NHTSA Complaint #740260 — 1981 MERCEDES BENZ 380

THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED, AND THE WHOLE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. AT THE TIME, IN 1987, I BELIEVED MERCEDES THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A ONE TIME ISSUE, AND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A POOR DRIVER WHO HAD OWNED THE CAR PREVIOUSLY. LAST WEEK, A FRIED OF MINE, HAD A 1986, 380 SL FAIL WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. AFTER MORE INVESTIGATION, I FOUND OUT THAT MERCEDES CHANGED THE DESIGN OF THE TIMING COMPONENT TO USE A DOUBLE INSTEAD OF A SINGLE CHAIN. THE CHANGE WAS MADE LATE IN THE 1980'S. AFTER INVESTIGATING THIS WEB SITE, I SEE THAT THERE IS A HIGH FREQUENCY OF TIMING CHAIN FAILURES ON THE 380 SL MODELS IN THE 1980'S. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A SUMMARY OF ALL THE FAILURES OVER THOSE YEARS, AND I THINK THAT MERCEDES OWES SOMETHING TO ALL OF US WHO HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ENGINES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.*AK