This is scary that brand new luxury cars are so problematic....I am hoping that it's just a simple matter of a software update and nothing more...My husband will never let me hear the end of it for leaving Lexus and going to Mercedes Benz...

 

@Harryd840, Has the software update worked out for you?

 

I purchased a new C300...I had to wait 10 days for the dealer to bring it in. I drove off the dealer's lot and felt my car jerk. My husband and I thought that maybe the car needed to be broken in. Whenever I turned or made lefts the car really jolted and jerked. Since I already owned two Mercedes in the past, that drove very smoothly, I knew this was so bad!!! The next morning, I took my not even one day old car with 28 miles in for service. An extremely knowledgeable service rep drove my car. We drove for a short period, and he was amazed at how the car rode. He commented that the car definitely had some issues with the downshift. I had to leave the car for all kinds of diagnostic testing. I want a new car without problems. It is now three days, and still no answers. What recourse do I have?
My car is a C300 4 Matic 2014.

 

It would be nice for people to follow up as I've read quite a few cliffhangers on multiple forums. Being nice has it's place but in a situation like this making some noise is warranted. My Dad was getting horrible after sales service at our local Acura dealership so he bought the entire service department pizza and all was well for him but his car is working properly. If a car isn't functioning as it should from the factory and the complaints are high yet MB isn't doing anything means time to make some noise. It worked when we were kids and it might just work now.

 

Ok, so the dealer (Mercedes Benz of White Plains) called me and told me that they updated the software and reset the vehicle. The car is staying overnight so they can drive it and make sure before they return it to me the issue is resolved. Let's keep our fingers crossed!!!

 

Picked up the car today. Drove it home, (only 3 blocks away). It seems fine. Will drive it around over the weekend to see if the software update did the trick....

 

This was an interesting read I love my trans in my 2012 c250 smoothest car I have ever had. I thought my wifes TSX was smooth but this shifts like butter I don't feel it but can see the tach shifting maybe I got lucky. Good luck to all those that are having problems.

 

UPDATE: we had the torque converter replaced and the car was ok for a bit but then the jerking came back. Took the car in again recently for the fourth time? i think. This time we asked if there was a software update and they did update it. So far for the past week it has been ok. Hopefully stays that way. Very frustrating situation - dealership sending "data" to germany blah blah blah. Keeping our car for days and techs driving it home. Head technician claiming the transmission in these cars are bullet proof and its normal behavior as its a "powerful car" which is hilarious. Telling us that we shouldn't listen to what other people are saying on the "internet" and forums.

I just hope its fixed already. Not sure why they cant be honest and just admit there is an issue with the 2014 model and let us know they are working on a software update. Anyways enough ranting just hoping this does the trick. Still confused why its only the 2014 model that has the issue? Shouldn't the car become more reliable throughout the model cycle?

My 2010 GLK is becoming a bit jerky now as well, but nothing like the c300.

 

OK, drove the car all weekend... The software update did the trick for my car... My husband complained that he felt "3 bumps" on the steering wheel every once in a while and it turns out it was the "vibration" from the lane departure... No more hard down shift.... My car is friving smoothly.... Thank GOD!!!

 

I have been very dilligent with pressing MB for a resolution to the C300 transmission issue (jerking between shifts) and was told in late June 2014 that a service bulletin was going to be released prior to the end of July. I received a call on July 23rd from the dealer that the bulletin had been issued and the fix for the jerking tranny was provided. I dropped my car off last Wednesday and received the car the day after. The firmware for the transmission was updated to adjust the fluid pressure between shifts and they also reset the shift adaptations. All has been good for a few days now. I will provide the bulletin number to you all tomorrow - paperwork is not with me currently. Nice to finally have a smooth driving MB !!!!!

 

I really hope this works and thanks for letting the forum know. I'm going to call the dealership and ask if there is any bulletins for my 14 c300. And then I'll hit them with your bulletin number if they say no.

 

See my prior note on what was fixed - The MB Topic Number which addresses the hard/jerking shift issue is L127.19-P-05-6610. The title of the topic number is "Update to transmission control unit software". Hope this helps everyone!!!!

 

I am glad this is software based, and not hardware. Hopefully MB owner's follow through with an update to safe themselves time and discomfort.

 

Hi Guys,

Sorry I wasnt able to provide more feedback before.

The car drove fine for few weeks after the last software update, but I still feel the jerks intermittently while bring it to a halt.

The car is back at the dealership since yesterday with an additional problem of transmission fluid leak along with jerking problem.

I spoke with MB Canada yesterday and was very disappointed with the response.They tried to convince me that such transmission behavior might be characteristics of the car if it is being experienced by so many people, when I said that its all over the internet forum for 2014 C class.
Another argument was that the car was still drivable...what a joke!.
I guess I will move away from this brand.

 

Hi Harry,

What you are being told is bull5h1t, pure and simple. In one of my earlier posts I provided a link to Merc's marketing blurb about the 7G Tronic Plus transmission and its "almost imperceptible" gearshifts. That is how your car should work. Period.

My Canadian Mercedes dealer arranged a complete refund and buy back for our car and Mercedes Canada did not oppose that. You should get the same. We now own a BMW 328 Xdrive, which is bigger, just as gutsy and amazingly, better on gas, and could not be happier.

 

THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE THE END OF MARCH AND THEY ARE STILL 'WORKING ON IT' ..

Same with my car..I went in for a test drive and the car acted up twice while the mechanic was in the car with me..Ever since they downloaded the new software the car drives worse! It doesn't let me push the break to switch to D or R from P unless I tap it as hard as I can 3 times and then it loosens up..they WON'T recognize the car has an issue so after threatening them, they escalated the issue to MB. They can't have us pay for a car that's not performing and treating us like clowns..

So far I have heard the following statements from mangers from MB:

-you can't do anything about it and this is the way you are gonna drive it

-the car doesn't have anything - it drives fine

-you are not supposed to push the break like that.

-you drive to aggressive

LOL

I am sure the car has been tested at 200mph and they tell me I can't push the break like that at 50mph??? Fight for it and you will get a new car because you drive a Mercedes not a Honda. It's supposed to drive smooth .. it's irritating that I have to deal with it for a 2014 Mercedes..

 

Wow I didn't expect this thread to be popular. After hard working at job, I finally have the time to sit down and come back to check the status, it's been very interesting read. I had so many issues with my 2013 c300, this transmission was just one of them. Everyone can check their car for the following issues I had and just maybe you have the same issue......
1. a/c fan noise(clicking noise at low speed)....I had fan replaced by dealer.
2. air leak from rear door passenger side ......fixed by dealer but I suspect all the windows/doors had minor leaks going back to dealer again
3. anti freeze fluid went low....topped up by dealer and triple checked for leaks.
4. steering was off alignment(brand new) .....fixed by dealer after 3 times.
5. rear passenger door was not flushed (sticks out too much) .....fixed by dealer
6. rear passenger window trim was not installed properly......kinda fixed by dealer after 2 attempts
7. front seats have little movement(play) when you move back and forth or going over the speed bumps.
8. ECO stop/start turns off completely(no power) intermittently .....dealer replaced the temp sensor battery but it is still not fixed...going back again.
8. transmission issue jerk/jolt at warming up....updated the firmware back on aug 15 and guess what, still not fixed. I am not sure if they updated the firmware with new patch L127.19-P-05-6610 - "Update to transmission control unit software"...going back again to dealer...........
I contacted the Mercedes benz Canada once and they are not very nice and just put me back to the dealership hands again.
I will come back and give everyone the update.

 

This is all amazing to me... How Mbusa is treating some of you guys is diametrically opposed to how I was treated by them... I don't understand the differences

 

So...out of curiosity, for those who are having problems, what plant was your car manufactured at?

 

big time bump

 

Hey Peter. This may be due to the fact that in the United States, the laws have real teeth and are such that car buyers have real protection and can have their cars replaced or get a full refund in cases like this.

In Canada however, not only do the manufacturers charge around 25% more for the exact same product when compared to US MSRPs, the Canadian consumer protection laws are useless and the car manufacturers have carte blanche to screw over their customers in cases like this. [There is a national mediation process called CAMVAP but their rulings are not binding on the manufacturer from a legal perspective and there have been a number of cases where manufacturers completely ignored repeated rulings to replace or refund a vehicle and the owner could do nothing about it]. So. I expect that a lot of the folks who are being reamed by Mercedes are in fact Canadian customers. I only had my car refunded because I made it abundantly clear to Mercedes Canada that I would go to all the local and national media with my story with documented details of how I was being treated. No embelishment, misrepresentation or exageration, just the accepted facts. That was enough.

To win at this game, one simply has to take the view: "Screw me? Bloody hell - no way. Screw you!"

 

I have been battling MB for about a year over this same issue on a brand new 2014 E350, and I am shocked at the low regard MB has for their Customers. I launched a lemon case against them after getting the similar run-around from corporate, being told that there is no issue (that this is "normal" for the car). They have turned me from a loyal MB Customer to an enemy at this point. Someone pointed out that this is a German type of attitude and I agree, as I worked for a German company, and we had similar attitudes towards issues from the home office. The Brass in Germany always thought that we should accept what we got because it was "German Engineering" even when it didn't work. I believe that the legendary engineering is a thing of the past when you look at other manufacturers in this market segment.

I suggest that anyone having this issue take note of the following;

1- Make sure you look over how your descriptions are written on the work order when you bring your car to service. If the problem has not been fixed from the last visit, make sure it is reiterated using the same descriptive language. In my case, since the descriptions varied for the same overall problem the Lemon Board took that as the issues were addressed, or they "disappeared". Be diligent on the descriptions

2- If the problem is intermittent, do not accept the short test drive around the dealership. Carve out the time and drive the car with a technician until the issue presents itself. Boards have a difficult time with intermittent issues, and they are not the most technically savvy people. One Board Member remarked that modern cars exhibit a 2 to 3 second delay when you press on the gas because the pedal is not physically connected to the carburetor any more!

3-One user here had MB repurchase two cars back, but in my experience, this is very difficult. MB will do everything they can to crush you. In our case they had a lawyer and 4 other "experts" attend the hearing, and they are very good at confusing the Board. For example, one Board Member asked about adaptation codes and error codes in the transmission. The expert technician testified that he reviewed the codes and did not find anything that "concerned" him. The Board asked about the codes and it was clear to me that they assume that the computer records everything and if there is a hiccup or jump by the transmission, the computer shows it to the person reviewing the data. We know that the data is just that, a read-out of measured parameters, others see it as a magical recorder that spits out a red flag when something is wrong.

4- If you feel the issue affects the safety of the vehicle which in our case it does, post your complaint with NHTSA ( https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/) If enough people make this known perhaps MB will not be able to continue with their ignore and delay tactics. In our case, when on the highway the car will sometimes have a long delay and then a sudden lurch of acceleration when trying to pass or avoid a car on the highway.

4- I also posted my complaint with Consumer Affairs, again, the more light they get on these problems the tougher it will be for MB to ignore it.

I refuse to accept that a car of this caliber should drive the way it does. Someone posted "silky smooth" as a description MB has for their transmissions which is nonsense. I drove my father's 2014 4Matic and it drives fine, there is an intermittent issue with their transmissions on a percentage of their cars, it must still be small enough that they can ignore it, but it is maddening and dangerous to those of us that are unlucky enough to be in that percentage.

Please do not roll over and accept MB's bullying, if you're not satisfied, make it known.

 

My 2014 C300 is having the same problem. My husband is furious, we expected so much more from this car. Have had it to the dealership once and they test drove it with me but of course it drove fine for them. They re-set the transmission back to the factory settings hoping this would fix the problem. It has not. Am going to call and have them look at it again. Not a happy first time MB owner here. If this cannot be fixed it will probably be the last MB I own.

 

My 2014 C300 is having the same problem. My husband is furious, we expected so much more from this car. Have had it to the dealership once and they test drove it with me but of course it drove fine for them. They re-set the transmission back to the factory settings hoping this would fix the problem. It has not. Am going to call and have them look at it again. Not a happy first time MB owner here. If this cannot be fixed it will probably be the last MB I own.

 

The car is at the dealership today for the transmission/jerking. I asked that a tech drive it home, someone there has to experience this for themselves. Will post an update. Found out a neighbor had the same problem and he had his transmission replaced. Took them a month, once he finally got it back he parked it in his garage and the next morning found transmission fluid on the floor. I'm so glad I leased this vehicle, they will definitely be getting this back when my 27 month lease is up. Don't think I'll lease another Benz.