NHTSA Complaint #10567995 — 2005 MERCEDES BENZ E

I RECENTLY BOUGHT A USED 2005 MERCEDES E320 WITH 126.3K MILES. AT TIME OF TRANSACTION, CAR HAD HALF A TANK OF FUEL ONLY. COUPLE DAYS LATER, WHEN I WENT TO REFUEL, I FILLED UP TANK ALL THE WAY TO TOP, I DROVE HOME AND AS SOON AS I EXITED CAR, I COULD SMELL A VERY STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE INSIDE CAR AND INSIDE LEFT REAR WHEEL WELL. I INSPECTED THE CAR AND AFTER LIFTING REAR SEAT CUSHION, I OPENED THE COVERS TO GAS TANK TO FIND THERE WAS A FUEL LEAK AT THE FUEL SENDING UNIT, DRIVER'S SIDE, ABOUT 1-2 OUNCES OF FUEL. TODAY I PURCHASED AN UPDATED NEW FUEL SENDING UNIT FROM MB DEALER AND WILL NEED TO GET IT INSTALLED. WHEN TANK IS THREE QUARTER FULL OR LESS, YOU DON'T SMELL THE ODOR AND NO SIGN OF LEAK IS PRESENT. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG MERCEDES E-CLASS. I'VE LEARNED THIS THRU MY MOST RECENT ONLINE SEARCH. I'M SO DISAPPOINTED IN MERCEDES BENZ FOR THIS POOR MANUFACTURING. *TR