2008 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Seats

I switched on driver seat heater. Less than one minute later I noticed smoke and discovered a hole burned through seat and my jacket.

The driver side seat warmer melted through the leather seat and burnt a hole in my sweater The seat could have got on fire We took the car to Mercedes Benz of Lynnwood where our service advisor, John McDonald took pictures to send to MBenz USA The display panel did not show any error messages or error codes

I drove a short distance and started to smell burning, and saw some smoke in the cabin. I immediately pulled over and shut down the car. I called my husband and when he arrived we discovered that my driver's seat back had burned through from the seat heater. Luckily I was not injured and the burning did not spread, I assume because I was able to stop quickly and get out.

THE DRIVER'S SEAT BACK HEATER BURNED THROUGH THE SEAT COVER. AT THE TIME OF DISCOVERY, THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING AND THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE, I DISCOVERED THE HOLE IN THE SEAT. THERE WAS A SIMILAR ISSUE INVOLVING 2000-2007 M-CLASS, 2006-2007 R-CLASS, AND 2007 GL-CLASS MODELS WHICH WAS SETTLED IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT CALLAWAY V. MERCEDES BENZ. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE HAVE BEEN NO RECALLS OR ACKNOWLEDGMENT BY MERCEDES BENZ FOR ANY VEHICLES WITH THE SIMILAR DEFECT/HAZARD SUBSEQUENT TO 2007. MY VEHICLE IS A 2008 MERCEDES E-CLASS. WHILE MERCEDES REPAIRED MY SEAT AT NO CHARGE, THEY UNLAWFULLY, IN MY OPINION, REQUIRED I SIGN A RELEASE PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF REPAIRS.

TURN HEATER FOR DRIVER SIDE SEAT,SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING ON LEFT LATERAL LUMBAR AREA,NOTICED A BURN THROUGH SEAT COVER.THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPEN,HAD IT REPAIRED AT DEALERSHIP ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO.I WAS ON CITY STREET WHEN THIS HAPPEN,

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES-BENZ E350. WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER CAUGHT FIRE. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE HIMSELF. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FIRE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000.

2008 MERCEDES BENZ 350E. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE SEAT HEATER UNIT- EXCESSIVE HEAT BURNS HOLE IN DRIVER SEAT. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED HIS WIFE NOTICED A STRONG BURNED SMELL AND EXCESSIVE HEAT EMANATING FROM THE BACK LEFT SIDE OF HER SEAT. SHE WAS FORCED TO MANEUVER OFF THE HIGHWAY. UPON EXITING THE VEHICLE, SHE NOTICED A HOLE SIZE OF A HALF DOLLAR IN THE SEAT. *JB

THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT HEATER WHEN TURNED ON HAS BEGUN TO BURN THROUGH THE SEAT ITSELF CAUSING A HOLE THE SIZE OF NOW A NICKEL (LOWER LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE SEAT). HAPPENED JUST BEFORE THANKSGIVING AND AGAIN WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND FORGOT THERE WAS AN ISSUE. THE SMELL AND THE SMOKE FROM THE BURNING SEAT MADE HER PULL THE CAR OVER. WHEN THIS FIRST HAPPENED, IT ACTUALLY BURNT A WHOLE IN MY JACKET AS WELL. ALL IMAGES HAVE BEEN ATTACHED. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH MERCEDES AND THEIR SOLUTION IS REPAIR THE ISSUE AND THEN PLACE A COVER OVER THE AREA. STILL DOES NOT SEEM SAFE OR AN APPROPRIATE FIX. *TR

WITHIN A FEW SECONDS OF POWERING ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HEATER I SMELLED PLASTIC BURNING AND IMMEDIATELY POWERED OFF THE SEAT HEATER. SINCE I WAS ALREADY ON THE ROAD I CONTINUED DRIVING AND DID NOT INVESTIGATE FURTHER. THE FOLLOWING DAY, I POWERED THE SEAT HEATER AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE BURNING SMELL REOCURRED, HOWEVER, THIS TIME THE LEFT SIDE LUMBAR SUPPORT BECAME VERY HOT. I POWERD OFF THE SEAT HEATER IMMEDIATELY AFTER AND PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND NOTICE A BURN HOLE ON THE DRIVER SIDE LEFT LUMBAR SUPPORT AREA OF THE SEAT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ E350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT WARMER BURNED THROUGH THE SEAT AND THE CONTACT'S CLOTHES WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED AND REPLACED THE SEAT WARMERS. A COUPLE OF YEARS LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE SEAT CAUGHT FIRE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED TOXIC LUNG INJURIES DUE TO SMOKE INHALATION, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

I STARTED THE CAR AND TURNED ON THE DRIVERS SIDE HEATED SEAT. I PULLED OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND WAS DRIVING DOWN MY STREET WHEN I STARTED TO SMELL SOMETHING BURNING. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE SO I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND CHECKED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING SO I GOT BACK IN MY CAR AND STARTED TO DRIVE AGAIN. THE ODOR KEPT GETTING STRONGER AND NOW THE LEFT SIDE OF MY DRIVERS SIDE SEAT STARTED TO GET REALLY HOT AND THEN I FELT A BURNING SENSATION ON MY BACK. I STOPPED MY CAR AND JUMPED OUT TO SEE A SMALL HOLE ABOUT THE SIZE OF A NICKEL MELTING AND A SMALL ORANGE FLAME BURNING. LUCKILY I HAD A BOTTLE OF WATER AND POURED IT ON THE SEAT AND THEN TURNED THE SEAT HEATER OFF. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ E350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE HEATED SEAT FAILED AND OVERHEATED. THE SEAT BURNED THE CONTACT THROUGH HIS SHIRT AND BELT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE SMELLED SMOKE AND HAD TO OPEN THE WINDOWS BECAUSE THE SMOKE HAD BECOME OVERPOWERING. HE THEN POWERED THE HEATED SEATS OFF BEFORE IT COULD CAUSE A FIRE. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ E350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE HEATED SEAT FAILED AND OVERHEATED. THE SEAT BURNED THE CONTACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP WHERE SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT AND SHE NEEDED TO NOTIFY THE MANUFACTURER BEFORE ANY REPAIRS WOULD BE PERFORMED. THE DEALER DISCONNECTED THE HEATER CIRCUIT. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THE SEAT WAS NOT AN ISSUE AND THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY HOW THE CONTACT WAS SITTING IN THE SEAT. THE CONTACT PLANNED TO RETURN THE VEHICLE WHICH WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 42,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 43,400.

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HEATER MALFUNCTIONED CAUSING A FIRE. VEHICLE WAS A 2008 MERCEDES E350. *TR