2008 Mercedes-Benz E-Class WHEELS

2008 MERCEDES E350 WITH 18 INCH LOW PROFILE ALLOY WHEELS. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE TWO RIMS WHICH WERE CRACKED CAUSING DEFLATION. LOW PROFILE 18 INCH ALLOY WHEELS. NO HARD DRIVING OR CURB INCIDENTS, JUST CRACKED. THE TIRE PLACE I TOOK IT TO SAYS THEY SEE A LOT OF THESE SPECIFIC RIM CRACKS ON MERCEDES OF THIS PERIOD.

I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR 2.5 YEARS. SINCE MAY OF 2013 I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THREE WHEELS (RIMS). IT HAS GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE THEY ARE SO HARD TO LOCATE I HAVE HAD TO PURCHASE AFTER MARKET WHEELS. ONCE THE CRACK WAS RATHER LARGE AND THE LAST TWO WERE NOTICED WHEN I REPLACED THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. THEY WERE SMALLER AND EVENTUALLY WOULD NOT HOLD AIR IN THE TIRE. THIS HAS TO BE A FLAW IN THE PRODUCT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ E350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE WHEEL RIM WAS SLIGHTLY BENT. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000.

ON TWO OCCASIONS I HAD LOSS OF TIRE PRESSURE ON FRONT WHEELS. EXAMINATION SHOWED THE ALLOY WHEELS TO BE CRACKED. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWO TIMES IN APPROXIMATELY 90 DAYS. I HAVE NOT HIT ANY POT HOLES. SOME TYPICAL ROAD BUMPS MAYBE BUT NO DEEP HOLES. I'VE HAD MANY VEHICLES SINCE 1958 BUT NEVER HAD WHEELS CRACKING. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN QUITE A BIT OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME LOW PROFILE TIRES USED ON THIS VEHICLE ARE ALSO HAVING CRACKED WHEELS AND LOSS OF TIRE PRESSURE. BESIDES BEING VERY COSTLY, THIS INDEED CAN BE A DANGEROUS SITUATION. LOSS OF TIRE PRESSURE CAN RESULT IN ACCIDENTS AND CAN SUBJECT VEHICLE OPERATORS TO DANGEROUS CONDITIONS WHEN CHANGING TIRES. I WROTE TO MERCEDES BUT THEY WILL NOT ADMIT TO THEIR WHEELS HAVING A PROBLEM. IT COULD BE POORLY DESIGNED WHEELS, THE USE OF LOW PROFILE TIRES OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH LEADING TO WHEEL FAILURES. *TR

SMALL POTHOLE HIT. RIM DESTROYED ALONG WITH TIRE. I HAVE PUT APPROXIMATELY 12 TIRES AND THREE RIMS ON THIS VEHICLE IN TWO YEARS. AFTER A SEARCH I NOW FIND OUT THAT RIM AND TIRE PROBLEMS ARE VERY COMMON ON THESE CARS. MY WIFE HAS DRIVEN FOR OVER 40 YEARS AND NEVER HAD A TIRE/RIM PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ E550. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HAD EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS TIRE BLOWOUTS DUE TO DRIVING OVER ROAD IRREGULARITIES. THE FAILURES WERE EXPERIENCED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS OVER 35 MPH. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE COULD ONLY BE EQUIPPED WITH LOW PROFILE RIMS. THE BLOWN OUT TIRES WERE REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT REMEDIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

THIS MB E-350( [XXX] )OF 2008 WITH 18" DIAMETER RIMS IS VERY POORLY DESIGNED WHICH IS CAUSING SERIOUS ROAD HAZARD AND MAY LEAD TO DEATHS AS THE ALUMINUM ALLOY RIM ITSELF DAMAGE THE TIRE THEREBY DEVELOPING SLOW LEAK /BUBBLES AND ULTIMATELY A CAUSE FOR SERIOUS ROAD ACCIDENT LEADING TO POSSIBLE DEATHS TIMELY ACTION IS REQUIRED TO BAN 18" DIAMETER RIMS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ E350. WHENEVER THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION THERE WAS A THUMPING NOISE COMING FROM THE WHEELS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY FOUND THREE OF THE FOUR WHEELS WAS BENT AND CRACKED. THEY REPAIRED THE WHEELS PER THE WARRANTY. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED IT CONTINUED TO MAKE NOISE BECAUSE THE BENT WHEELS CAUSED OTHER PROBLEMS TO OCCUR ON THE AXLE AND TIRES. THE DEALER INFORMED HIM TO CHANGE THE TIRES BUT HE FELLS IT IS THE DEALER RESPONSIBILITY TO CHANGE THE TIRES AND REPAIR THE AXLE WHICH WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES E CLASS WITH 18 INCH RIMS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH OVER A POTHOLE, THE TIRE IMMEDIATELY DEVELOPED A BLISTER ON IT. THE DEALER STATED THAT THREE OF THE RIMS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED SINCE THEY WERE OUT OF ROUND. THE DEALER REPLACED ONE TIRE, TWO FRONT RIMS, ONE REAR RIM AND PERFORMED AN ALIGNMENT. THE FAILURE DID NOT PERSIST BUT THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE FAILURE WOULD RECUR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 18,000.

MANY MERCEDES BENZ CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCE PREMATURE TIRE FAILURE. MERCEDES SAYS IT IS DUE TO ROAD CONDITIONS. IT IS A NEW PROBLEM WITH NEW MERCEDES E SERIES CARS. A PERSON WROTE "HAVE BEEN IN THE TIRE & WHEEL BUSINESS FOR OVER 15 YEARS AND HAVE SEEN THIS PROBLEM MANY TIMES. MOSTLY WITH AFTER MARKET WHEELS WHERE THE STANDARD WHEEL SIZES REACH ALL THE WAY UP TO 26-INCH DIAMETERS. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A DEFECTIVE WHEEL OR TIRE. MERCEDES BENZ HAS DECIDED TO INSTALL LARGER WHEELS ON THEIR VEHICLES SO THAT THE VEHICLE HAS A LARGER FOOTPRINT TO IMPROVE HANDLING AND TO IMPROVE THE APPEARANCE OF THE CAR. THE PROBLEM WITH INSTALLING A LARGER DIAMETER WHEEL ON ANY CAR IS YOU ARE NOW LEFT WITH A TIRE THAT HAS A VERY SHORT SIDEWALL. FROM 2003 ' 2006 MERCEDES WAS INSTALLING 16 AND 17 INCH DIAMETER WHEELS ON THEIR E-CLASS MODELS. THESE TWO SIZES WOULD GIVE YOU A TIRE WITH A TALLER SIDEWALL FROM 3 TO 4 INCHES. BUT ON THE NEWER E-CLASS VEHICLES, MERCEDES STARTED TO USE AN 18' STAGGERED TIRE AND WHEEL COMBINATION. WHEN YOU INCREASE THE DIAMETER OF A WHEEL, THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE WILL DECREASE.THE 18 INCH WHEEL & TIRE COMBO NOW GIVES YOU A SIDEWALL OF 2 TO 3 INCHES. THE SIDEWALL OF A TIRE IS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE EDGE OF THE TIRE WHERE IT MEETS THE WHEEL AND WHERE THE TIRE SITS ON THE GROUND THE SIDE SUPPORTS THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE. THIS MEANS YOU HAVE LESS CUSHION BETWEEN THE WHEEL AND THE ROAD. SO IF YOU HIT A POTHOLE HARD ENOUGH, YOU WILL BEND A WHEEL OR COLLAPSE THE TIRES SIDEWALL SO MUCH THAT IT WILL BREAK THE STEEL LININGS CAUSING A BUBBLE OR A BLOW OUT." LIVES ARE AT RISK UNTIL THIS ISSUE IS ADDRESSED AND RECTIFIED. CURRENTLY, CUSTOMERS INCUR SIGNIFICANT COST TO REPLACE TIRES AND WHEELS. MERCEDES WILL NOT COVER REPLACEMENT TIRES AND WHEELS UNDER ITS WARRANTY PROGRAM. *TR

2008 MERCEDES E550 RIM PROBLEM. I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR 8 MONTHS AND HAVE HAD TWO FRONT TIRE BLOWOUTS ON 2 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS FROM HITTING SMALL POT HOLE. THE RIM GETS BENT THEN THE TIRE BLOWS OUT. THE LATEST INCIDENT, A POLICE OFFICER AND I WATCHED MANY VEHICLES DRIVING OVER THE POT HOLE WITH NO PROBLEMS. THE RIMS ARE THE 12 SPOKE THAT COMES STOCK ON THE E550'S. *TR