pump failure, intermittent. Driving vehicle can lose power at speed, causing potential loss of control as hydraulic assist to steering and braking fails with engine. This known issue has intermittently cause our car to fail to start, or fail in operation. This was a known issue, the manufacturer was allowed to avoid a recall by extending the warranty for this component (fuel pump in fuel tank assembly) to 15 years. Our car started showing this around that time (3 months ago, when extended warranty expired), however we were not then aware of said warranty. Now that we've been two months of diagnosis and discussions with MBUSA Customer Care, they are not willing to replace the known failure point as warranty expired 3 months ago. This should have been a recall from the beginning, and now we, and many others to come, will have the value and usefulness of our vehicles reduced or eliminated. Those not aware of the potential failure of this very expensive part, will be at risk every time they operate their cars at speed on the public highways. the federal safety agency should never have allowed this warranty extension scheme to substitute for a recall. There is no way to predict failure, and entire fuel tank assembly replacement is <$4,000. Fuel pump is not individually accessible or available for replacement, only entire tank assembly in these PZEV vehicles is available. Mercedes-Benz is shirking responsibility here, and flipping it over to the dealerships and consumers.

Filed Nov 9, 2020 · Brakes, Engine · 125,663 miles · CA · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mercedes benz e350. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, a warning message of 'restricting system manufacture' illuminated and 07:02 the vehicle lost all power. The contact lost control of the steering, and the brakes failed. As a result, the contact crashed into a wall at 8-10 MPH, but did not sustained injuries. The vehicle was restarted and was able to drive normal however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence. The contact called an unknown dealer and informed them of the failure and was provided with the number to the federal safety agency. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,663.

Filed Oct 14, 2020 · Fuel system · 123,000 miles · CA

Strong fuel odor after topping off. I drove the vehicle and it started to lose power and stalled on the road. The car was towed in the mercedes benz dealership.

Filed Sep 21, 2020 · Acceleration, Brakes · 18,700 miles · MN

At around 2.15 pm cst, I was driving my mercedes westbound on I-694 towards minneapolis at roughly 70 MPH when suddenly my e300 stalled and by the time I could figure what was wrong, I lost all power in the steering wheel. The mercedes brake assist triggered a hard brake and my car stopped in the middle lane on the freeway. The car behind me nearly missed me and at this point every light in the dashboard lit up (I have attached the picture below). I tried hitting on the ignition multiple times but got no response. At this point, I decided not to sit in the car since it was too dangerous with fast oncoming traffic and it was only going to be a matter of time that someone would rear end me. I stepped out of my car and while multiple cars were approaching me at high speed from both left and right lanes I found a very small window of time (2-3 seconds) to sprint from the middle lane of I-694 to the shoulder. My worry was still far from over as my car was still sitting in middle of the interstate and now I was concerned about the safety of other folks who were traveling in my direction. I saw 12 to 15 cars almost rear end my car. While this was happening, I realized my phone was dead and I was unable to call 911. I continually waved at the oncoming traffic to alert them of my car and requested them to call 911. About 7 to 9 minutes later, the state highway patrol showed up and blocked traffic to assist me with moving my car to the shoulder. These 7 to 9 minutes were the most traumatic I have ever seen in my life. I felt helpless, anxious, and extremely stressed out.

Filed Jul 24, 2020 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 120,000 miles · NC

Spent over $2k just on diagnosis and wrong fixes. It started with problems cranking. I replaced the key fob, replaced the battery, replaced the alternator, have had mercedes diagnose with no answers. My usual mechanic diagnose with no answers. A european speacialist replaced the alternator and tensioner pulley. Took it to a friend and we discovered that there was a leak in the sunroof running down the side of the car into the battery compartment. At this point various problems are going on. The windows, door locks, radio, cranking, all intermittent but not always at the same time. Took it to another mechanic who said the sans module is bad, at least. An $800 fix, then they could move to the next module and the next. Also maybe unrelated but maybe not. Low car light came on. Engine 'died' (vehicle lost all power) while traveling at highway speed or will jerk down gears and only continue to function in drive @ 40mph or lower. I had to pull vehicle over on side of the road with no power assistance steering or braking. This problem occurred with no warning and at highway speeds creating an immense safety risk. Many others have reported the same issue with this and related cars for this and nearby model years. Like them, I wonder why there is no recall. Mercedes benz will not replace these defective parts willingly and there are many of these cars driving down our highways placing not only the passengers at risk but other drivers around them.