NHTSA Complaint #11496136 — 2006 MERCEDES-BENZ E350

We just purchased a 2006 Mercedes for our teenage sons and had a dealer look at it before we purchased it. They told us there were a couple of codes that were worth watching but that it wasn’t anything significant right now. After the car started jerking and shaking while driving it, we brought it in to dealership where they told us it had a common code for Mercedes in this timeframe P0016. Repair estimate is nearly $5000 to replace timing chain and balance shaft, or a new engine which would be roughly the same. After researching on my own upon being told this code, I found all of the information about the class action lawsuit and settlement, which of course we are too late to be a part of. The dealer said there is a potential that the car could just seize up at some point, so I don’t want my young sons to be out on the road when that happens. I am very frustrated and upset that this wasn’t a recall since it apparently affected a huge amount of vehicles manufactured within this time frame. There is a specific list of engines with known issues and ours is among them. Mercedes Benz should be held responsible for making this right because it was definitely a quality issue. Now we are stuck with an unsafe vehicle, or a massive expense due to defect.