NHTSA Complaint #11020482 — 2009 MERCEDES BENZ C300

THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK IN MY 2009 MERCEDES BENZ C300 IS NOT UNLOCKING WHEN I PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. THE CAR WILL NOT START. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES IN THE PAST 2 MONTHS. AFTER THE FIRST TWO INCIDENTS, THE WHEEL DID EVENTUALLY UNLOCK. I TOOK IT TO MY REPAIRMAN WHO ADVISED I GET A NEW KEY FROM MB AS THAT MIGHT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. GOT A NEW KEY LAST WEEK FOR $330. TODAY - 10 DAYS LATER - THE STEERING WHEEL AGAIN WILL NOT UNLOCK. LOOKING ON THE INTERNET, THIS IS A VERY COMMON AND WELL-DOCUMENTED PROBLEM WITH MB VEHICLES OVER MANY YEARS. MB SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS AND FIX THE PROBLEM, AND AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER! AT PRESENT, THEY ARE GOUGING CUSTOMERS ANYWHERE FROM $1200-2200 TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT EVERY MECHANIC AND COLLISION PERSON IN MY NEIGHBOTHOOD KNOWS TO EXIST. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO DON'T SEEM TO KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM ARE THE PEOPLE AT THE MB DEALERSHIPS, WHO OBVIOUSLY WANT THE REPAIR BUSINESS. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WHEEL LOCK PROBLEM HAS OCCURED WHILE PEOPLE ARE DRIVING. MY CAR WAS STATIONARY EVERY TIME THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED, PARKED IN A GARAGE WITH NO INCLINE AT ALL. I URGE YOU TO ORDER MERCEDES BENZ TO RECALL THIS PART AND TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM ASAP.