HotRodW

Recall campaign 2024030007 (attached).

W205C43PFL

Thanks for uploading

W205C43PFL

not the latest one that was just uploaded.

EL-34

my other car is a volvo (2012) and I remember people were complaining about the rough downshifts and over time the complaints went to zero.

let it break in. it is not a disposable, cheap asian car using 40 year old tech.

HotRodW

I'm curious ... does your Volvo have the 6-speed Ford PowerShift, the 6-speed Japanese Aisin-Warner, or the 8-speed Japanese Aisin-Warner?

BlueYonder

That is the recall for engine stalling under certain circumstances. It is for 2020 - 2023 models and doesn't cover the rough downshifting problem. This problem has been around for years and I had the same downshift problem with my 2018 GLE. It was finally fixed by replacing the transmission valve body. Maybe Mercedes should just ditch the adaptive feature of the transmission (if that is part of the problem). The only thing a customer should notice about the transmission is that they don't notice the transmission.

HotRodW

I never meant to suggest the recall was related to the downshifting issues. I simply pointed out that the transmission software is updated for that recall, and my SA indicated that update includes resetting the adaptations.

Streamliner

Yes! Whey we need transmissions that "adapt" is beyond me. They should just do their job and fade into the background of a smooth drive.

W205C43PFL

I wish MB transmissions adapts to us and not we having to adapt to their transmissions.

sickk23

My 3-2 downshift is flawless but my 2-1 is so rough I thought I was rear ended the first time it happened. I noticed the car stays in 2nd gear until you come to a stop (probably to avoid the rough downshift to first) but if you come to a stop slow enough it will downshift into first while still moving. And damn it is rough when it happens. It’s very disappointing.

Streamliner

What vehicle are you describing?

sickk23

Presumably 24 GLE.

Streamliner

This is a VERY well known issue by MB. Depending on how you feel about it and how the Lemon Laws might apply in your state, you may get MBUSA to buy the vehicle back. You need to decide if you can live with it or not. They most likely cannot or will not fix it. Best of luck to you.

HotRodW

MB might very well be aware of the issue, but as long as their dealers continue to claim the transmission is working as designed, our options are limited. Somebody has to acknowledge there is a problem before MB can acknowledge there is no solution. It's to the point now where my dealership treats me like one of those whiners who doesn't understand how sophisticated German vehicles work. I'm the problem ...

Streamliner

Honestly, you need to go to another dealer and then another. You will find one that agrees with you. Always have the shop foreman go for a ride with you. In most cases, if there really is a harsh shift, they should agree that there is a problem.

HotRodW

I've been to two dealerships. My dealership admits the shifts are harsh, but insists the behavior is within acceptable parameters. Not perfect, but not so bad as to be considered broken. The other - my "second opinion" dealership more than an hour away - won't even acknowledge the harsh shifting. Their documentation states the car is behaving as designed - no problem found. The next closest dealerships are each about 90 minutes away - not exactly convenient.

It seems to me if MB were interested in owning up to the problem, they would have issued a TSB by now. Unless we learn the shifting is precursor to transmission failure, there's technically no safety issue, and so there's nobody else to involve. As long as MB is willing to state that they intentionally programmed the transmissions to shift the way they do, there is no Lemon Law angle, either.

Streamliner

I had four new S Class sedans in a row, 2013 through 2020. All were V8 cars I special ordered. The 2013, 2015 & 2018 cars were perfect. The 2020, which was a very late production car, was perfect, for about six months, before it DEVELOPED a very harsh 3-2 downshift. I took it to a very large dealership—not the selling dealer—and they fooled with it, declared it fixed and gave it back to me. It was the same. I brought it back to them and had the shop foreman drive it, who confirmed that it was “not right.”

The dealer told me that MBUSA had instructed them to replace the transmission and torque converter, which they supposedly did (I don’t believe it) and when I got it back it was as bad or worse. The number of “days out of service “ were piling up and in California where I live, 30 days out of service—in most cases—almost “automatically” qualifies the vehicle as a lemon. I phoned MBUSA & opened a case. After about six weeks, they told me they would “repurchase” the car, which they did.

The fact that the harsh downshift was not there when the car was new, but seemed to come about out of nowhere, seems to me to scream out that “THE CAR IS BROKEN.” At the very least, if MBUSA is not willing to help, I would find a good Lemon Law attorney and let them deal with it on a contingency basis.

HotRodW

But in order to qualify for Lemon Law status, the problem has to ongoing and it has to be documented. As far as my paperwork is concerned, there is no problem to document. I might as well be trying to Lemon Law it for the intermittent sensor problem that doesn't exist according to the service documents.

mikapen

Several people have posted that there is a software update, and they've had it applied.

It sounds like Mercedes is admitting to the problem and has developed a fix.

I had my 53 in for 40,000 mi service last week, and they downloaded the update.
I haven't had time to drive it much since I got it back. Mine wasn't that bad but I asked them to apply the fix.
We'll see.

But I don't agree that MB is in denial.

Streamliner

As a last resort—and I have given a lot of thought to this, as I have more Lemon Law experiences than just the one I mentioned—you could engage the services of a professional mechanic who can serve as an expert witness. I believe that some law firms that specialize in Lemon Law cases know of these people. Have the mechanic drive the vehicle and prepare a written report. Probably not terribly expensive, but I believe that if MBUSA sees such a report, with the knowledge that this professional would testify in court, they should come around.

It really has to do with how unhappy you are with the vehicle, how disturbed you are by the treatment you are receiving from MB and how much time you are willing to spend on the matter. I’m an old, retired guy and to me, getting the “run around” from a major company, is like them challenging me to a fight. Most folks throw up their arms, trade in the vehicle and forget about it. I’m not inclined to do that.

HotRodW

I've been complaining about mine to various Service Advisors for nearly three years. Not one time did anybody say that MB is aware of the problem or that a fix is in the works. Heck, nobody has even acknowledged the problem exists in my car. If MB weren't in denial or trying to hide from it, why wouldn't there have been a TSB issued? No, instead I have Service Advisors treating me like some poor deluded moron.

I have an A6 allroad sitting in my garage instead of an E450 All-Terrain primarily because of this issue. I can't imagine a situation that would ever have me buying another MB product.

Streamliner

No, MB is not in denial. They know full well that they have a TREMENDOUS issue with their transmissions and/or the software that controls them. That said, they try to stifle claims and only those customers who really put up a good fight will receive satisfaction.

Streamliner

Not to blow my own horn, but I have bought or leased 60 brand new cars, for my own, personal or family use. I have bought 33 used cars. I have had 17 brand new MB’s, mostly all higher end models, with my last 8 new ones all being MB’s. We currently have three MB’s. For the first time since I can remember, there is not one current MB that I would want to drive. Unless there are some really substantial changes to their vehicles, they have lost me as a customer, and I believe that I was an exceptionally good one. I currently have a new BMW on order.

HotRodW

I suspect that amazing brand loyalty might have had something to do with MB taking swift action in your case. The GLE is just our second Benz.

Streamliner

I’m sure it had something to do with it, but it shouldn’t have.

This issue is so widespread across model lines and production years since 2020, that I cannot believe that there isn’t enough here for an enterprising law firm to file a class action against the company. When did they forget everything they learned in “Automatic Transmissions 101?” This is absolutely horrendous for any car company, but for a company like MB, with their heritage and reputation, it is just unimaginable. Anyway, I’ve gone on and on, so I’m outta here. Wishing you the very best of luck.