NHTSA Complaint #10188707 — 2002 MERCEDES BENZ ML500

THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AT A PARKING LOT FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 HRS. I ATTEMPTED TO START THE ENGINE. IT STARTED THEN ABRUPTLY STOPPED. THIS HAPPENED 3 TIMES. UPON THE 4TH ATTEMPT THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START AT ALL. I LOOKED AT THE DASH LIGHTS THE COMPUTER WAS SHOWING ERROR START. I PROCEEDED TO JIGGLE THE KEY AND EVEN USED THE SECOND MASTER KEY. THE CAR WOULD NOT START AT ALL. I TALKED WITH MB ROADSIDE SERVICE THEY SUGGESTED CLEANING THE KEY, JIGGLING THE RING AROUND THE IGNITION KEY AREA. NOTHING WORKED. AFTER 2 HOURS OF ATTEMPTS, I HAD THE ML TOWED BY FLAT BED TRUCK TO THE NEAREST MB DEALERSHIP. EVERY SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE ( 2002) I HAVE COMPLAINED ON AT LEAST 3 OCCASIONS EVERY YEAR, THAT THE CAR WOULD NOT START AT TIMES AND I WOULD JIGGLE THE KEY AND KEEP TURNING THE VEHICLE ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES. IN THE PAST IT FINALLY MANAGED TO START. WHEN I WOULD REPORT THIS TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY WOULD STATE THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO UNTIL IT ACTUALLY WAS DOING THE SAME THING WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THEM. I KNOW THERE IS SOME PART THAT HAS BEEN DEFECTIVE FROM DAY 1 AFTER WE PURCHASED THE CAR. THE MERCEDES DEALERSHIP HAD THE CAR FOR 3 DAYS. THEY FOUND A FAULTY TRANSPONDER RING AND ALSO ADVISED ME THAT MY SECOND MASTER KEY WOULD NOT COORDINATE WITH THE COMPUTER AND THE NEW TRANSPONDER RING. IT READS ERROR START. JUST LIKE IT WAS DOING WHEN I HAD IT TOWED. I HAVE THE MERCEDES RETURNED TO ME 6 DAYS AND I GET IN THE CAR AND THE GEARS ARE LOCKED. I TURN THE ENGINE ON AND OFF FOR 5 MINUTES BEFORE I CAN GET THE GEAR TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE. I CALLED THE MERCEDES DEALERSHIP. THEY WANT ME TO BRING IT BACK TOMORROW FOR THEM TO CHECK SOME SWITCH COMPONENT WHICH MAY BE DEFECTIVE. THIS ML 500 ONLY HAS 51,806 MILES ON IT. HOWEVER, I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DEPENDING ON IT. I AM AFRAID I WILL BE OUT SOMEWHERE AT NIGHT OR IN AN ISOLATED AREA AND THIS ML 500 WILL NOT START OR THE GEAR BOX WILL BE LOCKED UP. *TR