Possible Class Action for Leaking Sunroof Due to Clogged Drain Tubes
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Joined: Apr 2025
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From: Woodruff, SC
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE350 4Matic & 2019 Mercedes-Benz C300 Cabriolet 4Matic
Possible Class Action for Leaking Sunroof Due to Clogged Drain Tubes
I am seeking information for MB owners who have experienced damage/repairs to their vehicles due to water from the sunroof/panoramic roof caused by clogged drain tubes. Apparently, this is a common issue with MB models and they have recalled a number of older MB vehicles with this same issue. Additionally, I would like to hear from people whose vehicles are CPO and the damage/repairs occurred while the car was still under the MB CPO Extended Limited Warranty.
Currently, our MB GLE350 4Matic is at the dealer for repairs to the center control panel that was caused by water damage that came through the sunroof due to clogged drain tubes. In order to fully diagnose the repairs required, we have to pay $2,200 for them to take the car apart. This does not include any repairs which they have assured us are not covered by our CPO extended warranty because it is caused by "outside forces" (read - water). I have contacted a class action law firm as I have determined that this has been an ongoing issue with MB sunroofs., The first step, according to the attorney, is that we need to prove that there are enough owners affected by this issue to become a represented class. You can respond here or message me directly. I want to hear your experiences!
This link is to a settlement that was received from Volkswagen et al for the exact same issue. https://www.sunroofsettlement.com/vw
Currently, our MB GLE350 4Matic is at the dealer for repairs to the center control panel that was caused by water damage that came through the sunroof due to clogged drain tubes. In order to fully diagnose the repairs required, we have to pay $2,200 for them to take the car apart. This does not include any repairs which they have assured us are not covered by our CPO extended warranty because it is caused by "outside forces" (read - water). I have contacted a class action law firm as I have determined that this has been an ongoing issue with MB sunroofs., The first step, according to the attorney, is that we need to prove that there are enough owners affected by this issue to become a represented class. You can respond here or message me directly. I want to hear your experiences!
This link is to a settlement that was received from Volkswagen et al for the exact same issue. https://www.sunroofsettlement.com/vw
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From: Fleriduh
W212 E63S Wagon - GSL580 - E63 - E350 - C300
NO!!!! I will NOT "maintain" my car...I am going to park it underneath a Water Oak, get it filled with leaves, pollen and branches....then, SUE MERCEDES due to outside contaminants clogging my tubes......yeah, thats the ticket...yeah....
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Newbie
Joined: Apr 2025
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From: Woodruff, SC
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE350 4Matic & 2019 Mercedes-Benz C300 Cabriolet 4Matic
https://www.kbb.com/car-news/mercede...hers%20without.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2025
Posts: 15
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From: Woodruff, SC
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE350 4Matic & 2019 Mercedes-Benz C300 Cabriolet 4Matic
NO!!!! I will NOT "maintain" my car...I am going to park it underneath a Water Oak, get it filled with leaves, pollen and branches....then, SUE MERCEDES due to outside contaminants clogging my tubes......yeah, thats the ticket...yeah....
https://youtu.be/hV85E2S-Idw?t=35
https://youtu.be/hV85E2S-Idw?t=35
So, yeah, that IS the ticket. And again, VW had the exact same issue and the consumers won because the responsibility is on the company to inform the consumer. You don't have to agree but the law is the law.
Last edited by IAmKiPorter; Apr 10, 2025 at 08:23 AM.
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From: Fleriduh
W212 E63S Wagon - GSL580 - E63 - E350 - C300
Car is garage parked. No trees anywhere close to it. Serviced at the dealership. And NO WHERE in the maintenance manual does it tell us to maintain the drain tubes. I have always owned convertibles so I didn't even know about a drain tube until this happened.
So, yeah, that IS the ticket. And again, VW had the exact same issue and the consumers won't because the responsibility is on the company to inform the consumer. You don't have to agree but the law is the law.
So, yeah, that IS the ticket. And again, VW had the exact same issue and the consumers won't because the responsibility is on the company to inform the consumer. You don't have to agree but the law is the law.
Pathetic. I am still waiting for my share of some class action law suit against a utility that I was "part of" just because I was a customer. My share? $1.00.
You are asking the WRONG people for assistance in this apathetic effort. Oh, lawyers suck and are just barely more useful than a typical cop for supporting society.
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'91 964 Turbo, '02 E55's & '14 E63s-w
Pathetic. I am still waiting for my share of some class action law suit against a utility that I was "part of" just because I was a customer. My share? $1.00.
You are asking the WRONG people for assistance in this apathetic effort. Oh, lawyers suck and are just barely more useful than a typical cop for supporting society.
You are asking the WRONG people for assistance in this apathetic effort. Oh, lawyers suck and are just barely more useful than a typical cop for supporting society.
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From: New Orleans Area
2015 E400 Sedan
If parked in a garage, then what clogged the drains?
I mean it would be dirt, bugs, animal excrement, animal nesting material, pollen??
I have owned mt truck for about 24 years now, it has sunroof with 4 drains. 1 in each corner and ha not clogged and drains well.
I think this would be a where do you live, drive & park issue.
I have just known about the drain tubes since my first car with sunroof back when I was 15 years old...
Guess I thought it was more widely known thing to do - like part of cleaning the car.
Same thing with lubing the sunroof tracks and door/hood hinges & latches etc... these are not in the owners manual nor the service manual but need to get done.
Clean and lube weatherstrips...
Guess they have to document every possible thing today else the lawyers come running....
I mean it would be dirt, bugs, animal excrement, animal nesting material, pollen??
I have owned mt truck for about 24 years now, it has sunroof with 4 drains. 1 in each corner and ha not clogged and drains well.
I think this would be a where do you live, drive & park issue.
I have just known about the drain tubes since my first car with sunroof back when I was 15 years old...
Guess I thought it was more widely known thing to do - like part of cleaning the car.
Same thing with lubing the sunroof tracks and door/hood hinges & latches etc... these are not in the owners manual nor the service manual but need to get done.
Clean and lube weatherstrips...
Guess they have to document every possible thing today else the lawyers come running....
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From: New Orleans Area
2015 E400 Sedan
The leaking caused the sunroof to detach in the long term so it became a safety issue.
https://www.kbb.com/car-news/mercede...hers%20without.
https://www.kbb.com/car-news/mercede...hers%20without.
"The company tells the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that “the bonding between the glass sunroof panel and the sliding roof frame might not meet specifications.” A supplier changed the process for bonding the materials during production, resulting in some cars with a weakening bond and others without."
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From: Northeast
2012 S350 Bluetec, 2014 GLK250 Bluetec, 2026 E350 4Matic
@IAmKiPorter I know this is an issue, but I think it's a bit of a grey area legally. I just grabbed the maintenance schedule for one of my cars and there is a line in there to check, clean and lubricate the sliding sunroof mechanism every 20K or 2 years. I think "clean" could be interpreted to include the drains. The VW settlement says they will not cover it with improper maintenance. Either way, good luck! Did you find a lawyer to take the case?
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Water ingress to E class
My 2017 e220D is currently in a local Merc garage because of a massive water ingress problem which flooded the driver and front passenger footwells and soaked all of the electrical/electronics causing a complete shutdown of the car functions. The garage cannot tell me how much this will cause to repair other than telling me it will be expensive. So, yes, I would like to see a class action taken against Mercedes on this issue.
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From: Northeast
2012 S350 Bluetec, 2014 GLK250 Bluetec, 2026 E350 4Matic
My 2017 e220D is currently in a local Merc garage because of a massive water ingress problem which flooded the driver and front passenger footwells and soaked all of the electrical/electronics causing a complete shutdown of the car functions. The garage cannot tell me how much this will cause to repair other than telling me it will be expensive. So, yes, I would like to see a class action taken against Mercedes on this issue.
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From: Northeast
2012 S350 Bluetec, 2014 GLK250 Bluetec, 2026 E350 4Matic
MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Northeast
2012 S350 Bluetec, 2014 GLK250 Bluetec, 2026 E350 4Matic
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GLC 300 2022
I have a 2022 GLC 300 with 15k miles on it. The floor board on driver side totally full of water! Its garage kept. It is a total manufacturer defect in design and or manufacturing if when and (how??) sunroof drains get clogged, that the water gets to the brains of the car under the driver seat. How is that not waterpoof encased? How should "clogged drains" be allowed to back up and empty there?? This is not an insurance issue, this is a manufacturer design defect! The service guy tells me he has 1 a month. There is no mention of it when I bought the car nor when I brought the car in for its service maintenance, no mention in the manual! I really hope we can have a class action brought against them. They do not want to honor the 4 yr 50k manufactures warranty!! That is not customer service. The bill they sent me, was $25k just for starters, not including any defected modules they may find. So disappointed with the dealership and the lack of conscience MB has, not to warranty it's products.
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From: Baltimore County, MD
'13 s212 63 p30. '06 LX470
I was actually part of the original VW settlement when it came out for a 2001 S4. I kept the sunroof area clean but one of the tubes must’ve clogged at some point, and it caused my transmission module to be taken out. This was when cars were first starting to put modules down towards the floor. I do agree that there should be some more protection on the modules or drain valves in the floor. BUT it only takes one leaf to clog a drain and every single model of car will leak down the a pillar or the B pillar or the C pillar, depending on where the clog is.
Unfortunately, for me, I have never had a garage or covered parking area and I have never had a clogged drain since that audi because I know to occasionally clean them out.. for almost twenty years now. As I mentioned in another thread, sunroofs are not sealed, and they are designed to let water through and the sunroof tray and drains convey that water out of the car. What further complicates a draining process is some tubes have a reed valve on the bottom of them so it takes almost nothing beyond the road debris to clog them up.
op it sucks but there is no greater issue here. Also with Amazon and alibaba there are plenty of inexpensive tools to keep this area clog free. That wasn’t the case back in the day when people were trying to use string trimmer line that never successfully makes it around the bends in the tubing
Unfortunately, for me, I have never had a garage or covered parking area and I have never had a clogged drain since that audi because I know to occasionally clean them out.. for almost twenty years now. As I mentioned in another thread, sunroofs are not sealed, and they are designed to let water through and the sunroof tray and drains convey that water out of the car. What further complicates a draining process is some tubes have a reed valve on the bottom of them so it takes almost nothing beyond the road debris to clog them up.
op it sucks but there is no greater issue here. Also with Amazon and alibaba there are plenty of inexpensive tools to keep this area clog free. That wasn’t the case back in the day when people were trying to use string trimmer line that never successfully makes it around the bends in the tubing
Last edited by Baltistyle; Sep 27, 2025 at 01:08 PM.
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I was actually part of the original VW settlement when it came out for a 2001 S4. I kept the sunroof area clean but one of the tubes must’ve clogged at some point, and it caused my transmission module to be taken out. This was when cars were first starting to put modules down towards the floor. I do agree that there should be some more protection on the modules or drain valves in the floor. BUT it only takes one leaf to clog a drain and every single model of car will leak down the a pillar or the B pillar or the C pillar, depending on where the clog is.
Unfortunately, for me, I have never had a garage or covered parking area and I have never had a clogged drain since that audi because I know to occasionally clean them out.. for almost twenty years now. As I mentioned in another thread, sunroofs are not sealed, and they are designed to let water through and the sunroof tray and drains convey that water out of the car. What further complicates a draining process is some tubes have a reed valve on the bottom of them so it takes almost nothing beyond the road debris to clog them up.
op it sucks but there is no greater issue here. Also with Amazon and alibaba there are plenty of inexpensive tools to keep this area clog free. That wasn’t the case back in the day when people were trying to use string trimmer line that never successfully makes it around the bends in the tubing
Unfortunately, for me, I have never had a garage or covered parking area and I have never had a clogged drain since that audi because I know to occasionally clean them out.. for almost twenty years now. As I mentioned in another thread, sunroofs are not sealed, and they are designed to let water through and the sunroof tray and drains convey that water out of the car. What further complicates a draining process is some tubes have a reed valve on the bottom of them so it takes almost nothing beyond the road debris to clog them up.
op it sucks but there is no greater issue here. Also with Amazon and alibaba there are plenty of inexpensive tools to keep this area clog free. That wasn’t the case back in the day when people were trying to use string trimmer line that never successfully makes it around the bends in the tubing
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From: Suburban Maryland
2023 E 450 Sedan. 2018 GLC 300. 2013 E 350 Coupe (retired)
After reading this thread i went on Amazon and was surprised to find several inexpensive products with hundreds of reviews to clean these drains. Long metal wire with pipe cleaner on one end. Many cars with similar issues, but mercedes takes the cake for cost of repair. Same products on flea bay slightly cheaper.
Last edited by smiles201; Sep 27, 2025 at 10:30 PM.
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From: Baltimore County, MD
'13 s212 63 p30. '06 LX470
As I mentioned, and the poster above me mentioned, all sorts of cheap tools these days so we don’t have to make them ourselves. I personally wouldn’t recommend trying to blow it out with air or water pressure because if the clog is severe, you can damage the drain pipe connections.
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As I mentioned, and the poster above me mentioned, all sorts of cheap tools these days so we don’t have to make them ourselves. I personally wouldn’t recommend trying to blow it out with air or water pressure because if the clog is severe, you can damage the drain pipe connections.
I will try scavenger hunting on amazon.
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From: Baltimore County, MD
'13 s212 63 p30. '06 LX470
They even have them at NAPA these days for ten bucks. Should be an easy find. As a tip, I sometimes will drip a little degreaser in the front two holes. The rear holes are really best accessed from the bottom. Its harder to get water manually to the rear tray drains but if you use a tube on a funnel its easy enough to do to flush anything you loosed on the way up from the bottom.
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They even have them at NAPA these days for ten bucks. Should be an easy find. As a tip, I sometimes will drip a little degreaser in the front two holes. The rear holes are really best accessed from the bottom. Its harder to get water manually to the rear tray drains but if you use a tube on a funnel its easy enough to do to flush anything you loosed on the way up from the bottom.
