2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Structure

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard a thumping noise from the rear of the vehicle. The contact pulled over and checked underneath the vehicle and saw that the rear of the vehicle was sitting on the fuel tank. The contact was able to drive home safely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with a severely rusted rear sub-frame. The contact was informed that the rear sub-frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,300.

Subframe cracked while driving vehicle and began to sway in the rear very badly.

Started noticing strange chassis behavior when braking. Braking hard would result in car leaning left, then leaning right when foot taken off the brake. Car appeared to "sway" on braking. Hard to control direction of vehicle on braking. Consulted local mechanic who put the car up on a lift. Discovered rotten rear subframe on left side. No substantial rust or rot on any other structural components. Looked into this issue online; no recall discovered. Found multiple instances of this rear subframe rot occurring to other owners of similar-year C300s who were then also quoted thousands of dollars in repairs. Car is not safe to drive until the subframe is replaced. The wrong pothole could cause the rotten rear subframe to snap and potentially cause more damage to the vehicle and injury to the driver and others. No warning lamps or other system messages to warn of this problem. A safety inspection performed at an authorized Mercedes-Benz service center on February 22, 2021 found no issues with the vehicle.

Rusting subframe to point of hole thru rust be leaf rear wheel/tire area. Garaged daily since purchased 2013. Reside in Ohio. Approx 80k miles.

Rear Cross Member Sub frame rusted through and broke in half causing lack of control of the car when braking. It is very difficult to control the car at low speed (25mph or less) and would be virtually impossible at highway speed. Had this component failed under a highway speed situation, the loss of control could have resulted in loss of life and property. Component has been removed from vehicle and is available for inspection. Video of the removal available for review as well. Mercedes dealership was contacted. They were unwilling to discuss the failure and referred us to the corporate office who have not responded to calls. There were no indications that the part was in danger of failing. Car had passed inspection in November. After the failure we conducted research online and found that this is a common and known problem on this model car. It is time for it to be addresses. Under no circumstance should a car that is 8 years old have a structural component of that nature fail.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The rear subframe rusted off at where the lower control is connected due to corrosion =. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? When the control arm rusted off the frame I lost control of the car due fish tailing and car extremally pulling the to the left while hitting the brakes Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no warning lamps for the frame, it finally appears and almost caused me to crash after the control are finally rusted off the subframe completely.

I have a 2013 MERCEDES BENZ C300 Sport 4MATIC with roughly 90k miles. Car is in great condition, a well maintained vehicle that has been regularly serviced (receipts in hand). I recently sent it in for an oil change, air filter change, and to check out a slight rear noise that started a couple weeks ago. I was told the Rear Subframe is severely rotted, and hitting the gas tank. My car is completely un-driveable until this issue is resolved, and extremely expensive to repair. I also called multiple MBUSA dealers, and was told these parts are on back order WITH NO TIME FRAME. Therefore, leaving me with no car for weeks if not months. Based on my own research this is a wide-spread manufacturing failure, which was correct in newer models to prevent the corrosion. Not only is it crazy that the US does not offer free repair / a recall on this issue like OTHER COUNTRIES - Mercedes Benz is leaving people hanging due to the back orders. Curious if Canada / other countries also have this back order issue regardless of recall status. If not, MBUSA should most definitely be responsible to all its US customers whether its improving inventory or recalling the part. My plans were to sell the vehicle for a newer model BEFORE this problem arose. If the noise didn't start until after I sold it, the new owner could have easily been injured or killed. I service this vehicle 2-3 times a year for routine maintenance, and was never made aware of the issue. If I waited to take it in any longer I could have been severely injured as well. I am now without a car, because the frame was not properly protected during manufacturing. The fact this part is on back order for 2 months says it all. Strongly appreciate your assistance in resolving this safety concern.

COMPONENT FAILURE - Broken rear cross member driver side. Total and Complete failure and separation of rear mount from cross member due to corrosion of components. Passenger side rear cross member at same location found to be "near-failure" state at same location during replacement. (Rear cross member is physically available for inspection and photos are also available). Overall condition of the cross member is excellent other than at the TWO locations where the mounts connect to the cross member which have extensive corrosion, rust thru and failure at driver's side. SAFETY - Safety was put at risk as the car would pull to left when brakes were applied and it continued to get worse, fortunately we limped the car to a repair location before a fatal accident occurred. The worse part of this whole situation is that Mercedes has encountered this issue before (per research on web sites) and has chosen to not address in the United States. Per research, they have recalled this issue in both the UK and Canada as well as specific dealers in Germany have reimbursed owners for repairs of this issue. This vehicle had recently been to the dealer for services and Firestone for tires and alignment and nobody had noticed the severity of rust. WARNING - No warning lamps, the only advance notice was the vehicle starting to pull toward the left which is what prompted us to seek out repair service. Once, the repair service (Firestone) immediately saw the total failure of the mount disconnected from the subframe they immediately diagnosed the problem with the car pulling to the left.

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the rear of the vehicle started fishtailing with extreme vibration making the vehicle very unstable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who discovered the rear passenger’s side subframe was severely rusted causing a section near the rear passenger’s side wheel detaches. The cause of the corrosion was not determined. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 107,500.

During a routine maintenance inspection at the Mercedes dealer, the mechanic found the rear subframe on the left and right sides of the car is rusting. Eventually it will rust through and possibly causing the loss of the control arms and wheels. At that point the car could become uncontrollable. The issue was discussed with Mercedes Benz USA Customer Advocacy. They informed me the once a vehicle falls outside warranty repairs are at the owners expense. Although the car is 8 years old it has only 51,000 miles. This is a known issue with my model year and in fact there is a recall in Canada for this issue.

Mercedes dealership mechanic found rear subframe rusted through on 5/20/21 during oil change. Mechanic advised car is unsafe to drive, subframe can break apart while driving and cause accident. Dealership also advised this is a known issue with my model/year vehicle but currently no recall for it in the US, but there is a recall for this issue in Canada. I called Mercedes Benz USA customer care and spoke to a supervisor Benjamin who said they will not cover any repair expense for this issue.

The Contact owns a 2013 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that the vehicle exhibited a knocking sound and an abnormal vibration when driving. The Contact took the vehicle to the dealer for an inspection and the Dealer found the Sub Frame was corroded and had a hole. The dealer advised that the sub-frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 60,0000.

THE REAR SUBFRAME RUSTED THROUGH RISKING THE CONTROL ARMS FROM DETACHING FROM THE FRAME. THIS COULD CAUSE THE CAR TO BE UNCONTROLLABLE WITH THE RIGHT, REAR WHEEL AND CONTROL ARM FROM DETACHING FROM THE VEHICLE.

INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE ON DOORS, SPECIFICALLY THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR, WILL BREAK, AND THE PERSON IS UNABLE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER, BUT MERCEDES BENZ COMPANY HAS NOT PUT OUT A RECALL ON THIS. MANY OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE WITH NO RESULTS. THE OWNERS HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS OUT OF POCKET, AND IT IS COSTLY. I FEEL AS IF THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE, BECAUSE IT POSES AN HAZARD OF GETTING OUT THE CAR IF THE CAR IS IN AN ACCIDENT OR WORSE, CATCHES ON FIRE. AND YES, MY DOOR HANDLE ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF MY 2013 C300 IS BROKE, AND HAVE BEEN QUOTED BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT IT WILL COST ME $1100 TO REPAIR.

DROVE UP TO DESTINATION PLACED THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED OFF IGNITION WHEN I THEN REACHED FOR THE DOOR HANDLE AND WAS UNABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR. DRIVERS DOOR LATCH/ HANDLE BROKE AND UNABLE TO OPEN DOOR TO GET OUT OF CAR. I TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATED IT WAS NOT A RECALL AND NOT A SAFETY CONCERN AND I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE DOOR WHICH THEY QUOTED ME $1000.00 (LABOR/DOOR). THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN WHEN YOU CANNOT OPEN THE DOOR WITH WINDOW UP. DEALER STATED THE PART HAS 2 YEAR WARRANTY AND THERE WAS NO ASSURANCE THAT IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN NOR IF THE OTHER DOORS LATCH/HANDLE WILL BREAK AS WELL.

THE DRIVER DOOR HANDLE IS BROKEN, AND WE HAD THE PART ON ORDER SINCE 11/7/2017 YEAR, WE CAN NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR, ONLY WHEN WE ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW. IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT THERE IS NO WAY OF ESCAPING.

ON MAY 13, 2018, MY DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR HANDLE WOULD NOT OPEN. I HAD BEEN DRIVING AND WENT TO EXIT THE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT GET OUT. I PANICKED THAT I COULD NOT EXIT. I HAD TO START THE CAR TO ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW AND TO OPEN DRIVERS DOOR FROM OUTSIDE. I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE REPAIR AND NOTIFIED THE PLASTIC HANDLE BROKE AWAY INSIDE THE DOOR PANEL. TOLD IT WOULD BE 6-12 MONTHS OR LONGER WAIT TIME TO RECEIVE REPLACEMENT DOOR PANEL. MERCEDES BENZ DOES NOT JUST SELL A HANDLE REPLACEMENT AND HAVE TO PURCHASE THE WHOLE INTERIOR DOOR TRIM.

THE INTERIOR DOOR LATCH BROKE, KEEPING THE DRIVER FROM OPENING THE DOOR AND SAFELY EXITING THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT IN MANY MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES WHERE THE INSIDE OF THE DOOR LATCH SNAPS OFF INSIDE THE DOOR. TO EXIT THE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER MUST LOWER THE WINDOW AND OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE.

INSIDE DRIVERS DOOR HANDLE BROKE AT THE ATTACH POINT TO CABLE. ON INSPECTION FOUND THAT HANDLE IS MANUFACTURED IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH MATERIAL IN THE BODY OF THE JOINT TO MAINTAIN INTEGRITY FOR SUCH A HIGH USE ITEM. THIS PRESENTS A DANGER AS THE HANDLE WILL FAIL AND COULD FAIL IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION, TRAPPING THE DRIVER IN THE CAR.

THE DOOR HANDLE BREAKS FROM THE INSIDE MAKING IT WHERE YOU CAN'T EXIT THE VEHICLE WITHOUT THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE ON AND WINDOW ROLLED DOWN TO OPEN HANDLE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. MERCEDES CONSIDERS THE DOOR HANDLE TO BE A "TRIM PIECE" AND NOT A FUNCTIONAL PIECE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE AND SHOULD BE A RECALL OR AT LEAST COVERED IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT CUSTOMERS PURCHASE. IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO EXIT MY VEHICLE IF THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF.