NHTSA Complaint #11192785 — 2001 MERCEDES BENZ C240

MY 2001 MERCEDES-BENZ C240 ENGINE COOLING OR SUCTION FAN RUNS CONSTANTLY AT HIGH SPEED NONSTOP AT STARTUP UNTIL VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF. VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT / MODULE (ECU / ECM) OR COOLING / SUCTION FAN WAS BAD AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. I REPLACED THE ECU 5 TIMES AND THE COOLING / SUCTION FAN ONCE RELYING ON DEALER'S DIAGNOSES. MY C240 WOULD WORK FOR A WHILE BUT THE FAN WOULD MALFUNCTION AGAIN RUNNING CONSTANTLY AT HIGH SPEED. I NOTIFIED MERCEDES BENZ USA OF MULTIPLE FAN MALFUNCTIONS AND THE DEALER'S INABILITY TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD TO FIND ANOTHER DEALERSHIP IF PROBLEM REOCCURRED. THE PROBLEM REOCCURRED 4 MONTHS LATER WHICH I TOOK C240 TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. THIS OTHER DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THAT THE ECU WAS BAD AND FOUND A 2004 TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) P-B-20.40/26A THAT ADDRESSES THE SPECIFIC ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE. TSB STATES PROBLEM MAY BE CAUSED BY THE WIRING HARNESS BETWEEN THE ECU AND ENGINE FAN OR THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT FAN END STAGE MALFUNCTIONING. THERE MAYBE A CODE P2073 (004). THE ADAPTER WIRING HARNESS PART NUMBER IS A209 540 56 35. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED ACCORDING TO THE TSB WHICH SAYS TO CHECK WIRE CONTINUITY, REPLACE ECU, AND INSTALL HARNESS ADAPTER ONLY. MY FAN WAS ALSO REPLACED ALTHOUGH TSB DID NOT STATE TO REPLACE FAN. NO ADDITIONAL TEST WAS PERFORMED TO SHOW THAT FAN WAS BAD. IT WAS REPLACED TO WARRANT THE ECU. MERCEDES-BENZ USA SAYS MY C240 IS NOT COVERED BY TSB P-B-20.40//26A OR P-B-20.40/33 AND NO OTHER TSB EXIST THAT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS THIS SAME ISSUE FOR MY VEHICLE. I HAVE FOUND MANY C240 AND C-CLASS (W203) OWNERS' COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM BEYOND THE MODELS MENTIONED IN THE ABOVE 2 TSBS. MERCEDES BENZ IS CONCEALING THAT TSBS EXIST TO ADDRESS SAME ISSUE WITH C240 AND OTHER W203 VEHICLES OR IT WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM FROM CONSUMER COMPLAINTS.