URGENT: NHTSA Opens investigation into fuel leaks on the E55.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,212
Likes: 5
From: Chicago
03 E55 AMG, 06 Harley Road King Custom 06 Ram 2500 Cummins, 97 Firebird Race Car, 88 Cutlass Supreme
Good job guys! They probably don't get this many complaints on cars that were sold in the hundreds of thousands. Under 8,000 is a very small number of cars to have 49 official complaints on. Who knows how many others just wrote a check and shook their head when this problem came up and never filed a complaint. Pretty hard for Mercedes to deny there is an issue here.
Now let's see how the German engineers Hanzel and Gretyl try to weasel out of this with a .02 cent piece of scrap metal or a new .02 cent O-Ring that they will claim fixes everything. lol
Now let's see how the German engineers Hanzel and Gretyl try to weasel out of this with a .02 cent piece of scrap metal or a new .02 cent O-Ring that they will claim fixes everything. lol
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,835
Likes: 12
From: The Granite State
.
I am encouraged the more I dig into this....
Admittedly, some of those ODI#s are for non-E55 cars so we can't count them in our totals, but here is what we CAN say as of this instant:
Total Production E55s (2003 - 2006) = 7937
Total Fuel Leak filings with ODI#s = 44
Failure Percentage @ 44 claims. = 0.5696%
DPPM (Defective Parts per Million) = 5,696
I'm not sure what the auto industry considers an "acceptable" failure rate, but in my business anything over 500 - 1000 DPPM is unacceptable. At 5,600+ DPPM there would be alarm bells and massive efforts underway to fix the underlying issue.
The list has 136 names on it, but currently I can only use 44 of them to generate this failure rate data. If I can convince more MBWorld members to file complaints, this number will quickly climb even higher and it will be impossible to dismiss or ignore by either NHTSA or MBUSA.
Let's keep this momentum going!
-G
Admittedly, some of those ODI#s are for non-E55 cars so we can't count them in our totals, but here is what we CAN say as of this instant:
Total Production E55s (2003 - 2006) = 7937
Total Fuel Leak filings with ODI#s = 44
Failure Percentage @ 44 claims. = 0.5696%
DPPM (Defective Parts per Million) = 5,696
I'm not sure what the auto industry considers an "acceptable" failure rate, but in my business anything over 500 - 1000 DPPM is unacceptable. At 5,600+ DPPM there would be alarm bells and massive efforts underway to fix the underlying issue.
The list has 136 names on it, but currently I can only use 44 of them to generate this failure rate data. If I can convince more MBWorld members to file complaints, this number will quickly climb even higher and it will be impossible to dismiss or ignore by either NHTSA or MBUSA.
Let's keep this momentum going!
-G
Last edited by GregMB; Oct 6, 2012 at 08:20 AM. Reason: Updated failure data
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 5,692
Likes: 5
none
I wrote a letter to the chief editor of Autoblog if you would care to see it. I sent it on Wednesday
Have not heard back from him yet.
This is the letter....
Have not heard back from him yet.
This is the letter....
John,
I am a big fan of the Autoblog website and have been reading your website every day for the last seven years. its my primary source to go for all news automotive. I’m writing you this letter to see maybe if the folks at Autoblog can help our group of AMG owners. I have a 2004 Mercedes Benz AMG E55 with approximately 51,000 miles. At the time this was Mercedes’ Halo car. I’ve owned it for the last three years and bought it with 31,000 miles. I love the car, I’ve been a loyal AMG fan and have purchased four AMG models in the past ten years. I wanted to let you know about a big issue with the car that several owners across the country are experiencing.
Believe it or not, our cars along with the regular E Class from 2003-2009 leak fuel from the gas tank. Yikes! It leaks inside, it leaks outside. The spill originates underneath the back passenger seat where the gas tank and fuel filters are located. Upon fill up, the car’s cabin fills with fumes whereby driving with the windows downs is a must. I can only drive my car with ½ a tank of gas at the most. The cause of this is the fuel sending unit/gas tank connection cracking thereby leaking fumes into the cabin and in some case leads to fuel spilling underneath the car.
Since January of this year, there has been an investigation launched by the NHTSA. I’ve talked with the lead investigator a few times. He had many questions for me and was quite surprised that a car with such low mileage would have this problem. In late April of this year, the NHTSA had a total of 75 complaints regarding this issue. Since we have three current threads going on our local internet forum, that number probably has increased to over 125 (I’m guessing). Mercedes argues that this defect is a result of dealer error when a recall was issued to fix the problem in 2008 which involved placing a metal fitting coming from the fuel pump feeding into the gas tank. Unfortunately this was a cheap fix.
All of us that had the recall performed is having the same problem again. So basically we feel there should be a recall to fix the recall. Unfortunately Mercedes Benz is not owning up to this. Their own service advisors admit this is a design flaw but are happy to charge customers $2000-$3000 to replace entire the fuel systems. In fact there are numerous reports of dealers stacking gas tanks 8 high in the corner of their shop. There is a 8 year/80000 mile emissions warranty in place on the car, but unfortunately Mercedes will tell you that the leaky gas tank is not covered under that warranty and is considered a “wear and tear” item.
Mercedes will not play ball with the NHTSA. They are fighting NHTSA on every front, hiring a top notch law firm to defend them and dissecting and disregarding the information as it sees fit. One of the arguments is that there is not enough complaints of the total 300,000 vehicles produced for the US market to warrant any further investigation. But really how many Mercedes owners would take to the internet to file a complaint or would know how to. I assume many would just go to the dealer and have it repaired. After all that’s the cost of owning a Mercedes.
My one question to you, is why have none of the major publications covered this? I've seen other reports where media outlets have covered NHTSA investigations, but this one doesn't come up anywhere. Thankfully no serious accidents have occurred, but many of us transport our children in these vehicles. We wonder if the vehicles we are driving are really safe?
If this information interests you in writing an article on it, I can provide further information. I think if this were to get out in the open, Mercedes might be pressured to accept the recall (I hope).
Regards,
XXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXX
I am a big fan of the Autoblog website and have been reading your website every day for the last seven years. its my primary source to go for all news automotive. I’m writing you this letter to see maybe if the folks at Autoblog can help our group of AMG owners. I have a 2004 Mercedes Benz AMG E55 with approximately 51,000 miles. At the time this was Mercedes’ Halo car. I’ve owned it for the last three years and bought it with 31,000 miles. I love the car, I’ve been a loyal AMG fan and have purchased four AMG models in the past ten years. I wanted to let you know about a big issue with the car that several owners across the country are experiencing.
Believe it or not, our cars along with the regular E Class from 2003-2009 leak fuel from the gas tank. Yikes! It leaks inside, it leaks outside. The spill originates underneath the back passenger seat where the gas tank and fuel filters are located. Upon fill up, the car’s cabin fills with fumes whereby driving with the windows downs is a must. I can only drive my car with ½ a tank of gas at the most. The cause of this is the fuel sending unit/gas tank connection cracking thereby leaking fumes into the cabin and in some case leads to fuel spilling underneath the car.
Since January of this year, there has been an investigation launched by the NHTSA. I’ve talked with the lead investigator a few times. He had many questions for me and was quite surprised that a car with such low mileage would have this problem. In late April of this year, the NHTSA had a total of 75 complaints regarding this issue. Since we have three current threads going on our local internet forum, that number probably has increased to over 125 (I’m guessing). Mercedes argues that this defect is a result of dealer error when a recall was issued to fix the problem in 2008 which involved placing a metal fitting coming from the fuel pump feeding into the gas tank. Unfortunately this was a cheap fix.
All of us that had the recall performed is having the same problem again. So basically we feel there should be a recall to fix the recall. Unfortunately Mercedes Benz is not owning up to this. Their own service advisors admit this is a design flaw but are happy to charge customers $2000-$3000 to replace entire the fuel systems. In fact there are numerous reports of dealers stacking gas tanks 8 high in the corner of their shop. There is a 8 year/80000 mile emissions warranty in place on the car, but unfortunately Mercedes will tell you that the leaky gas tank is not covered under that warranty and is considered a “wear and tear” item.
Mercedes will not play ball with the NHTSA. They are fighting NHTSA on every front, hiring a top notch law firm to defend them and dissecting and disregarding the information as it sees fit. One of the arguments is that there is not enough complaints of the total 300,000 vehicles produced for the US market to warrant any further investigation. But really how many Mercedes owners would take to the internet to file a complaint or would know how to. I assume many would just go to the dealer and have it repaired. After all that’s the cost of owning a Mercedes.
My one question to you, is why have none of the major publications covered this? I've seen other reports where media outlets have covered NHTSA investigations, but this one doesn't come up anywhere. Thankfully no serious accidents have occurred, but many of us transport our children in these vehicles. We wonder if the vehicles we are driving are really safe?
If this information interests you in writing an article on it, I can provide further information. I think if this were to get out in the open, Mercedes might be pressured to accept the recall (I hope).
Regards,
XXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXX
Last edited by moosejaw; Oct 5, 2012 at 05:42 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,835
Likes: 12
From: The Granite State
.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,835
Likes: 12
From: The Granite State
.
Keep us informed with what you find.
-G
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 191
Likes: 2
13 E63
Nice work everyone. I have tried to keep up with the situation over the time since I started the "bomb" thread. We still have our E55 and my wife has not driven it since the last time the gas tank was replaced. I keep it around a daily driver/beater.
Nice job Mercedes you have a CFO that speaks of Mercedes as a POS and wont even ride in one. I guess she will enjoy her new S8 all the more. When Audi had issues with the A6/C5 gas tanks and leaks they replaced every tank that leaked even in cars with over 100k.
Funny really, when our AMG started leaking at 55k we got nothing, zero, pound sand, not even a dollar. Why? So Mercedes could show NO WARRANTY CLAIMS. That was made clear when I looked at MB response to the NHTSA filing. What a brilliant idea on MB part but do you really think AMG owners are that stupid. "Oh no, see we have no warranty claims on file" Blame it on the dealers. Yeah, right that is why our tank would stay sealed for about a year before leaking again.
5 trips to the dealer in 3 years. 6 sending units, 8 oring seals and a gas tank.
OUR CAR STILL LEAKS IF ITS PAST 3/4 FULL AND PARKED OVERNIGHT IN THE GARAGE.
I wish I had the time to sit out front of every local MB dealership on Sat/Sun with the sign on our AMG about the gas tank leak and picket them. I guess the forums are a good second choice. My bomb thread has 30000 hits. ;-)
Nice job Mercedes you have a CFO that speaks of Mercedes as a POS and wont even ride in one. I guess she will enjoy her new S8 all the more. When Audi had issues with the A6/C5 gas tanks and leaks they replaced every tank that leaked even in cars with over 100k.
Funny really, when our AMG started leaking at 55k we got nothing, zero, pound sand, not even a dollar. Why? So Mercedes could show NO WARRANTY CLAIMS. That was made clear when I looked at MB response to the NHTSA filing. What a brilliant idea on MB part but do you really think AMG owners are that stupid. "Oh no, see we have no warranty claims on file" Blame it on the dealers. Yeah, right that is why our tank would stay sealed for about a year before leaking again.
5 trips to the dealer in 3 years. 6 sending units, 8 oring seals and a gas tank.
OUR CAR STILL LEAKS IF ITS PAST 3/4 FULL AND PARKED OVERNIGHT IN THE GARAGE.
I wish I had the time to sit out front of every local MB dealership on Sat/Sun with the sign on our AMG about the gas tank leak and picket them. I guess the forums are a good second choice. My bomb thread has 30000 hits. ;-)
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,835
Likes: 12
From: The Granite State
.
Nice work everyone. I have tried to keep up with the situation over the time since I started the "bomb" thread. We still have our E55 and my wife has not driven it since the last time the gas tank was replaced. I keep it around a daily driver/beater.
Nice job Mercedes you have a CFO that speaks of Mercedes as a POS and wont even ride in one. I guess she will enjoy her new S8 all the more. When Audi had issues with the A6/C5 gas tanks and leaks they replaced every tank that leaked even in cars with over 100k.
Funny really, when our AMG started leaking at 55k we got nothing, zero, pound sand, not even a dollar. Why? So Mercedes could show NO WARRANTY CLAIMS. That was made clear when I looked at MB response to the NHTSA filing. What a brilliant idea on MB part but do you really think AMG owners are that stupid. "Oh no, see we have no warranty claims on file" Blame it on the dealers. Yeah, right that is why our tank would stay sealed for about a year before leaking again.
5 trips to the dealer in 3 years. 6 sending units, 8 oring seals and a gas tank.
OUR CAR STILL LEAKS IF ITS PAST 3/4 FULL AND PARKED OVERNIGHT IN THE GARAGE.
I wish I had the time to sit out front of every local MB dealership on Sat/Sun with the sign on our AMG about the gas tank leak and picket them. I guess the forums are a good second choice. My bomb thread has 30000 hits. ;-)
Nice job Mercedes you have a CFO that speaks of Mercedes as a POS and wont even ride in one. I guess she will enjoy her new S8 all the more. When Audi had issues with the A6/C5 gas tanks and leaks they replaced every tank that leaked even in cars with over 100k.
Funny really, when our AMG started leaking at 55k we got nothing, zero, pound sand, not even a dollar. Why? So Mercedes could show NO WARRANTY CLAIMS. That was made clear when I looked at MB response to the NHTSA filing. What a brilliant idea on MB part but do you really think AMG owners are that stupid. "Oh no, see we have no warranty claims on file" Blame it on the dealers. Yeah, right that is why our tank would stay sealed for about a year before leaking again.
5 trips to the dealer in 3 years. 6 sending units, 8 oring seals and a gas tank.
OUR CAR STILL LEAKS IF ITS PAST 3/4 FULL AND PARKED OVERNIGHT IN THE GARAGE.
I wish I had the time to sit out front of every local MB dealership on Sat/Sun with the sign on our AMG about the gas tank leak and picket them. I guess the forums are a good second choice. My bomb thread has 30000 hits. ;-)
Thanks for checking back in. I don't have your ODI# for the list.... my guess is that you were one of the original 20 ODIs listed in the complaint as there were a number of 2003 E55s. If you can, please let me know which ODI is yours so I can update and improve the accuracy of the list.
MBUSA is definitely counting on the fact that this information is hard to collect, and some of their conclusions are based on the fact that only a small percentage of E55 owners have spoken up and filed official claims. It makes the issue appear much smaller than it really is....
-G
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 5,692
Likes: 5
none
Nice work everyone. I have tried to keep up with the situation over the time since I started the "bomb" thread. We still have our E55 and my wife has not driven it since the last time the gas tank was replaced. I keep it around a daily driver/beater.
Nice job Mercedes you have a CFO that speaks of Mercedes as a POS and wont even ride in one. I guess she will enjoy her new S8 all the more. When Audi had issues with the A6/C5 gas tanks and leaks they replaced every tank that leaked even in cars with over 100k.
Funny really, when our AMG started leaking at 55k we got nothing, zero, pound sand, not even a dollar. Why? So Mercedes could show NO WARRANTY CLAIMS. That was made clear when I looked at MB response to the NHTSA filing. What a brilliant idea on MB part but do you really think AMG owners are that stupid. "Oh no, see we have no warranty claims on file" Blame it on the dealers. Yeah, right that is why our tank would stay sealed for about a year before leaking again.
5 trips to the dealer in 3 years. 6 sending units, 8 oring seals and a gas tank.
OUR CAR STILL LEAKS IF ITS PAST 3/4 FULL AND PARKED OVERNIGHT IN THE GARAGE.
I wish I had the time to sit out front of every local MB dealership on Sat/Sun with the sign on our AMG about the gas tank leak and picket them. I guess the forums are a good second choice. My bomb thread has 30000 hits. ;-)
Nice job Mercedes you have a CFO that speaks of Mercedes as a POS and wont even ride in one. I guess she will enjoy her new S8 all the more. When Audi had issues with the A6/C5 gas tanks and leaks they replaced every tank that leaked even in cars with over 100k.
Funny really, when our AMG started leaking at 55k we got nothing, zero, pound sand, not even a dollar. Why? So Mercedes could show NO WARRANTY CLAIMS. That was made clear when I looked at MB response to the NHTSA filing. What a brilliant idea on MB part but do you really think AMG owners are that stupid. "Oh no, see we have no warranty claims on file" Blame it on the dealers. Yeah, right that is why our tank would stay sealed for about a year before leaking again.
5 trips to the dealer in 3 years. 6 sending units, 8 oring seals and a gas tank.
OUR CAR STILL LEAKS IF ITS PAST 3/4 FULL AND PARKED OVERNIGHT IN THE GARAGE.
I wish I had the time to sit out front of every local MB dealership on Sat/Sun with the sign on our AMG about the gas tank leak and picket them. I guess the forums are a good second choice. My bomb thread has 30000 hits. ;-)
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,835
Likes: 12
From: The Granite State
.
Here's some more interesting data for those of you following this.....
I did a little more research on the part numbers on my own 2006 E55 and found there have been a number of part numbers that have been superceeded by newer ones in the fuel system. Take a look:
The 80 liter (21.1 gallon) fuel tank part has been superceeded TWICE since it's original release, the seals underneath the sender and fuel pump have also been superceeded TWICE and the fuel sender has been superceeded once.
I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has a repair invoice for this issue that can compare these part numbers to the items you had replaced.
It does seem suspicious to me that MBZ has denied any major issue exists, but has been quietly obsoleting older part numbers and replacing them with new ones (and potentially new designs and/or materials) for these critical parts.
-G
I did a little more research on the part numbers on my own 2006 E55 and found there have been a number of part numbers that have been superceeded by newer ones in the fuel system. Take a look:
The 80 liter (21.1 gallon) fuel tank part has been superceeded TWICE since it's original release, the seals underneath the sender and fuel pump have also been superceeded TWICE and the fuel sender has been superceeded once.
I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has a repair invoice for this issue that can compare these part numbers to the items you had replaced.
It does seem suspicious to me that MBZ has denied any major issue exists, but has been quietly obsoleting older part numbers and replacing them with new ones (and potentially new designs and/or materials) for these critical parts.
-G
Last edited by GregMB; Oct 8, 2012 at 01:47 PM.
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: South Texas
2009 E63
My 2009 E63 just went in for the same thing. You'd think they would've had it figured out by 2009! Curiously, neither anyone at my (new/young) dealership or another much more established dealership know anything about the problems. It was the first time the service director had ever heard of it. Huh? They're replacing the sending unit. Should I press for anything else?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,835
Likes: 12
From: The Granite State
.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but file an official claim on the NHTSA website and post up your ODI# (confirmation from their website).
What I'm discovering is that even though the fuel tank itself (#10 in diagram) appears to have undergone some revisions, it is the same tank used in the E55 / E55 Wagon / E350 / E500, etc. The same holds true for the seal ring (#70 in diagram)....same across all those different platforms.
With the failure rates as high as they are on the E55, you'd expect the E500 and E350 platforms to have massive amounts of failures reported in a similar percentage. That would probably be thousands and thousands of reported fuel leaks... but my data just isn't showing that type of event.
To me that suggests that the fuel leaks must be more correlated to parts of the fuel system that are "E55-specific"..... at this point, that appears to be Items #55 and Item #40 in the diagram. I have searched against other W211 models and these two part numbers are not used anywhere else..... even the E55 wagon uses different part numbers for both of these items! Odd, very odd.
I'll keep digging, and posting up my findings.
-G
What I'm discovering is that even though the fuel tank itself (#10 in diagram) appears to have undergone some revisions, it is the same tank used in the E55 / E55 Wagon / E350 / E500, etc. The same holds true for the seal ring (#70 in diagram)....same across all those different platforms.
With the failure rates as high as they are on the E55, you'd expect the E500 and E350 platforms to have massive amounts of failures reported in a similar percentage. That would probably be thousands and thousands of reported fuel leaks... but my data just isn't showing that type of event.
To me that suggests that the fuel leaks must be more correlated to parts of the fuel system that are "E55-specific"..... at this point, that appears to be Items #55 and Item #40 in the diagram. I have searched against other W211 models and these two part numbers are not used anywhere else..... even the E55 wagon uses different part numbers for both of these items! Odd, very odd.
I'll keep digging, and posting up my findings.
-G
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,212
Likes: 5
From: Chicago
03 E55 AMG, 06 Harley Road King Custom 06 Ram 2500 Cummins, 97 Firebird Race Car, 88 Cutlass Supreme
Lots of dealers act like they've never heard of it. Suddenly they have a half dozen tanks and sending units in stock though. lol I really doubt these guys keep gas tanks for all kins of random benz's in stock. Dealerships LOVE to play dumb.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,212
Likes: 5
From: Chicago
03 E55 AMG, 06 Harley Road King Custom 06 Ram 2500 Cummins, 97 Firebird Race Car, 88 Cutlass Supreme
I hate to sound like a broken record, but file an official claim on the NHTSA website and post up your ODI# (confirmation from their website).
What I'm discovering is that even though the fuel tank itself (#10 in diagram) appears to have undergone some revisions, it is the same tank used in the E55 / E55 Wagon / E350 / E500, etc. The same holds true for the seal ring (#70 in diagram)....same across all those different platforms.
With the failure rates as high as they are on the E55, you'd expect the E500 and E350 platforms to have massive amounts of failures reported in a similar percentage. That would probably be thousands and thousands of reported fuel leaks... but my data just isn't showing that type of event.
To me that suggests that the fuel leaks must be more correlated to parts of the fuel system that are "E55-specific"..... at this point, that appears to be Items #55 and Item #40 in the diagram. I have searched against other W211 models and these two part numbers are not used anywhere else..... even the E55 wagon uses different part numbers for both of these items! Odd, very odd.
I'll keep digging, and posting up my findings.
-G
What I'm discovering is that even though the fuel tank itself (#10 in diagram) appears to have undergone some revisions, it is the same tank used in the E55 / E55 Wagon / E350 / E500, etc. The same holds true for the seal ring (#70 in diagram)....same across all those different platforms.
With the failure rates as high as they are on the E55, you'd expect the E500 and E350 platforms to have massive amounts of failures reported in a similar percentage. That would probably be thousands and thousands of reported fuel leaks... but my data just isn't showing that type of event.
To me that suggests that the fuel leaks must be more correlated to parts of the fuel system that are "E55-specific"..... at this point, that appears to be Items #55 and Item #40 in the diagram. I have searched against other W211 models and these two part numbers are not used anywhere else..... even the E55 wagon uses different part numbers for both of these items! Odd, very odd.
I'll keep digging, and posting up my findings.
-G
I think the UV dye and some glasses and watching it to see which way it starts to come out from would be the easiest way to see where its originating. NAPA sells a kit with dye/glasses/flashlight for like $25.
Fill tank to 3/4 throw in the dye and drive around the block a couple times to mix it up nicely, fill the tank the rest of the way and sit and watch.
Here's a pretty nice kit online with a fuel dye included.
http://www.tooltopia.com/mastercool-...ricegrabber_r1
Or a cheaper option.
Bunch of dye
http://www.tooltopia.com/uview-b483206.aspx
and glasses/flashlight
http://www.tooltopia.com/tracerline-tp8620cs.aspx
Last edited by BBBSS; Oct 8, 2012 at 05:29 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,835
Likes: 12
From: The Granite State
.
I can only speak from my own experience, but the leak most certainly starts in the white area of the housing first. That's where the fuel first starts puddling....then as the fuel accumulates it spills over the threaded collar and into the larger recessed area on top of the fuel tank.... driver's side only for me. The passenger side was bone-dry and showed no discoloration from fuel leakage the way the the DS area did.
-G
-G
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,212
Likes: 5
From: Chicago
03 E55 AMG, 06 Harley Road King Custom 06 Ram 2500 Cummins, 97 Firebird Race Car, 88 Cutlass Supreme
Someone needs to try and pinpoint the exact location the leak is originating from. O-Ring, where plastic is molded together etc. A few people with dye kits could do this quickly. If someone near Chicago wants help trying to do this I'd have no issue helping out.
I'd love to pinpoint the problem spot(s) to make sure NHTSA has the correct info so we get the proper fix. I know some have mentioned the way the tank is formed under one of the lock rings is in question, this could help pinpoint that as well.
I'd love to pinpoint the problem spot(s) to make sure NHTSA has the correct info so we get the proper fix. I know some have mentioned the way the tank is formed under one of the lock rings is in question, this could help pinpoint that as well.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,212
Likes: 5
From: Chicago
03 E55 AMG, 06 Harley Road King Custom 06 Ram 2500 Cummins, 97 Firebird Race Car, 88 Cutlass Supreme
Well found some info on how long this whole process may take.
Seems investigations happen in 2 phases, the first usually being completed in 4 months. Then it moves on to the second stage which can take up to a year for more complex problems.
Being that this investigation was opened late in February I'd say its safe to assume its in the last stage where they do an "Engineering Analysis". This is where they really look into the problem and try to figure out what in the F is going on. We should be in this phase somewhere at this point I'd imagine.
All explained pretty well in here.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallprocess.cfm
I say we push for raises and more staff at the NHTSA - ODI!
Seems investigations happen in 2 phases, the first usually being completed in 4 months. Then it moves on to the second stage which can take up to a year for more complex problems.
Being that this investigation was opened late in February I'd say its safe to assume its in the last stage where they do an "Engineering Analysis". This is where they really look into the problem and try to figure out what in the F is going on. We should be in this phase somewhere at this point I'd imagine.All explained pretty well in here.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallprocess.cfm
I say we push for raises and more staff at the NHTSA - ODI!
Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 191
Likes: 2
13 E63
Yes, my claim was one of the first. Living in the extreme hot AZ climate makes this situation worse in some way. I remember the OE recall making a statement about hot climates and short drives. The work commute was 2 miles and its hot in AZ.
I have moved on from this situation as it will take years to resolve. Fuel leaks are happening more and more in all the lines and it does not surprise me at all that the NHTSA machine is bogged down in red tape while fuel tanks are leaking all over the friggin place. What good is NHTSA if fuel leaks are not dealt with in swift manner?
Just fix the cars that are leaking for a time period of say 12 years and call it good. Instead MBUSA tells AMG owners to pound sand when gas tanks start to leak. Well, MB you can go self procreate. I use my E55 as a work beater and never travel with family in the vehicle.
Edit: I just went over to the complaint website and the one thing that strikes me is how similar all the different accounts are of this situation. I mean really people its the same thing over and over and over and over and over again. And if you add up all the different fuel sections between 03-06 E55s the number of cars involved do get larger. 33,14,42,10 all with the same problem. Does it really take a rocket scientist to determine there is a problem??? How many pockets have the mother ship lined over at NHTSA?? It really is a sad day to have such a serious condition kicked under the carpet in the interest of saving a buck.
I have moved on from this situation as it will take years to resolve. Fuel leaks are happening more and more in all the lines and it does not surprise me at all that the NHTSA machine is bogged down in red tape while fuel tanks are leaking all over the friggin place. What good is NHTSA if fuel leaks are not dealt with in swift manner?
Just fix the cars that are leaking for a time period of say 12 years and call it good. Instead MBUSA tells AMG owners to pound sand when gas tanks start to leak. Well, MB you can go self procreate. I use my E55 as a work beater and never travel with family in the vehicle.
Edit: I just went over to the complaint website and the one thing that strikes me is how similar all the different accounts are of this situation. I mean really people its the same thing over and over and over and over and over again. And if you add up all the different fuel sections between 03-06 E55s the number of cars involved do get larger. 33,14,42,10 all with the same problem. Does it really take a rocket scientist to determine there is a problem??? How many pockets have the mother ship lined over at NHTSA?? It really is a sad day to have such a serious condition kicked under the carpet in the interest of saving a buck.
Last edited by 03RSTT; Oct 9, 2012 at 01:36 AM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,835
Likes: 12
From: The Granite State
.
Try to look at this situation objectively.....
NHTSA only had 20 cases reported for the E55. That doesn't exactly give them lots of "arm twisting" leverage against MBUSA. The most helpful thing we can do is get people with issues to file official claims and insure that all those ODI#s get added to the original complaint (PE12001).
The MBUSA response indicated that there ARE some parts of the fuel system that are unique to the E55. Based on what I've seen so far this makes sense. The E55 failure rate is WAY higher than the overall failure rate of all W211-chassis vehicles. My current objective is to identify all of the unique E55 fuel system parts and sharpen my focus on those parts.
Keep in mind, MBUSA is going to be a lot more likely to address a documented issue that affects only the E55 cars (~8000 units) vs. every W211-chassis made between 2003-2006 (~300,000+ units). Trying to tie this fuel leak to the larger population of vehicles doesn't seem consistent with the data I've seen, and makes it easier for MBUSA to pick apart the claims.
Read their 36-page response and you'll see that MBUSA is systematically discrediting each claim... This is made easier when people overstate the failure as "fuel spraying into the seat cushions" or other impossible results. We all need to work hard to stay FACTUAL in our comments and observations, and leave the emotions out of the correspondence with NHTSA and MBUSA.
The fact is that NHTSA only had 20 reports of E55 fuel leaks to work with originally. After the last couple of weeks of effort, I have been able to build that number to close to 50. This is real progress and is one of the most important things MBWorld can do to show the true failure rate for this issue and apply additional pressure to MBUSA.
We need to be proactive in collecting and providing this data to NHTSA... If we wait passively for NHTSA to do all of this legwork for us, there is no way we will ever get to a resolution.
-G
NHTSA only had 20 cases reported for the E55. That doesn't exactly give them lots of "arm twisting" leverage against MBUSA. The most helpful thing we can do is get people with issues to file official claims and insure that all those ODI#s get added to the original complaint (PE12001).
The MBUSA response indicated that there ARE some parts of the fuel system that are unique to the E55. Based on what I've seen so far this makes sense. The E55 failure rate is WAY higher than the overall failure rate of all W211-chassis vehicles. My current objective is to identify all of the unique E55 fuel system parts and sharpen my focus on those parts.
Keep in mind, MBUSA is going to be a lot more likely to address a documented issue that affects only the E55 cars (~8000 units) vs. every W211-chassis made between 2003-2006 (~300,000+ units). Trying to tie this fuel leak to the larger population of vehicles doesn't seem consistent with the data I've seen, and makes it easier for MBUSA to pick apart the claims.
Read their 36-page response and you'll see that MBUSA is systematically discrediting each claim... This is made easier when people overstate the failure as "fuel spraying into the seat cushions" or other impossible results. We all need to work hard to stay FACTUAL in our comments and observations, and leave the emotions out of the correspondence with NHTSA and MBUSA.
The fact is that NHTSA only had 20 reports of E55 fuel leaks to work with originally. After the last couple of weeks of effort, I have been able to build that number to close to 50. This is real progress and is one of the most important things MBWorld can do to show the true failure rate for this issue and apply additional pressure to MBUSA.
We need to be proactive in collecting and providing this data to NHTSA... If we wait passively for NHTSA to do all of this legwork for us, there is no way we will ever get to a resolution.
-G
Last edited by GregMB; Oct 9, 2012 at 07:55 AM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,835
Likes: 12
From: The Granite State
.
TXbagman
more_amg
TopGun32
dburnett5583
I have added your names to the master list.
At this moment, I have 50 ODI#s and will be in contact with NHTSA today to make sure that they update their original PE12001 report to include ALL of these claims.
You guys are making me proud! I know there are more of you out there who have not filed with NHTSA despite having dealt with this issue yourselves. Please take 2 minutes to file a claim, your issue needs to be recorded officially so that the true failure rate of this issue can be calculated.
-G
more_amg
TopGun32
dburnett5583
I have added your names to the master list.
At this moment, I have 50 ODI#s and will be in contact with NHTSA today to make sure that they update their original PE12001 report to include ALL of these claims.
You guys are making me proud! I know there are more of you out there who have not filed with NHTSA despite having dealt with this issue yourselves. Please take 2 minutes to file a claim, your issue needs to be recorded officially so that the true failure rate of this issue can be calculated.
-G
