NHTSA Complaint #10456477 — 2001 MERCEDES BENZ E430

THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER BEGAN VERY LIGHTLY RATTLING AT LOW SPEEDS ONLY INTERMITTENTLY AT ONLY AROUND 50000 MILES. IT NOW HAS APPROX. 60000 MILES ON IT AND HAS A LOUD NOTICEABLE RATTLE WHICH IS ALSO CAUSING VIBRATION IN THE CAR AND HAS MADE THE HARD SHIFTING FROM FIRST GEAR IN THE TRANSMISSION WORSE AND OF COURSE IT IS NOW "OUT OF WARRANTY" WHEN IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND I WILL HAVE TO PAY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO REPLACE A PART THAT SHOULD LAST A LOT LONGER ESPECIALLY FOR A VEHICLE THAT IS PRISTINE AND GARAGE KEPT. HOPEFULLY THE OEM REMANUFACTURED DEALER PART WONT DIE IN ANOTHER 50,000 MILES. AS A NOTE, MERCEDES SHOULD NOT SAY THE TRANSMISSION FLUID IS LIFETIME BECAUSE IT DEFINITELY IS NOT AND OWNERS WHO OBEY THE LIFETIME FLUID RECOMMENDATION WILL HAVE TRANSMISSION ISSUES SOONER OR LATER. I CAN ONLY ASSUME MY TRANSMISSION SHIFTING PROBLEMS ON THIS MODEL IS DUE TO THE FLUID AND WILL BE HAVING IT REPLACED. ALSO, THE DIGITAL INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAS MALFUNCTIONING TEMPERATURE AND TIME GAUGES AND HAS BURNED OUT LEDS IN THE SPEEDOMETER AREA, WHICH REQUIRES A ~$1,500 COMPLETE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REPLACEMENT AS ADVISED. THIS OCCURRED AT ABOUT 40,000 MILES. MANY OWNERS HAVE THIS ISSUE AND A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR OTHER MODELS BUT NOT THIS MODEL EVEN THOUGH IT IS COMMON. *TR