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This happened one week ago . I was driving home when I heard loud bang looked back and I notice coil spring flying out from rear left side . I live in BC Canada we don't get much snow and roads are not that bad but for this to happen to 2015 GLk with 132000km I think is joke . I talked to Mercedes representative and I was told your car has no warranty so nothing we can do for you.
Both of mine broke last year. I got Sachs replacements for a really good price, but it appears that they make it ride a little higher in the back. I could change the seats for a thinner one, but it doesn't seem to affect handling or anything, so why bother?
2014 GLK350 base model (active) ; 2001 E320 base (retired); 2001 Wrangler soft-top
Originally Posted by John CC
Both of mine broke last year.
My wife's E320 4 door ended up with 330,000 US miles when we sold it. ZERO coil or shock issues. So far, our 2014 Base at 94,000 miles, no sign of spring probs.
The 2001 Jeep with 135,000 miles, with lots of off-roading ... and pulling an 18 foot trailer every so often (to transport bales of alfalfa for the horses) ... zero coil or shock issues.
Owned probably 10+ cars since 16 yo, and owned more motorcycles, never a coil or shock break.
I don’t think it is common. However, since @JohnCC had it happen you are not alone. FWIW - our ‘15 GLK350 had 155,000 miles (~250,000 km) when it was retired with no spring failures.
Last edited by Odd Piggy; Mar 13, 2025 at 12:33 AM.
2006 Alfa Romeo Brera, 2010 GLK350, 2018 BMW 640i GT, 1997 Subaru SVX, 2012 Moto Guzzi Norge GT8V
That spring has very minor corrosion on it. I'm quite sure that did not contribute to it breaking. I have heard of a lot more springs breaking on the GLKs that any other car I'm aware of. To me this is an issue.
On a happier note, it's a very simple repair.
I broke a spring , going over to many rail road tracks to fast, I bought a pair of Sachs springs , they made it sit to high. Then I got a pair of used Glk springs off eBay . That was better . The steel may of had a defect in the steel, it broke .
I believe so.I've been driving for almost 60 years and can't recall ever breaking a spring before. There are two other reports here of the same thing from last year, IIRC.
Good catch, Johncc.... while the spring didn't look "too rusty", once the rust gets penetration it forms a stress riser, which concentrates the stress at that point, leading to an early failure (I think I see some on the bottom portion of the break as well).
A good analogy - take a piece of undamaged paper, and pull on the corners. You can pull amazingly hard without effect. Now put a tiny little tear in the middle of the edge between those corners and try again. You've only affected a tiny percentage of the paper with the tear, but it's going to be much easier to tear the paper now...
Good catch John CC, that's exactly what I noticed. Doesn't take much after that to break a highly stressed piece of spring steel that has a slight defect causing an unusual twist when it's flexed (even though it's a small difference).
I've never personally broken a spring either, but have seen similar fractures on others where small rust spots have penetrated the coil. I think spraying them as previously mentioned is a smart idea, and is also why they are painted in the first place.
In the red circle is the corrosion induced stress point that started the fracture. You can see the stress lines emanating from there.
Spray your springs with Fluid Film or LPS-3 or ACF-50 every fall.
You’re the aircraft A&P guy, right? Small things lead to big problems. I should have caught that and I didn’t. I’ve been under our cars and trucks with LPS-3 or Stop Rust! since the 70s. Good to have you around!
Yup! I used to teach in an A&P program at the local community college. Pointing out stuff like that was part of the curriculum.
Thing is, I've seen tons of rusty coil springs, way worse than that, that weren't broken. There's something in addition to the rust contributing to the failure rate. (The steel, or weight shaving...)
2006 Alfa Romeo Brera, 2010 GLK350, 2018 BMW 640i GT, 1997 Subaru SVX, 2012 Moto Guzzi Norge GT8V
Originally Posted by John CC
Yup! I used to teach in an A&P program at the local community college. Pointing out stuff like that was part of the curriculum.
Thing is, I've seen tons of rusty coil springs, way worse than that, that weren't broken. There's something in addition to the rust contributing to the failure rate. (The steel, or weight shaving...)
2014 GLK350 base model (active) ; 2001 E320 base (retired); 2001 Wrangler soft-top
Originally Posted by John CC
There's something in addition to the rust contributing to the failure rate. (The steel, or weight shaving...)
Well, I have a couple of thoughts:
1. Road salt. Isn't that notorious for accelerating the rust | corrosion process (?). And I will also assume, road salt + wet roads will throw that salty water everywhere underneath, including nooks and crannies.
2. What about the MB Rear Subframe Extended Warranty (for defective, early corrosion)??
If you look at the area on the coil just below the break, there appears to be an impact mark. I suspect that the corrosion,even though it appears minor, coupled with impact from a pothole or similar bump is what caused the break.
Both of my rear springs on my 2013 GLK350 broke at approximately 85,000 miles. I checked my daughter-in-law’s 2014 GLK350 and the spring design was different and they have not broken on her car. Happily, with a lift and transmission jack, replacing the springs as easy as
Mine was a 2014. Both broke within a few months of each other. The first one broke about one coil from the bottom and was missed in a cursory inspection, looking for an odd squeaking noise. Mileage was about 85K s well, but I don't think that had as much to do with it as exposure to salt. When the second one broke (picture in post #8) it was pretty clear what had happened.
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