The tilt function of the steering wheel on the 2014 ML350 Bluetec stopped functioning. The local Mercedes dealer's service advisor stonewalled me by insisting that it will require a 'diagnosis' and that will cost me A$250 plus 10%GST, excluding the repair. This is an outrage!
Symptoms: When pressing up or down on the knobbly steering wheel adjustment lever, electric sound can be heard but the steering wheel don't tilt. Telescopic function works just fine. This occurs after the steering wheel tilted to the upper limit and became jammed.
Cause: There is a small motor under the dash that turns the tilt mechanism. The motor connects to a spring 'bar' that turns a nut. It is this nut that seized up in my car, perhaps because the motor over-rotated it as the steering wheel is wound upwards.
This is my Fix for a RHD vehicles (UK, Ireland, Aus, NZ, India subcontinent, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, HK, and most Commonwealth countries). The screw positions may be different for LHD vehicles:
Tools required: T20, Philip#2, 13mm Open End Spanner, Flash light.
Times taken: ~2hrs, for being a noob
Difficulty: Medium. Needs to take things apart. Tight working space, Visibility poor and artificial light is required. Working upside down.
Steps:
1. Remove the 3 screws using T20 screwdriver along the edge of the under dash panel. Also remove the two screws that is holding the plastic OBD housing using T20 screwdriver.
2. Remove the plastic fastener with a Philips#2 screwdriver to release the panel from the air vent.
3. Gently ease the panel down to expose the 3 items still attached: Footwell light, OBD, Bonnet Cable Release. The panel is held on the side and back with plastic tongues that holds onto slots, so it is relatively easy to pull it downwards.
4. Detach the wiring to the footwell light by detaching the wiring harness. There is a plastic clip that need to be pressed to release, the wiring harness is then slide sidewards to detach. No tools required.
5. Detach the OBD from the panel by sliding the retaining clip sideway (L & R horizontally) and push the electric connector out from underneath, via the face of the OBD port.
6. Ideally, the bonnet cable release should also be detached but I cannot work out how to do this, so I left it. This means the panel is dangling, so work carefully.
7. Now is the time to look around and orientate yourself by looking up. Check the operation of the telescopic steering wheel adjustment.
8. Also test the operation of the tilt adjustment. The motor (towards the front of the car) should continue to twist the spring 'bar' but the steering wheel does not tilt.
9.Towards the steering wheel of the spring 'bar' (towards the back of the car), there should be a nut. In my case, this nut was stuck/seized. A very gentle wiggle (less than 1/32 of a turn) using a 13mm open end spanner immediately un-seized the nut and the steering wheel now tilt flawlessly. Check the operation of the tilt function again before re-assembly. Space is tight so work carefully. UPDATE(01MAR2024): Sometimes, one needs to grab the solid part of the spring bar near the nut with a plier and give it a wiggle to un-seize it, if wiggling the nut didn’t do the job.
10. Reassembly is the reverse of the disassembly of the under dash panel. Take care to line up the screw holes and making sure the wires are not pinched. Also check that the bonnet cable release still works. I recommend disabling the Easy Entry/Exit feature.
11. There are YouTube video on this. Total repair time is 30-60mins
Say what you will, but your steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car....*wink*
Thx for posting bud!!!
Thanks, I've added clarification that the instruction is for RHD cars, the fix should be work for LHD vehicles too, just mirror image everything.
I honestly prefer RHD - this is what I got used to, I suppose.
I like the fact my dominant eye (right) is on the side of the oncoming traffic, especially for overtaking.
Furthermore, for manual transmission, I find it easier to shift with left foot and left hand. It is just weird to shift gear using left pedal and right hand. That will spin me out! It is just a shame that for various reasons, 66% of the world's population choose the inferior side!
Guys can I just give this a bump! Complete newb here but watched the you tube clip on it. Read these instructions and, other than needing to be a contortionist, the fix worked! So happy with my handy work. Oh- and the bonnet release catch is a PIA to remove. But nothing a bit of patience and jiggling around didn’t fix! Thank you to the author for the instructions.
Thanks for the bump and I am glad I can help. The photos can look a bit intimidating, but I assure the readers it is a relatively easy fix if you know how to remove a few screws and nuts, and have a few spare hours. I did all of these with no prior instruction - so you can too! This post merely serve as an inspiration.
I weren't able to disconnect the Bonnet release cable, so I just let it dangle. Having done this myself, I think trying to fix the seized nut by banging on the steering wheel is a really bad idea - you cannot anticipate what you may end up breaking. Anything in a Mercedes is expensive.
Once again, I recommend disabling the Easy Tilt/Exit function to avoid this from happening again. Basically, just don't allow the steering wheel to rise to the highest position where seizure of the nut can potentially occur.
Something to be about Brute Force and Ignorance...
I have a 2013 ML63. This past summer I experienced having the tilt steering get stuck in the full-up position. I searched Youtube and MBWorld Forum and saw disassembly instructions and "other" means to address the problem. Hate to admit what fixed it for me was out of shear frustration, I did my best David Banner / Hulk imitation (you wouldn't like me when I'm angry....), took hold of the top of the steering wheel, and pulled back and forth with all my might. I didn't think I'd be able to break anything having more fat than muscle on me and being a bit on the older side (66). After two or three shakes, I felt a little movement with the next move of the adjustment lever. After one more good rattle, it came free and works as normal. That has been about 6 months ago. So f you don't like the idea of percussive maintenance, don't be afraid of some forceful persuasion.
Just in case you hadn't heard the full phrase in the title it is..."Once again, brute force and ignorance overcame science and technology."
Your mileage may vary on this so be warned!
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