NHTSA Complaint #10592773 — 2006 MERCEDES-BENZ E350

ABOUT A YEAR AGO (MAY 2013) WE NOTICED GAS SMELL IN THE COMPARTMENT OF THE CAR. INITIALLY IT WAS SPORADIC. WE THOUGHT IT WAS FROM OUTSIDE OF THE CAR OR MAY BE UNDER THE CAR, OR GAS TANK CAP WAS NOT TIGHTENED PROPERLY. AFTER I TOOK MY CAR TO MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP ON 9/6/13, I FOUND OUT THAT THE SMELL WAS NOT FROM EITHER OF THE ABOVE SCENARIOS. IT WAS INDEED FROM INSIDE THE CABIN AND THE MERCEDES BENZ TECHNICIAN TOLD ME THAT IT WAS FROM FUEL LEAKAGE UNDER THE BACK SEAT AND IT WOULD COST $1380 TO FIX IT. ADDITIONALLY HE SAID THAT HE HAD SEEN NUMEROUS CASES LIKE MINE, AND SOME WERE SO BAD THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DRIVE IT IN, AND HAD TO TOW THE CAR IN. BECAUSE OF THE HIGH COST IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER REPAIRS THAT I HAD TO DO WORTH $1,200, I DECIDED TO DELAY THIS REPAIR. NOW WE CAN NOT EVEN DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE OF THE INTENSE SMELL AND WILL COST ME PROBABLY MORE THAT $1,380 TO FIX IT. I BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND SHOULD BE FIXED AND PAID FOR BY MERCEDES BENZ. *TR