Filed:

(ODI Number) is: 10502019

2009 E350 4Matic

 

Hi everyone,

I'm new on the forum, so bear with me , I have o4 e320 wagon, running rough and the onboard computer for mpg does not go above 13 mpg when driving even on highway doing about 65mph. can anyone give input, actual mileage highway and city is 15 to 15.5 by doing the math, miles traveled divided by gallons replaced when fueling.

thanks

 

Okay first off, wrong thread. This is about the NHTSA recall which you should check into on your 2004 wagon. Please start a new thread, second of all - please make your question a bit more clear. Thanks.

 

Wrong forum for your question, but sounds like plugged Cat converter.

 

Filled 2nd time:

2004 e500
(ODI Number) is: 10503091

 

Haven't received any communication back from them, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to, but it's been about a week. I do have the ODI number as posted above though so I'm sure they received it.

 

Hi everyone,

I'm new here but every once in a while i also get a gas smell from the passenger side ( rear ) but i haven't seen anything on ground under car. How do I file a complaint, any help would be appreciated

 

Same here, no respond from them. Waste of time.
Bought left sending unit with two aux. parts for $200 total and 40 min DIY. Hope lasts for 2-4 years.

rommelle63

Tread #160 at this forum

 

By Ronald D. White - LOS ANGELES TIMES March 19, 2013, 7:54 a.m.

Federal safety regulators have begun a probe of fuel leaks in about 250,000 Mercedes-Benz E-Class cars.
The investigation was launched after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Mercedes-Benz received more than 500 complaints from owners about a strong odor of gasoline, mainly after refueling.
The NHTSA said fuel may be leaking from the upper part of the gas tank. No fires or injuries have been reported.
The investigation includes vehicles from 2003 to 2008 model years. The agency is looking into whether the leaks were caused by a 2008 pollution-control recall on the car's fuel filter module.
The NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this probe based on 20 consumer reports. All of the initial vehicles were E55 AMG models.
"Since opening the investigation ODI has received an additional 350 reports relevant to this investigation. Of those reports, 116 reports are on the E55 AMG model. The remaining 234 reports are on other E-class models (i.e., E320, E350, E500, E550 and E63) which are now included" in the investigation, the NHTSA said on its website.
The investigation will determine whether a recall is necessary, the agency said.
E-Class cars have a starting price of about $51,000.

 

That's certainly good news! I wonder why the model-year cutoff is listed as 2008. Shouldn't 2009 be included also?

Here's the link: http://www.latimes.com/business/auto...tory?track=rss

 

The NHTSA last week has upgraded the preliminary investigation to a Engineering Analysis
The document can be viewed here. Bookmark this link for future reference.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs...03&docType=INV

Ive been told that they assigned a new investigator named John Abbot to the case. This is good news.

I guess after the upgrade of the inquiry, every news outlet reported the investigation
I guess that's good for us. I counted 14 online publications incl WSJ, Fox News, and Huffpost.

 

Going from a "PE" (Preliminary Evaluation) to an "EA" (Engineering Analysis) is definitely good news.....

I see the PE phase as the first "screening process" at NHTSA where they get rid of bogus claims or stuff that is just too isolated to have merit. Getting to this next level probably implies more "resources" can be brought to bear within NHTSA to dig deeper and find some true root cause failures.

I would still offer to allow any NHTSA investigator to personally inspect my vehicle (a very low-mileage, and original 2006 E55) and see that the leaks are genuine and appear to be originating from the white fuel sender plastic area through surface cracks....

(The OEM manufacturer of the Fuel Pump Assy is Continental by the way, not Airtex)



-G

 

Me too. I have a 04 E55 with 80k on it. 3/4 tank only or it smells like gas.

 

Confirmation Number (ODI Number) is: 10504283

Went out of town 03/20/13 and filled car up for the first time since ownership and noticed very strong gas odor in back seat. I did not re-fill to come back home, only 3/4 fill.

 

Thank you for posting this, very glad to hear they are at least taking this matter into further consideration. At least we know now this is not a futile effort and some day may have a solution with minimal out of pocket cost. Keep the NHTSA reports coming

 

This is the second time I've had this problem. After replacing the driver side unit about a year ago through my local dealership here in Houston, I now smell gas inside the cabin again and can see a small pool of fuel forming after further inspection under the seat. I just filed with NHTSA again, please keep me posted on this subject. I thought it was complete BS that I had to pay for this the first time and if the dealership makes me pay to fix this again, I might just drive the whole car through their building...lol.

(ODI Number) is: 10505114.

 

I recently purchased a W211 E500 MY04 from a dealer in Northern VA.

I noticed a slight odor on purchase (which the dealer and I chalked up to the cleaning and treatments by the shop), but it became completely unbearable after refilling the car last night.

I talked to the sales rep today that told me that it is my responsibility even though I have only owned the car for 10 days - AND had the sales rep tell me that the smell was the exterior wax treatment.

The car passed inspections in both Maryland and Virginia - which I don't quite get. MD inspection is generally pretty tough.

I have already filed with OID - 10505499.

I live a few miles from NHTSA's facility - does anyone know if NHTSA is looking to inspect vehicles prior to repair? I am planning on fighting with the dealership over this, but I don't know how long this will take. I am happy to call Scott Yon directly, but don't want to violate any protocol on their end. I know you all have been in contact with them, so thought I would check in.

 

Investigation: 250,000 Mercedes E-Class models for fuel leaks


NHTSA is looking at whether a previous recall for fuel leaks might also affect later E-Class models.


By Exhaust Notes Mar 22, 2013 1:09PM

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether 250,000 Mercedes-Benz E-Class models should be recalled for potential fuel-tank leaks, according to agency documents filed this week.

To date, NHTSA has received 533 owner complaints of fuel leaks at the upper portion of the tank and strong gasoline odors after refueling their E-Class models. Roughly 250,000 cars from 2003-2008 are included in the investigation, which may or may not lead to a recall.

In February 2012, NHTSA opened an investigation into the 2003-2006 E55 AMG after receiving 20 complaints of fuel leaks. Since then, more owners told the agency that they had found gasoline pooling under the rear seats and that dealers said cracks in the fuel filters were causing the leak, particularly when the cars were refueled and topped off. Many owners said Mercedes had refused to cover the repairs, according to the reports.

In 2008, Mercedes recalled an unspecified number of 2003-2006 E55 AMG and CLS55 AMG models for a similar fuel leaks, but it said at the time that the fuel filters were different than standard E-Class models. Hot weather combined with "frequent stop-and-go driving" could cause the fuel filter to crack on the high-performance AMG models, Mercedes said in a letter to owners.

 

I wanted to let everyone know. That I recently had my car diagnosed and the diagnoses was that the fuel sending unit was cracked and the fuel tank may have a slight crack as well. I purchased and installed the redesigned fuel sending unit and after filling the car to the first click on the gas pump. The car still smelled of gasoline. I also removed the rear seat, panel, and discover fuel once again pooling on top of the tank.

I live in Las Vegas and my 05 e320 has always been in the dry hot desert. I heard that those driving conditions can cause tanks and sending units to go bad. I really hope this recall covers the whole fuel system. A tank should never have to be replaced during the entire cars useful life span.

 

As I reported, I filed a complaint with NHTSA and then took my car to Mercedes Benz of Tysons Corner. The SA called about two hours later after the problem was diagnosed as a problem with the fuel sender unit and indicated that the Service Manager had said that the repair would be made out of good will. They indicated that an odor would likely be present but would dissipate. There was a slight odor after the fix, but it has dissipated. The real test will be after I refill the tank (which should be in the next few days).

Interestingly enough, a representative from NHTSA called me while my 2004 E500 was being serviced. He tried to go and inspect the vehicle before the repair was made, but the repair was already underway when he talked to the SA. The NHTSA rep had the SA hold the parts and intended to go out to MB of Tysons and inspect them this week.

Help NHTSA help you! Make sure to file a report. Make sure your dealer knows the issue. If your dealer won't pay for repairs, make sure they understand the gravity of the problem. I went in with news articles, etc. While the sales team argued with me, the service department said okay immediately. As with anything - until a recall is ordered, your results may be different.

 

I never got a call from an NHTSA agent, should I resubmit.

 

I received the call because my home address is about 4 miles from NHTSA HQ.

My vehicle was a 'good opportunity' for them to take a look at what is going on in the field.

 

Ah alright makes sense. There are two NHTSA regional offices in Colorado two being in Lakewood and one in Denver. It would make sense that they would not spend the resources to come out to the suburbs to look at a vehicle as I'm sure they've had similar reports. If anyone has file a report in Colorado and did have an inspection done, please let me know. Thanks.

 

This weekend I read a quick news article about a MB leaving an interstate ramp in Calif and having an accident resulting in fatalities. Comments in the article were the car never slowed down. I wonder is it an SBC MB with total brake failure? There was one other incident on this site where a MB exited an interstate/freeway ramp and went through the intersection but hit no one. You might do a search to see what you find.

 

cls has the same problems.The most common problem is the fuel pump/sending unit cover. It is under mechanical stess when driving and they will all fail with age.