2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Suspension

Recently my Mercedes has been pulling and swaying to the side while breaking even at low speeds.Yesterday I got my 2 front tires replaced and asked them to take a look at what could be causing my rear end to pull.When I returned to pick up my car they informed me my rear subframe was completely decayed/rusted through and not safe to continue driving.

Drivers side lower control arm was rusted off rear subframe causing vehicle to be inoperable.

The rear subframe is cracked. This puts myself at risk and others if vehicle is involved in an accident. The problem has been confirmed by two independent service dealers. The vehicle has only been inspected by independent dealers. No warning lights.

Car wouldn't pass inspection because of a rotted subframe. I had to pay $3k to have it replaced.

Excessive rust has caused a separation of the lower control arm from the rear sub frame. From Google searches this appears to be a common safety defect in the manufacturing of these vehicles. Control arm separation causes drive ability and stability issues that can lead to loss of control of said vehicle leading to accidents that can cause serious bodily injuries including death. Why hasn't Mercedes been forced to recall the affected vehicles in the United States as they have been in several other countries?

Rear Subframe control arm broken and rusty and dangerously to drive and Mercedes refused to make it as recall.

Car violently shakes

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving at high speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the rear suspension was unstable and felt loose. The contact pulled to the side of the road before continuing to drive. The contact notified an independent mechanic of the failure and was informed that the rear subframe needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was notified of the failure through voicemail. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure was approximately 80,000.

HI I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AND STARTING FEELING THE CAR SWAYING. I GOT REALLY SCARED AND TOOK SIDE BLOCKS HOME. I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS AIR IN THE TIRES OR A FLAT. WHEN I GOT OUT TO LOOK NO FLAT TIRES WERE FINE. THEN I STARTED HEARING LIKE A CRACKING SOUND THE NEXT DAY AND STARTED SMELLING GAS. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC AND HE SAID BAD NEWS THE SUBFRAME IS ROTTED OUT AND DO NO DRIVE THIS CAR. I COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EARS. HE SAID LETS SEE HOW MUCH TO FIX IT. HE LATER CALLED ME BACK AND SAID 7-11 MONTH WAIT FOR THE PART. I SAID WHATTTTTTT. HE SAID MERCEDES SAID IT’S A COMMOM PROBLEM. THEY HAVE A LOT ON BACK ORDER. HOW COULD MERCEDES KNOW THIS AND TAKE A CHAMCE ON HAVING CARS LIKE THIS ON THE ROAD. SOMEONE CAN GET KILLED. I DID SOME INVESTIGATING AND ITS ALL OVER WITH SO MANY MANY CARS. HOW CAN THEY NOT HAVE A RECALL ON THIS. GOD FORBID SOMEONE GETS HURT BAD OR DIES. I FOUND IT IT’S A RECALL IN CANADA AND EUROPE. COME ON GUYS WHATS UP?. THIS IS NOT FAIR. ITS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMETHING HAPPENS SO YOU HAVE TO RECALL . PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I CANNOT NOT HAVE A CAR TO DRIVE THIS IS INSANE. I WILL LOOK OTHER WAYS TO TRY TO FIX BUT COME ON YOU GUYS ARE MERCEDES BENZ I HAVE HAD ABOUT 5 OF THEM!!!!!!! MERCEDES DOES NOT RESPOND. I PAID TO FIX IT ON MY OWN BECAUSE I NEED A CAR. THIS IS REAL BAD AND ITS A RECALL ALL OVER BUT THE US I PAID TO FIX IT AS THE PART IS ON BACKORDER AND I GOT LUCKY SOMEONE CANCELED THE ORDER. I WOULD LIKE TO GET REIMBURSTED

I was driving on the highway and had to hard brake when traffic slowed down quickly. My car was all over the road swerving and I am very lucky I wasn't killed. Come to find out the rear subframe had completely rusted out. I have since found out that this is a very well known issue with Mercedes that they have refused to do anything about. I am sure there have been people killed because of this. This vehicle had been at the dealer the week prior and had the rear brakes replaced. They said they did not notice that the subframe was rusting through at that time because it rusted from the inside out so it's not something that would be noticed until it completely rusted out, which in my case was on the highway. This is outrageous that Mercedes is getting away with ignoring this very well known safety issue.

Rear subframe rust through, affecting the function of control arm. When braking mildly caused the forward motion of vehicle to swerve into oncoming traffic. It has been reported and is in their possession. There was a small clicking noise like a possible loose shock absorber, a few times in the past month. Then two days ago, the sound became stronger including a clicking noise like two pieces of sheet metal torn passing each other. Upon personal inspection I found severe rust through on the subframe on the left side in front of the left drivers side rear tire. Corporate has sent a letter extending the warranty for that part. Photos can be provided.

Purchased said vehicle from Rahal Mercedes Benz (Wexford PA 15090) in 9/2021. Used. Took in for PA inspection in 10/2022 (to Rahal service dept). Mechanic noticed rear subframe was rusting (I was not aware of this until this point; was never disclosed to me by Rahal in their printed pre inspection vehicle repost; I have this document). Told me would need re-placed sometime in 2023. Never mentioned a recall. I have not received any recall. Prove from MB. Conversation with said mechanics e railed I would have to pay for this repair out of pocket. This is a major safety issue. MN should 100% cover the cost/all costs of the subframe and any issues caused by said subframe.

My car had new brakes installed in the last few months. All of a sudden the car "fishtailed" when applying the brakes. I brought it into my mechanic, Johns Mercedes of Wakefield, Massachusetts, for some routine service and he noticed once he put the car up on the rack that the subframe is completely rotted out due to rust. The brakes were fine. He strongly recommended not driving the car until the part can be replaced. The part is very hard to come by. I called my Mercedes dealership (Herb Chambers Mercedes in Lynnfield, Massachusetts) and Rennan told me that he has seen quite a number of problems lately with rotted subframes in C300s. He said it would cost $5000 to repair IF you could find a part. The parts are incredibly hard to find. In doing research in Mercedes forums, I read that in Germany Mercedes replaces the subframes free of charge, recognizing it is a major safety issue. My mechanic is going to take pictures of the damaged part in question. My car is at his shop now so I don't have pictures to upload at this time. I am going to have him find the part and fix the car at a cost of $4000+.

I sensed the rear wheels going into a skid as I braked at low speed. I noticed it first on downhills as I drove on a mountain road which was curvy. It seemed that the car was going to go into a skid. No warning lights came on. I checked the tires were all at the same accurate level which did not change the occurrence. It happened again on flat terrain coming to a quick stop. Like one tire was responding differently than the other in the rear. I asked my mechanic to put it up on the lift so I could make sure I was safe and not causing further damage by driving it until they could fix it. Had the arms cracked off the frame from the wheels while I was driving on a winding mountain road, my life would have been in danger. He came out and said "you need to see this, this car is going nowhere and its lucky that you came in. He pulled back a black cover that was blocking view of the rear sub-frame. One both sides, there was significant rotted through holes. He looked up about a possible recall and came across many people complaining for years on this Model C car having the same issue. It was noted that this issue was a recall and manufacturer repaired issue in Europe. Not here is the US. After reading numerous complaints online from owners, I called the Mercedes Benz dealer (Keeler Motors, Latham, NY) and asked about issues. There are very aware of this issue and quoted me $1400 for the sub-frame and not including many parts that will likely need replacing. With labor at $189 hourly rate. This car is in very good condition, serviced regularly at the Keeler Mercedes Benz dealer department and when we checked it over prior to purchase it was noted how little to no rust there was on the car. Mechanics can easily miss the damage occurring by the black cover over the subframe.

The Rear Subframe is rusted through and cracked making the car almost undriveable. This is a known problem at Mercedes Benz. Nothing else on the vehicle is rusted and has a perfect undercarriage. The vehicle is available for inspection and has been inspected by a reputable German repair facility. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms There's a Mercedes Benz recall for the rear subframe in Canada.

Subframe corrosion, no accident but dangerous and common issue with Mercedes Benz cars

While driving on highway, started to slowdown on exit. Vehicle rear end felt waiving side to side. Had vehicle checked with local mechanic. Reported rear subframe rusted and split. Advised not to drive & replace the subframe. Visited MB dealer service. Informed it is a known problem and a safety problem. Can repair when part is re-stock in January 2023?? $4,000 + Research online. Plenty reports in forums with same problem. Why there is not a safety recall?

Filing complaint for my 2013 Mercedes C300. I was informed by the dealership this vehicle has a rusted out rear subframe and the vehicle is no longer operable. This is a very common and serious safety issue, and the Mercedes dealership is refusing to cover the cost of the repair. Please help!

August 30,2022 local Mercedes Benz dealer stated that their inspection found that the rear sub frame was rusted and needed to be replaced (estimated cost $4,699.88). I had two other independent repair shops confirm the sub frame condition.My car had 78,753 miles on it at time of discovery of sub frame corrosion condition. My independent repair shop says that OEM sub frames are back ordered with no estimate of when one would be available. Internet searches and discussion with independent repair shops indicate the rear sub frame corrosion , and structural failures, are a common problem.Structural failures are a serious safety hazard and this defect should be the subject of an NHTSA investigation and recall and replacement by Mercedes Benz. Structural suspension parts should not corrode and fail after only 78,000 miles on cars driven in normal conditions.

Rear subframe rusted through. This is a safety issue. The driver side is rusted through but not other. This a design flaw and Mercedes Benz should have recall. Many other people have reported this problem. I have serviced my vehicle via the MB dealership since owning the car. The only owner. No one told about the rust issue for years. I was recently just told recently. This is dangerous and will cause an accident.

The rear suspension frame was rusted, and the suspension rusted off the frame through normal wear and tear (no potholes, incidents, etc). Left side rusted off, Right side is on its way. Brake distance was increased and suddenly braking on the highway resulted in back of car swerving slightly, almost hit a truck that suddenly merged into my lane. This was discovered during an MD state inspection, I called 6 dealerships in the area, and all were familiar with the issue with this chassis. I got two estimates saying the same problem. This forum shows that there are many more like me, and even in the UK dealerships are doing replacement free of charge due to how widespread it is: https://www.benzworld.org/threads/w204-rear-subframes-deterioration.3048088/ The part has not been inspected by the manufacturer/police/insurance inspector. There were no warning lights or any alerts on my dash indicating this issue, I only found out bc I just so happened to need to do an MD state inspection, and I had been hearing a squeaking noise. Also, my brake distance was longer, and my car swerved a little under sudden braking on a dry sunny day.

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering inadvertently, almost causing the contact to lose control of the steering wheel. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a certified independent mechanic who diagnosed that the driver's side rear subframe was severely corroded and fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

I noticed my 2013 MB C350 was making strange noises and vibrations. I could feel the car steering in a different direction when I let go of the wheel. I took it to my service dealer and was told the subframe was severely rusted which included the suspension, struts, and even brake line. I was told the car was dangerous to drive and had to keep it at the shop for 45 days while waiting for the parts to come in. Apparently this is a "common" issue with this generation of C-class. There should be nothing common or normal about a rotting subframe after only 8 years of use. This a manufacturer's defect and the manufacturer needs to be held responsible for using inferior parts for cost cutting measures. I had to pay several thousands of dollars for an issue that shouldn't be an issue for 20+ years.

The driver side suspension mount to the rear subframe has rusted through. While applying the brakes the car pulled radically to the left almost causing me to lose control. This is a known issue from what I can determine but Mercedes has refused to issue a recall. The car cannot be driven until this is fixed.

I had noticed that my car was starting to pull to the side when braking. I took it in to my authorized dealer, where I always have it serviced and maintained, and I was told that the rear sub-frame bracket was broken off at the left rear lower control arm attachment point. The rear sub-frame and left rear lower control arm needs to be replaced. I was told that the car was absolutely not safe to drive. I have always taken great care to maintain the vehicle, and it has always been stored in a garage. There were no warning signs prior to the failure, and I was very surprised to hear that the sub-frame had rusted out since there is no rust anywhere else on the vehicle.