NHTSA Complaint #10947823 — 2008 MERCEDES-BENZ E350

WHEN YOU FILL UP THE GAS TANK, THERE IS A VERY STRONG FUEL ODOR IN AND OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE TO THE POINT WHERE THE VEHICLE CANNOT BE PARKED INSIDE A GARAGE AND WHEN DRIVEN THE WINDOWS NEED TO BE ROLLED DOWN. ON 9/4/14, MB ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR THIS VERY PROBLEM, HOWEVER, MB IS NOW SAYING THAT MY VEHICLE IS A PZEV MODEL CAR WHICH IS EXEMPT FROM THE 9/4/14 WARRANTY EXTENSION. THIS MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE AS IT IS THE SAME ISSUE THAT MANY MB OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT AND THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PZEV MODEL TO A NON PZEV MODEL (ONLY IN THE SENSE OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WHICH IS NOT IN ISSUE). THE COST IS OVER $3,000 TO FIX WHAT IS REALLY A DEFECTIVE AND UNSAFE PRODUCT. THE PART WHICH IS LEAKING FUEL IS A "LEFT SIDE FUEL LEVEL SENDER ASSEMBLY". THIS IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE GAS TANK. BASED UPON THE 9/4/14 EXTENDED WARRANTY LETTER FROM MB, THE NHTSA WAS SATISFIED THAT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WOULD FIX THIS PROBLEM. BUT WHAT MB WAS ABLE TO DO WAS TO LIMIT THE APPLICABILITY OF THE 9/4/14 EXTENDED WARRANTY TO ONLY NON-PZSEV VEHICLES WHICH I AM SURE ELIMINATED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES FROM THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. MOREOVER, THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT THE VEHICLE IS A PSEV VEHICLE (OTHER THAN WHAT MB HAS INTERNALLY). THE 9/4/14 EXTENDED WARRANTY SHOULD APPLY TO ALL E350 VEHICLES MODEL YEAR 2003-2009. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO EXCLUDE A VEHICLE BECAUSE IT IS ALLEGEDLY A PZEV VEHICLE. IT IS THE SAME FUEL LEAK/ODOR ISSUE. DEALERSHIP WILL NOT FIX UNDER WARRANTY AND THE CORPORATE OFFICE HAS DENIED WARRANTY COVERAGE. PLEASE REOPEN YOUR INVESTIGATION AND GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS CLEARLY DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS SITUATION. CLEARLY MB RECOGNIZED THIS AS A PROBLEM AND THAT IS WHY THEY ISSUED THE 9/4/14 WARRANTY EXTENSION BUT THEN SLIPPED IN THE EXCLUSION FOR PZEV VEHICLES. THERE IS NO REASON TO TREAT A PZEV VEHICLE ANY DIFFERENTLY.