2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML320 Electrical System Problems

I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE FROM THE AUCTION IN ALGONA NAMED WHITEY'S PUBLIC AUTO AUCTION AND THAT VERY DAY I HAD TO PUT POWER STEERING FLUID IN BECAUSE THERE WAS A LEAK AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN. I'VE HAD THE POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED AND IT CONTINUES TO LEAK. I GOT ON THE INTERNET AND STARTED TO RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT ABOUT THE RECALL.

TAKATA RECALL I JUST BOUGHT A 2000 MERCEDES ML 320. MY AC STOPPED WORKING AND TOOK IT TO A MERCEDES CERTIFIED MECHANIC. TOLD ME IT WAS A PRESSURE SENSOR. HE THEN CALLED ME BACK AND TOLD ME THAT THE WIRING HARNESS HAD FALLEN APART AND ALL WIRES WERE TOUCHING EACH OTHER MAKING SHORTS THRU OUT THE CAR. HE TOLD ME THAT THE SHORTS HAD FRIED MY COMPUTER AND THE ONLY WAY TO FIX ALL THIS WAS TO REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS. AT ALMOST $2000.00 FOR THE REPAIR IT SEEMS THAT MERCEDES INTENTIONALLY DID THIS TO MAKE MONEY. THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE AS THEY DID IT SO THE WIRING HARNESS WOULD BIO DEGRADE WHEN THE CAR WAS JUNKED. NOT A GOOD PRACTICE TO SELL CARS IN THE UNITED STATES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ROLL DOWN BOTH PASSENGER SIDE WINDOWS, THEY FAILED TO ROLL DOWN. THE HEADLIGHTS AND INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE ABS, BRAKE FAILURE SWITCH, AND ESP WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. WHEN USING THE POWER STEERING TO ATTEMPT TO TURN THE VEHICLE, THE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, INDICATING A MALFUNCTION OF THE POWER STEERING. THE VEHICLE HESITATED BEFORE COMPLETING THE TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

FIRST INCIDENT IN AUGUST 2012 DRIVING 20-30 MPH JUST GOT ON HWY AND CAR SUDDENLY SLAMMED ON BRAKES. COULD NOT GO OVER 1000RPM WITHOUT BRAKES ENGAGING BUT FORTUNATELY A POLICEMAN WHO WITNESSED THIS ESCORTED US TO SAFETY ON SINGLE LANE HWY VERY DANGEROUS. REPLACED YAW RATE SENSOR FOR $1000. NOW IT IS DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN 2/27/13 AND IS UNDRIVABLE. MOST LIKELY FACING ANOTHER REPLACEMENT OF YAW RATE SENSOR FOR ANOTHER $1000 THAT ONLY LASTED 6 MONTHS LAST TIME. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THESE SAME STORIES ONLINE AND RIDICULOUS THAT MERCEDES BENZ WITH ITS CLASSY REPUTATION WOULD NOT RECALL SUCH A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ISSUE. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO BE INJURED TO JUSTIFY A RECALL?! I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY 2 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER ANYMORE AND STILL OWE ON THIS HUNK OF JUNK SO I AM STUCK. *TR

THE BATTERY FAILED AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. A "GROUP 49" BATTERY IS SPECIFIED BY THE BATTERY MANUFACTURER'S CATALOG. A GROUP 49 BATTERY WAS PURCHASED, BUT DID NOT FIT. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT THE SUBJECT BATTERY WAS ACTUALLY A GROUP 93 BATTERY, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 1/2 INCH SHORTER. RESEARCH ALSO INDICATES THAT SEVERAL MANUFACTURERS ARE NO LONGER MAKING GROUP 49 BATTERIES BUT ARE EITHER RECOMMENDING GROUP 93 BATTERIES AS THE REPLACEMENT OR, AS I FOUND, APPLYING GROUP 49 LABELS TO THE GROUP 93 BATTERY. IN MY CAR INSTALLING A GROUP 93 BATTERY IS UNSAFE, FOR TWO REASONS. FIRST, THE BATTERY HOLD-DOWN STRAP IS A NON-ADJUSTABLE, SNAP-FIT TYPE INSTALLATION THAT WILL NOT FUNCTION WITH THE LOWER BATTERY HEIGHT. SECOND, THE POSITIVE BATTERY TERMINAL MUST CONNECT TO TWO HEAVY CABLES (MAIN POWER AND ACCESSORY POWER CABLES) WHICH MUST BE FORCED DOWN TO INSTALL ON THE REPOSITIONED (LOWERED) POSITIVE BATTERY POST. FORCING THE CABLES DOWN CAUSES...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML320. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND ARRIVED AT THE SCENE TO ASSIST. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ADVISED THAT THE FIRE ORIGINATED FROM UNDER THE HOOD ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND DEEMED AS HAVING BEEN DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,000. UPDATED 04/19/12*LJ UPDATED 04/25/12

I PARKED MY CAR IN A STRIP MALL FOR DINNER. WHEN I TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR AFTER DINNER, IT WOULDN'T CRANK, NOR WOULD IT START. CALLED IN AAA AND BY THE TIME THEY SHOWED UP HALF AN HOUR LATER, THE CAR STARTED FINE. TWO DAYS LATER, WHEN I WAS DRIVING TAKING MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL AROUND 7:45AM ON A SURFACE STREET, MY CAR SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER AND THE ENGINE STALLED. I HAD TO QUICKLY TURN INTO A DRIVE WAY TO AVOID OTHER CARS AND THE CAR STOPPED AT THE ENTRANCE. AGAIN CALLED AAA AND A TOW TRUCK SHOWED UP 5 MINUTES AND THE DRIVERS HELPED PUSH AND PARK MY CAR, BUT WAS TOLD TO WAIT AT LEAST 45 MINUTES FOR THE RIGHT TOW TRUCK. TRIED TO START MY CAR EVERY 5 MINUTES, AND IT FINALLY STARTED AFTER 15 MINUTES. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO A FLETCHER JONES...

MY 2000 ML320 WITH 53000 MILES HAD SUDDENLY SHOWED CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT ON THE HIGHWAY AT ~65 MPH. I EXIT AND AS I SLOWED I COULD SENSE THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING VERY ROUGH WITH SHAKE AND STRONG VIBRATION. THEN AS I STOPPED THE CAR AT THE RED LIGHT AT THE EXIT, THE CAR IDLED VERY ROUGH AND LOTS OF VIBRATION AND THEN THE ENGINE STALLED (AND SHUT OFF). I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION AND TURNED THE KEY BACK ON AND THE CAR RE-STARTED NO PROBLEMS. THE ENGINE IDLE NOW ONLY FEELS SLIGHTLY ROUGH BUT IDLE SOUND IS NOTICEABLY SLIGHTLY LOUDER THAN BEFORE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE MERCEDES BENZ DEALER (SAN DIEGO) THAT SAME DAY AND DESCRIBED TO THEM EXACTLY WHAT OCCURRED. THE NEXT DAY THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS SPARK PLUG FAILURE AND SPARK PLUG WIRE FAILURE OF CYLINDER #2...

DT: CALLER HAS HAD VEHICLE IN 6 TIMES FOR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT/SPARK PLUGS BEING CORRODED/LOOSE WHEEL BEARING/CONTROL MODULE WENT OUT/FOR SHAKING AND SPUTTERING AT IDLE, AND THE ELECTRIC FUNCTION CHECK. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. *AK

VEHICLE WAS ALWAYS BEING SERVICED AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY IN A SEVERE ACCIDENT. *PH THE CONSUMER WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER DRIVER AND CAUSED DAMAGE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE VEHICLE. BOTH SIDES OF THE DOORS WERE SMASHED AND THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN THE PASSENGER'S CABIN. OTHER PROBLEMS ARE AS FOLLOWED: THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON, ENGINE LOW LEVEL OIL LIGHT HAD COME ON, WHEN THE RIGHT FRONT AND LEFT REAR WINDOWS WERE ERRATIC WHEN GOING DOWN, THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER WAS INOPERATIVE, THE REAR CARGO ACCESSORY PLUG WAS INOPERATIVE, THE TRIM ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE LEFT FRONT SEAT CRACKED, THERE WAS A BULDGE ON THE RIGHT REAR TIRE, LUG BOLTS WERE MISSING ON THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL AND THE REAR PADS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, THERE WAS A NOISE HEARD IN THE REAR WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS, THE POWER SUPPLY PLUG IN THE REAR CARGO...

WHILE DRIVING, THE POWER LOCKS MOVED UP AND DOWN ON THEIR OWN. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK *JB