Hi,

Today when I hopped into my 2011 GL350 I heard a constant intermittent beeping sound and found out:

- Car won't start (no crank)
- Gear selector doesn't work. (none of PNDR is selected as shown in the instrument panel)
- Error message: drive to workshop without shifting gears
- Error message: SRS Restraint sys. malfunction service required
- Buttons on steering wheel don't light up, don't work
- Turn signal doesn't work
- Steering column adjustment doesn't work (but steering column moves to the right position upon power on/off)

Upon power on
- starter won't run, so it only gets to the power on state
- all above problems persist
- Error message: airmatic malfunction

Upon power off
- Beeping doesn't stop, even if I lock the car (it's still beeping in my driveway right now)
- Error message: drive to workshop without shifting gears


My guess is electrical issue. The entire steering column is disconnected from the car. I swapped the fuse 13 by glovebox, no luck. Tested battery, seems strong enough. Gave it a boost, no luck.

I'm not sure where to check next. I want to check the wiring harness for the steering column but cannot figure out where it's located or how to get access.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you all!

Further testing reveals ODB-II port won't communicate (has power).

your car needs to be read. but since your obd-2 connector is dead (is it really dead?)i am not sure how this will happen.

first i would check all fuses.

then i would remove all fuse panels and check behind them for moisture/ corrosion.

next i would remove instrument cluster and see if things get better.

lastly ignition and scm assuming you can confirm via star/ das lack of functionality

Similar but intermittent problem 3 years ago with 2010 GL350. After several trips to dealer (I was a monthly regular while still under warranty--what a lemon!), the culprit was the ignition lock. See attached repair codes.

Almost forgot. Replacing Ignition lock did not fix it for long. They eventually also replaced the Steering Control Module. SDS Test Code 7250. That FINALLY ended the monthly trips to the dealer.