NHTSA Complaint #10114385 — 2000 MERCEDES BENZ M CLASS

THE VEHICLE IS A 2000 ML 320 MADE BY MERCEDES. THE ENGINE JUST STOPPED. I WAS ON THE FREEWAY DRIVING 60 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE DIED. LUCKILY, WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE OVER TO A SAFE PLACE AND STOP THE CAR SAFELY. I CONSIDER THIS A VERY DANGEROUS FAILURE MODE. SINCE THE CAR WOULD NOT START, IT WAS TOWED TO SACRAMENTO MERCEDES. THE SECOND, AND PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANT, ISSUE IS THE WAY THE DEALER INSISTED ON DOCUMENTING THE PROBLEM. I TOLD THE DEALER THAT NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, ?THE ENGINE JUST STOPPED?. AFTER READING WHAT THE DEALER WROTE IN THEIR MAINTENANCE SYSTEM I TOLD THE DEALER THEY MUST HAVE MISHEARD ME. I REPEATED THAT NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON. THE DEALER THEN SAID THAT WHEN THEY STARTED THE CAR AND THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON AT THAT TIME. SINCE I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP, I CANNOT VERIFY WHETHER THEY STARTED THE CAR, OR NOT, AND IF IT STARTED WHETHER THE WARNING LIGHT WAS ON, OR NOT. I TOLD THE DEALER THEY COULD DOCUMENT THAT THEY OBSERVED A WARNING LIGHT, BUT THEY SHOULD NOT ERRONEOUSLY DOCUMENT THAT I STATED THE WARNING LIGHT WAS ON. HOWEVER, WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR THE DOCUMENTATION CONTAINED BOTH STATEMENTS. I ASKED THEM TO REMOVE THE PORTION THAT I HAD STATED THE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED AND THEY REFUSED. I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ?TRAINED? TO FALSELY REPORT THESE PROBLEMS, PERHAPS TO AVOID PROBLEMS BEING BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE NHTSA. I THINK THIS IS POTENTIALLY FRAUDULENT AND SHOULD BE THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED. I WAS TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS A CRANK-ANGLE SENSOR. I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS PAYING 50% OF THE COST AND THE ?FACTORY? WAS TAKING CARE OF THE OTHER 50%. *AK