NHTSA Complaint #10100723 — 1999 MERCEDES BENZ ML430

LN LATE AUGUST, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD OF A 1999 MERCEDES BENZML430. CAR WAS DELIVERED TO THE DEALER TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM. AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS AND TESTS, MERCEDES BENZ DECIDED TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION. OWNER INCURRED COST OF LABOR. IN NOVEMBER, DRIVER WAS PARKING CAR AND REMOVED KEY FROM IGNITION WHILE TRANSMISSION WAS IN DRIVE. KEY RELEASED IN ERROR CAUSING CAR TO ROLL INTO A RAVINE AND HIT A TREE. MERCEDES HAS DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE FAILURE OF THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE. IN FACT, THEY STATE THAT THE KEYS(3)ARE WORN DOWN AND NO LONGER PROVIDE THE SAFETY BY LIMITING THE RELEASE OF THE KEY UNLESS THE CAR IS IN PARK MODE. CAR WAS DELIVERED TO MERCEDES BENZ FOR INVESTIGATION. AFTER A TWO WEEK INVESTIGATION, MERCEDES CLAIMS THE KEYS(3) WERE WORN OUT AND THAT IS WHY THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE FAILED. MERCEDES IS TAKING NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CORRECTING THE PROBLEM OR FIXING THE CAR. THE RESULT OF THIS "DEFECT" COULD INVOLVE SEVERAL FATALITIES. IF A DRIVER CAN REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT IN PARK, THIS FEATURE CAN NOT BE CLAIMED AS SAFE. IF MERCEDES CLAIMS THIS IS A KEY ISSUE, THEN ADDITIONAL SAFETY FEATURES SHOULD BE IN PLACE TO ALERT THE CONSUMER TO THIS PROBLEM. WHILE SUBMITTING THIS COMPLAINT, IT WAS NECESSARY TO FILL IN THE FIELD OF "HEADLIGHT LENSES." WRITER WAS NOT GIVEN ANY OPTIONS AND SO INPUTTED THIS INFORMATION IN ORDER TO PROCEED. AS YOU CAN SEE THE HEADLIGHT LENS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROBLEM. ACCORDING TO MERCEDES THIS IS AN IGNITION/TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. *AK