NHTSA Complaint #10958543 — 2013 MERCEDES-BENZ E350

CAR: 2013 MERCEDES-BENZ E-350 4-DOOR V6 SEDAN WITH SPORTS PACKAGE, 28,000 MILES. INCIDENT: VEHICLE WAS ACCELERATING FROM 25 MPH ON RAMP TO ENTER FREEWAY. BEFORE REACHING FREEWAY SPEED OF 65 MPH, CAR BEGAN TO MAKE LOUD NOISES FROM THE FRONT AND VIBRATE VIOLENTLY. ACCELERATING MADE IT WORSE. AT 35-40 MPH, DRIVER DECIDED TO EASE BACK TO 25-30, TURN ON HAZARD LIGHTS, AND TAKE NEXT EXIT. CAR WAS TOWED TO MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS AND SERVICING. DIAGNOSIS FROM DEALERSHIP: "CAR HAS A BAD CYLINDER HEAD THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. CYLINDER HEAD #3 IS THE BAD ONE. THIS IS ALSO CAUSING THE MISFIRING OF CYLINDER #1 AND #2." SERVICE REQUEST: "R/S CYLINDER HEAD COMPLETE COOLANT GASKETS EST HOLE JOB PARTS". OVER $11,000 PARTS AND LABOR. COMMENTS: CAR HAD VERY RECENTLY BEEN SERVICED AS PER RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE BY SAME DEALERSHIP. EVEN THOUGH I AM SECOND OWNER AND BOUGHT CAR FROM A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, MBUSA CONFIRMED THAT THE CAR HAD BEEN SERVICED AS PER SCHEDULE FROM THE BEGINNING, AND THERE WAS NO HISTORY OF MECHANICAL FAILURE. THIRD-PARTY MECHANICS HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A 2013 MB E-CLASS WITH ONLY 28,000 MILES SUFFERING FROM THIS KIND OF ENGINE PROBLEM UNLESS IT MISSED SERVICING ALONG THE WAY.