NHTSA Complaint #10549686 — 2008 MERCEDES-BENZ AMG CLS63

A MERCEDES-BENZ 2008 CLS63 AMG HAS FOUR OEM CAST ALUMINUM WHEELS WITH LARGE CASTING DEFECTS IN THE FORM OF DEBRIS COLLECTED AT A KNIT LINE AROUND ITS CIRCUMFERENCE. THE OTHER THREE PICTURES SHOW THE KNIT LINE AS WELL AS MOLD DEBRIS. THE DEFORMITY, OR KNIT LINE, IS THE LOCATION WHERE THE TWO MOLD FRONTS MEET WHEN THE MOLD IS FILLED. ONE OF THESE DEFECTS LOOKS LIKE IT GOES ALL OF THE WAY THROUGH THE WHEEL. THIS ONE SHOULD LEAK AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT ON A LEAK TEST. WHEELS ARE SCRAP. THEY HAVE ANOTHER CASTING DEFECT FROM MOISTURE IN MOLTEN AL. WHEN CAST THE WATER BOILS AND OUTGASSES FORMING PITS ON THE SURFACE OF THE PART. THIS CAUSES WEAKNESS. IT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. THE VEHICLES NOW HAS 53,000 MILES ON IT. THESE DEFECTS CREATE A WEAK SPOT ON THE WHEEL. WITH THE CONSTANT LOADING AND UNLOADING OF FORCE ON THE DEFECT A CRACK HAS DEVELOPED AND ENLARGED BY WAY OF FATIGUE. THE WHEELS HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE FROM THE TIME OF MANUFACTURE AND HAVE BEEN UNSAFE AND WILL REMAIN UNSAFE AS LONG AS THEY ARE IN USE. THEY CANNOT BE REPAIRED. THEY MUST BE REPLACED. THEREFORE, I HAVE ASKED MBUSA TO RECALL THESE WHEELS AND REPLACE THEM AT MANUFACTURER'S EXPENSE. THEY DENIED RESPONSIBILITY STATING THE WHEELS ARE OUT OF WARRANTY. (WHEELS, IT TURNS OUT, ONLY CARRY A ONE YEAR, 12,000 MILE WARRANTY. THIS TELLS ME THAT MB IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND IS TRYING TO SWEEP IT UNDER THE TABLE.) ACCORDING TO NHTSA COMPLAINT DATABASE ID # 103234408, THE OWNER IS HAVING REPEATED CRACKING PROBLEMS WITH THE IDENTICAL AUTO AT 9,000 MILES, WITHIN WARRANTY, AND MB WILL NOT REPLACE THEM. SINCE THESE DEFECTS ARE CAUSED BY THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS, NEARLY ALL OF THE CAST ALUMINUM WHEELS MADE BY THE SAME METHOD WILL HAVE THESE SAME DEFECTS. (WHAT ARE THE ODDS THAT ALL FOUR WHEELS ON ONE CAR HAVE THIS DEFECT?) *TR