2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Each time I filled my gas tank, there was an overpowering odor of gasoline inside the car and outside on the passenger side. Once the tank would get down below 3/4 of a tank, the odor would dissipate until down to a 1/4 of a tank it would go away completely.

I suspect a failure in the fuel tank / system seal, which is allowing gas fumes into the cabin. There is a strong smell of gasoline inside the cabin especially after a full tank refill. This issue was also a problem for my 2008 Mercedes Benz E350. It has not been inspected but since my E350 had a similar extended warranty repair, I assume this would be similar. The strong fumes and odor in the cabin is a health risk of breathing the fumes or explosion. There are no warning lamp to indicate this failure. No recalls or extended warranty currently to fix this problem.

On 8/3/2023 we could smell a strong gasoline smell inside and outside our 2011 Mercedes C300. We towed the car to a Mercedes specialty repair shop for inspection. The found that the passenger side fuel pump cover (which is a large cylinder assembly actually) was leaking due to cracked plastic. Gas vapors could be detected outside the car, in the trunk, and in the car as the gas tank is right under the back seat. Our mechanic said he had just fixed another Mercedes with the exact same problem. Apparently this is a well known defect and I understand that Mercedes has an extended warranty for later models. We believe the extended warranty should be extended to our 2011 C300 which has only 55,000 miles.

My check engine light came on approximately one month ago. Once tested it indicated a fuel vapor leak. I pulled out of a driveway and a large stream of fuel spilled all over the roadway. Approximately 7 feet in length about 5 inches in width was on the road. I took it to a Mercedes repair shop and they informed me I had a fuel leak and that it was not safe to drive. There was corrosion and rust forming on the tank which seems very odd since the car is garage kept and we don't get much snow in Kentucky. My daughter rides in this car with me and they told me it is very dangerous and needs repaired. If I was to drive over a cigarette we could essentially blow up. I had a second shop look at it and they also informed me I had a fuel leak and would need to replace the fuel tank. I was told there was a recall on some models of Mercedes for this issue but can't seem to find one on my year make and model. Please help with this matter so my daughter and I can remain safe as well as others around us. Seems like we are in a ticking time bomb.

I started to smell gas after filling my tank. Once the gas level went down, the odor disappeared. I took car to dealer who said car needs new gas tank (issue on top of tank) and cost is approx $5K for parts and labor. I started reading about same exact issue on same C300 model and year 2011. I was advised that car with high mileage of 114,000 was not worth repairing even though there are no dents, cosmetically very nice, new tires, always dealer maintained. I have the dealer inspection paperwork

When fuel tank is greater than approximately 3/4 full there is a strong fuel odor that seems to emanate from the rear passenger side of the vehicle; at lesser fuel quantities the odor is not noticeable. On one occasion I detected what appeared to be fuel dripping from underneath the vehicle. Took vehicle to dealership for troubleshooting and was informed "fuel leaks at the fuel pump" and it was recommended that the fuel pump and fuel sender be replaced. Additionally, the leak apparently damaged the electrical wiring harness to the fuel pump and that also needs to be repaired. There were no warning lamps or messages displayed that alerted me to this problem. Obviously, this is a hazard to safety.

Gas is leaking under the car. Gas dripping location is by the rear passenger tire.

When the fuel tank is full, there is a strong smell of gasoline at the rear of the car. The gasoline odor is extremely strong on the outside, and very strong on the inside. (This is NOT due to overfill or spillage). I searched some Mercedes-Benz blog sites, and discovered others are experiencing similar problems since 2019 to now. The strong gasoline odor can likely pose a health risk. There is also real concern about potential fire or explosion risks.

07/31/2021 Fuel smell in the cabin, and in the garage, and a small paddle of gas formed under the car, but at that time I wasn't sure if it was the A/C condense, or gas. Took car out of the garage and left it there overnight. Drove the car next day and the smell was less noticeable, and it disappeared in about two days. Next two weeks did not ill up the tank completely, and there was no smell or leak. Yesterday, Sunday, Aug 22nd, I filled the car with gas again until the pump stopped, and the smell came back instantly, as I was driving home. Parked the car in the driveway and immediately noticed a large paddle of gas forming under the left rear wheel. Removed back seat and both fuel tank pump metal covers, and both plastic fittings/covers were leaking gas, more so on the driver's side. There are hairline fractures in both covers, and both are leaking gas. Removed both covers and siphoned gas out of the car until the leak stopped. I went to Hendrick's MB of Durham and asked about the recall, they denied that my car qualifies. The parts alone were quoted at $1229.12, without labor, and I was told fuel tank worth about $1,000.00 (without labor) may need to be changed as well. NHTSA recall campaign 2013020002 mentions my car. My defect is worse than most because both sides leak gas, not just the pump, and both have visible with naked eye fractures that leak gas. I cannot understand how is my risk of fire and death while driving less than that of other MB's with exactly the same failure, in the same class, and the same C300, for the same year. I expect the cost of repair with labor to be more than $3,500 .

A STRONG SMELL OF GAS IS COMING FROM BACK SEAT (PASSENGER SIDE)

Every time I fill up the gas tank, I smell gas in the passenger side back seat close to where you pump the gas?

CAR INTERIOR SMELLS OF FUEL AFTER FILLING UP THE TANK. THE SMELL IS ALSO NOTICEABLE WHEN PARKED IN THE GARAGE. MY MERCEDES E350 ALSO HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A DEFECTIVE FUEL CELL SENDING UNIT.

PLASTIC TOP OF FUEL PUMP LOCATED UNDER BACK SEAT CRACKS AND FUEL VAPORS ENTER THE CAR. BELIEVE THE PART IS DEFECTED TO CRACK FOR NO REASON OR UNDER STRESS.

STOPPED AT GAS STATION TO GET GAS FOR CAR AS SOON I WAS PUMPING GAS I CAN SMELL & SEE GAS FALLING ON THE FLOOR RIGHT BY THE BACK PASSENGER REAR TIRE. WAITED FOR DRY UP. THEN WENT HOME PARKED CAR CAME BACK OUT SAW A PUDDLE OF GAS WAITED FOR DRY UP. WENT UNDERNEATH AND SAW THE RESIDUE THAT IT HAD LEFT BEHIND AND IT LOOK LIKE IT WAS CRACK FROM THE GAS TANK.

MY ENGINE LIGHT JEEP COMING ON WITH A P0456 CODE. REPLACE GAS CAP AND PURGE VALVE CONTROL LESS THEN YEAR AGO. HOWEVER I STILL SMELL GAS WHEN I FILL UP TANK. AFTER IT GOES DOWN TO 3/4 TANK I DON'T SMELL GAS. WHEN IT DROP BELOW HALF TANK THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. SAME THING AS LAST YEAR NOW IT STARTING AGAIN IN JUNE 2020. ONLY HAVE 76000 MILES. DONT DRIVE THANK MUCH. GET SERVICE EVERY YEAR. THEY HAD RECALL FOR E350 BACK IN 2013 HOWEVER MB KEEP TELL ME ITS NOT MY VIN. I THINK THERE IS PROGRAM WITH THE C350 FOR 2011 MODEL TOO. THE LIGHT ALWAYS COME IN WHEN IM DRIVING DOES MATTER IF CITY STREET OR FREEWAY. FIRST TIME 2019. REPAIRS IN JULY. HAPPEN ON 6/3/2020. WAS CLEAR THEN WHEN GASS WENT TO HALF TANK ON 6/28/2020 IT HAPPEN AGAIN.

WHEN I FILL UP THE CAR WITH GAS, MY CAR SMELLS LIKE GAS INSIDE AND OUT UNTIL IT REACHES ABOUT A HALF A TANK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I'VE READ THAT SEVERAL OTHER MERCEDES ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I'VE CONTACT MERCEDES BUT THEY SAY IT'S NOT ON A RECALL LIST.

CAR WILL SMELL LIKE FUEL AFTER FILLING UP ON FULL TANK. I TOOK THE CAR INTO MERCEDES OF GREENWAY IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON. THEY DISCOVERED A LEAK IN FUEL SYSTEM, IT'S CAUSING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON BECAUSE OF THE INADEQUATE PRESSURE. WHEN I HAD THE CAR PARKED IN MY GARAGE, MY WHOLE HOUSE SMELLED LIKE FUEL ! IT'S A BIG SAFETY ISSUE/FIRE HAZARD. I'VE SEEN OTHER 2011 C300 ARE EXPERIENCING SAME ISSUES.

MY 2011 C300 SMELLS LIKE GASOLINE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE AFTER I FILL THE TANK. THE SMELL SUBSIDES AFTER THE GAS TANK REACHES ABOUT HALF TANK MARK. DURING MY RESEARCH I CAME ACROSS A FUEL SYSTEM RECALL: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V557000 / MANUFACTURER CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 2013010004. MY 2011 C300 IS ONE OF THE VEHICLES LISTED. I CONTACTED MERCEDES BENZ CUSTOMER CARE AT 800-367-6372; CUSTOMER CARE STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 78,381

FILLED GAS TANK FULL START GASOLINE IS LEAKING UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE - LOCATION REAR PASSENGER SIDE. PLACED A PAN AND COLLECTED APPROXIMATELY A QUART OF GASOLINE IN 4.5 HOURS.

STRONG FUEL ODOR INSIDE CABIN AND AROUND VEHICLE AFTER FUELING. ISSUE STARTED OVER LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS AND ONLY WHEN FUELED TO CLOSE TO FULL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MERCEDES BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL AROUND THE VEHICLE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE. THE CONTACT NOTICED FUEL ON THE GROUND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS MOVED OUT OF THE GARAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I BEGAN SMELLING GAS IN THE CAB OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER REFUELING, THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING GAS FROM THE RIGHT SIDE IN THE DRIVEWAY OF MY RESIDENCE AND THE ODOR OF GAS IN THE CAB BEGAN TO INCREASE. MERECEDES PERSONNEL REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE OTHER ISSUES AND WANTED TO BEGIN AT THEIR STARTING POINTS REGARDING REPAIRS. WHEN THIS RECALL WAS ADDRESSED, I WAS INFORMED IT DID NOT APPLY TO MY VEHICLE. AFTER A LENGTHY ELIMINATION PROCESS, WE LEARNED THE FUEL PUMP FLANGE HAD FAILED IN THIS MODEL AS IT HAS IN OTHER SIMILAR MODELS. MERECEDES AT THIS POINT REFUSED TO EXTEND A WARRANTY CONSIDERATION SO I SOUGHT OUT AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO REPAIR IT. NOW MERCEDES IS REFUSING TO REIMBURSE THE COST OF THE REPAIRS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EMITTED A FUEL ODOR. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF ONTARIO (LOCATED AT 3787 E GUASTI RD, ONTARIO, CA 91761, 909-212-8400) WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE FUEL FILTER WAS FRACTURED AND CAUSED FUEL TO LEAK UNDERNEATH THE REAR SEATS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V557000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE FUEL FILTER FLANGES WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER, BUT WAS UNABLE TO SPEAK WITH AN AGENT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

I HAD A FUEL PUMP FLANGE CRACK AND LEAK FUEL WHEN TANK WAS FILLED. ALSO, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THREW CODES RELATING TO SMALL LEAKS IN THE SYSTEM AND AS SUCH WOULDN'T PASS STATE INSPECTION. I HAD TO GET THESE FIXED -- BASICALLY BOTH SIDES (FUEL PUMP/FILTER/SENDING UNIT) AT THE COST OF ALMOST $1,000 AT A LOCAL SHOP. ALL VIN SEARCHES DIDN'T SHOW THAT MY CAR WAS UNDER RECALL FOR THE FUEL SYSTEM, HOWEVER I NOTICED THAT MANY OTHER MODELS IN YEAR 2011-2012 WERE UNDER RECALL: SEE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID #12V557000. I BELIEVE THIS MODEL SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL.

CAR LEAKS GASOLINE WHEN ABOVE 3/4 OF TANK IN THE RIGHT REAR AREA BY THE FUEL FILLER LINE. SMELL GAS AND SEE GAS LEAKING.