2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Power Train

The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and with an abnormal sound coming from the gear shifter. The contact stated there was a failure with the transmission and the vehicle would not exceed 65 MPH. The transmission was replaced. The contact was unable to reach the manufacturer; however, several voicemails left for the manufacturer. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

HIGHWAY DRIVING, CRUISE CONTROL SET. CRUISE CONTROL BEEPED, DISENGAGED. CAR CONTINUED TO DRIVE NORMALLY UNTIL I HAD TO STOP FOR A LIGHT. WHEN LIGHT CHANGED TO GREEN, THE CAR WOULD BARELY MOVE - HAD NO POWER, EVEN THOUGH THE RPMS SHOWED THE ENGINE RUNNING. FORTUNATELY, I WAS NEAR A GAS STATION AND WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE ROAD. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY HAZARDOUS HAD IT OCCURRED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC.... I PULLED OFF THE ROAD, RESTARTED THE CAR AND EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE FINE. BUT THIS CAR BASICALLY LEFT ME SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF SOMEONE HAD BEEN APPROACHING ME FROM THE REAR, OR IT WAS IN THE INTERSECTION AT THE TIME.

THE ENGINE DIES SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING. CAUSE UNKNOWN. CAR WILL RESTART WITHOUT TROUBLE, BUT THE SUDDENNESS OF THE PROBLEM IS REALLY STARTLING AND COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS ON THE FREEWAY OR ON A WINDING ROAD AT SPEED.

IN 2011, I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE FROM A DEALERSHIP AS CERTIFIED/PREOWNED AT 46,717 MILES. REGULAR MAINTENANCE WAS KEPT UP AT THE DEALERSHIP. IN 2015 AT 74,563 MILES, I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN FOR 2 PROBLEMS: A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME "ON" AND MY VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING VIBRATIONS FROM THE POWER TRAIN WHEN TURNING AND SHUDDERING WHEN MAKING SHARP TURNS AT LOW SPEEDS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS A RESULT OF A BALANCE SHAFT ENGINE PROBLEM WHICH WAS, AT THE TIME, IN A CLASS ACTION SUIT REGARDING THIS PROBLEM FOR THESE VEHICLES. THE MANUFACTURER AGREED TO PAY A PORTION OF MY REPAIR FOR THE BALANCE SHAFT ISSUE. THE SECOND PROBLEM TURNED OUT TO BE A TRANSFER CASE ISSUE. THE DEALERSHIP STATED I HAD A BAD TRANSFER CASE AND THEY RECOMMENDED I HAVE THE TRANSFER CASE REPLACED. AT THE TIME, I COULD ONLY BUDGET MYSELF FOR THE BALANCE SHAFT REPAIR AND 4 NEW TIRES. THE TRANSFER CASE OIL WAS CHANGED WHICH SLIGHTLY IMPROVED THE VIBRATION/SHUDDERING ISSUE. I CURRENTLY STILL HAVE THIS ISSUE MORE SEVERELY AND REQUIRE THE TRANSFER CASE BE REPLACED. MY VEHICLE'S TRANSFER CASE OIL WAS CHANGED AT 30K MILES BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER. THROUGH RESEARCH, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT IN JANUARY 2009, A MANUFACTURER BULLETIN CAME OUT THAT SPECIFIED MY VEHICLES VIN NUMBER WAS INCLUDED IN THE STATED PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSFER CASE. THEY HAD INSTALLED DEFECTIVE TRANSFER CASES AT PRODUCTION IN 2007 AND SHOULD REMEDY THIS! I HAVE SPOKEN TO THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY WILL ONLY PAY 25% OF MY PARTS FOR THIS REPAIR WHICH LEAVES ME WITH A $3200 BILL FOR A PROBLEM THEY KNEW ABOUT. ON MANY OCCASIONS, WHILE WAITING FOR MY VEHICLE TO HAVE MAINTENANCE COMPLETED, I OVER HEARD SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES SPEAKING TO OTHER CUSTOMERS BY PHONE OR IN PERSON. THE SERVICE REPS INDICATED IN MANY INSTANCES THAT THE PROBLEM THE CUSTOMER WAS HAVING WITH THEIR VEHICLE WAS DUE TO THE TRANSFER CASE. THESE TRANSFER CASES SHOULD BE RECALLED!

TRANSMISSION VIOLENTLY DOWNSHIFT SEVERAL GEARS WITHOUT WARNING .THIS CAUSES SKIDDING, THROWING OCCUPANTS VIOLENTLY TOWARD THE WIND SHIELD THIS HAPPENS WHEN AUTO IS IN DRIVE WITH SPEEDS BETWEEN 40-45 MPH. THIS UNEXPECTED LURCHING CAUSES LOSS OF CONTROL ON WET AND DRY PAVEMENT. THIS DEFECT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO MERCEDES BENZ WITH NO CORRECTIVE ACTION OFFERED.

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT PROPERLY. VERY DANGEROUS. IT IS A SEVEN SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION BUT SEEMED TO STAY IN A HIGH GEAR SO THE VEHICLE DID NOT ACCELERATE. IT WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. IT OCCURRED ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY. THE ME DEALER SAID THE REPAIR WILL BE ABOUT $2300 THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. SAFETY HAZARD.

UPON EXITING THE FREEWAY AND COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE AS USUAL. ACCELERATION WAS VERY SLOW AND WITHOUT POWER. UPON LOOKING AT GAUGE CLUSTER, THE VEHICLE SHIFTED ITSELF INTO 5TH GEAR IT SEEMS. USING THE PADDLE SHIFTER I THEN PROCEEDED TO DOWNSHIFT THE TRANSMISSION TO 1ST GEAR TO PULL AWAY FROM STOP. CAR REMAINED IN AUTOMATIC MODE, BUT WAS NOT SHIFTING OUT OF GEAR. CLUSTER DISPLAYS AUTOMATIC COMFORT MODE, BUT WOULD NOT LEAVE FROM WHAT IT SEEMS 2ND GEAR. STOP ENGINE AND RESTART CAR, DRIVE AROUND AND CAR WILL NOT SHIFT OUT OF GEAR. UPON SEARCHING THE INTERNET THIS IS A VERY VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH ALL 7 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS OFFERED BY MERCEDES BENZ. THEY HAVE NOT ASSUMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR A DEFECT IN PART. MANY HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS DIAGNOSING AND REPAIRING TRANSMISSION RELATED ISSUES WHICH REVOLVE AROUND THIS SUB PAR TRANSMISSION. IF YOU SEARCH ONLINE FOR CONDUCTOR PLATE, MERCEDES YOU WILL FIND COUNTLESS PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH TRANSMISSION FAILURE'S DUE TO THIS FAULTY PART. THIS ISSUE AFFECTS ALL MERCEDES 7 SPEED TRANSMISSIONS AND AS SEEN THROUGH ONLINE SEARCH IS A WORLD WIDE ISSUE. I HAVE READ ABOUT THIS IN THE UK, AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AMERICA, AS WELL AS IN THE USA. *TR

TRANSMISSION. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS YEAR AND MODEL CAR HAS KNOWN TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. *TR

WHILE ENTERING THE FREEWAY, THE TRANSMISSION DISENGAGED AND FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS STEERED TO THE SHOULDER. THE DASH LIGHTS ALL CHANGED TO RED AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE. AFTER SHUTTING OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, IT PERFORMED NORMALLY UNTIL LAST WEEK. THE SAME FAILURE OCCURRED THREE TIMES LAST WEEK. AFTER RESTARTING THE ENGINE THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE CLOSEST NON-DEALER SERVICE CENTER AND A RESET OF THE TRANSMISSION SPEED SENSOR WAS PERFORMED ELECTRONICALLY. I WAS ADVISED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MODEL AND THAT I WOULD NEED A NEW SET OF VALVES, SENSORS, SEALS ETC. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MERCEDES BENZ E320. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE SHIFTING GEARS, THE GEAR SHIFTER JERKED AND COULD NOT BE SHIFTED INTO REVERSE. THE CONTACT TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND WAS ABLE TO SHIFT THE GEAR INTO REVERSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED, WHICH LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO DEFECTIVE MATERIAL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,000. UPDATED 4/2/12 *CN UPDATED 05/07/12

I BOUGHT THIS CAR ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO. THIS CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED RELIGIOUSLY AT THE LOCAL MERCEDES DEALER AND THERE HAS BEEN "NO KNOW PROBLEMS". ON A THURSDAY I NOTICED THE CAR SHIFTING A LITTLE FUNNY SO I HAD MY HUSBAND DRIVE IT JUST TO BE SURE. HE NOTICED THE SAME ERRATIC SHIFTING. ON SATURDAY I DROPPED THE CAR OFF AT THE MERCEDES DEALER (SAME DEALER IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED AT). WHEN I PARKED THE CAR I WANTED TO CHECK EACH GEAR JUST TO MAKE SURE AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW...IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE. LATER THAT DAY I HAD TO CALL MERCEDES TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE CAR AND THEY PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THE CAR HAD METAL SHAVINGS IN THE TRANSMISSION PAN AND WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE QUOTE FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION IS $5800!!! I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE CAR DID NOT GIVE ME ANY WARNING NOR AN INDICATOR LIGHT. THE CAR ONLY HAS 60K MILES ON IT AND IN NO WAY SHOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. ALSO, KEEP IN MIND THE TRANSMISSION WAS SERVICED AT THIS SAME MERCEDES DEALER AT 39K MILES. SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT AND I WANT ANSWERS. I AM COMPLETELY SHOCKED AND SO UPSET. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MERCEDES BENZ E350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK VIOLENTLY WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO SECOND GEAR AND STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION BUT THEY PROVIDED NOT ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND FILED A COMPLAINT AND STATING THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.

WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT, THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS AUTOMATICALLY. THE CAR SEEMS TO BE STUCK IN 1ST GEAR OR NEUTRAL AS I COULD NOT GET PAST 20MPH WITHOUT MAXING OUT MY RPM'S. I HAD TO DRIVE 3 MILES GOING 20MPH TO GET SOMEWHERE SO I COULD GET TOWED. AFTER TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE SITUATION. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN A WEEK'S TIME. THIS IS A MERCEDES 2007 E350. I HAVE SEEN OTHER POSTS ABOUT THIS EXACT SAME THING WITH NO SOLUTION. THE DEALERSHIP SAID TO PULL OVER AND RESTART THE CAR. WHAT!!! WHAT KIND OF FIX IS THAT? I DO THAT TO MY HOME PC...I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT FOR MY CAR! I BOUGHT THIS CAR LESS THAN 30 DAYS AGO...AND THE DEALERSHIP DOESN'T SEEM TO WANT ANY PART OF IT. I HAVEN'T EVEN MADE THE FIRST PAYMENT OR RECEIVED MY PERMANENT TAGS YET. *TR

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A "CLICKING" NOISE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE MERCEDES DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT GEAR WAS COMPLETELY DETERIORATED. THEY DESCRIBED THE GEAR AS "CHEWED UP"! I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO PAY $4,000.00 TO GET THE ENGINE REMOVED FROM MY CAR AND HAVE THE BALANCE SHAFT REPLACED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MERCEDES BENZ E350. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH WITH THE GEAR INDICATOR IN DRIVE, THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING AS IF IT WAS IN LOW GEAR. THE CONTACT SHUT OFF ENGINE IN ORDER TO RESET THE GEARS. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE ELECTRIC HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT AND 10 MINOR PARTS IN THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN THE FAILURE RECURRED, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED 2 TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DIDN'T PROVIDE A SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,700 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,100.

NO WARNING OF ANY KIND, NOR ANY EVENT OF ANY KIND. ONE MINUTE, EVERYTHING IS FINE. THE NEXT, THE TRANSMISSION FAILS. TRANSMISSION FAILURE HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES IN THE PAST 10 MONTHS. CAR IS A 2007 MERCEDES. ON ALL 3 OCCASIONS, I WAS DRIVING ON MULTIPLE LANE INTERSTATE. ONE 2 OF THE INCIDENTS, THE CAR SUDDENLY WENT OUT OF THE DRIVE GEAR INTO WHAT FELT LIKE NEUTRAL. IT STAYED THERE FOR 10 OR 15 SECONDS AND THEN RESUMED IN DRIVE ON IT'S OWN. POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT. ON THE 3RD INCIDENT, I WAS AT A STOPLIGHT AND WHEN STARTING ON THE GREEN LIGHT, THE CAR WOULD NOT COME OUT OF 1ST GEAR. JUST DROPPED CAR OFF TODAY FOR THIS AND DON'T KNOW RESULTS YET. WHAT WAS DONE TO CORRECT: ON BOTH OF THE FIRST 2 OCCASIONS, SOFTWARE WAS UPDATED. THERE WERE OTHER THINGS DONE WHICH BIZARRELY SOMEHOW RELATE TO THE TRANSMISSION. I HAVE NO PARTS. I BELIEVE I DO HAVE THE SERVICE SHEET FROM BOTH OF THE EARLIER INCIDENTS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MERCEDES BENZ E350. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, IT SEEMS AS IF THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ENGAGE INTO THE PROPER GEAR. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT IS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURS, SHE USUALLY HEARS A LOUD WINDING NOISE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON FOUR OCCASIONS AND THEY REPROGRAMMED THE PCM AND ADDED TRANSMISSION FLUID. ALL THE REPAIRS HAVE NOT SUFFICIENTLY CORRECTED THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT IS CURRENTLY WAITING FOR A RESPONSE FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 600 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 8,416. UPDATED 02/05/09 *BF THE TRANSMISSION JERKED INTO GEAR AT TIMES AND OTHER TIMES IT WOULD NOT SHIFT. UPDATED 02/06/09. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION ON A 2007 MERCEDES BENZ E WAS SURGING. WHILE DRIVING AT 15 MPH ONCE REACHING 2000 RPM THE ENGINE WOULD INSTANTANEOUSLY SURGE TO 3000 RPM WITHIN MOMENTS AND THEN RETURNED TO THE PREVIOUS READING. SINCE THE VEHICLE HAD A DIESEL ENGINE THE FAILURE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LURCH FORWARD, AND SKID ON ICE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HAD AN INTERNAL MERCEDES BULLETIN THAT STATED THE PROBLEM, BUT THAT THEY CURRENTLY DID NOT KNOW HOW TO REPAIR THE FAILURE. *AK UPDATED 2/22/2007 - THE DEALER INSTALLED A FACTORY UPGRADE WHICH THEY SAID WOULD ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM. *NM