2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Electrical System

WAKING UP TO GO TO WORK, I ATTEMPTED TO START MY CAR. I HAVE HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE SINCE I PURCHASED IT A YEAR AGO, AND WITH ONLY 65K MILES I DIDNT EXPECT ANY PROBLEMS. SINCE IM NOT A CAR GUY I GOT IT TOWED SINCE IT WOULDNT START. NO TICKING NO NOTHING, AND NO WARNING AT ALL. THE MECHANIC SAID THE BATTERY WAS IN GOOD ORDER BUT IT WAS THE EIS THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. LOOKS TO BE A MAJOR CONCERN AND A COMMON PROBLEM FOR OTHER OWNERS. WHAT A WAY TO START THE WEEK OF CHRISTMAS IN TEXAS WITH 70 DEGREE WEATHER

WOKE UP TO GO TO MY CAR AND IT WOULD NOT START. I WAS HEADED INTO WORK AND WAS LATE BECAUSE OF IT. I TRIED RELAXING EVERYTHING THING FROM FUSES TO NEW KEY TO NEW BATTERY. NOTHING WORKED. IT KEPT MAKING A TICKING NOISE WHEN I WOULD TURN THE CAR ON. THE LIGHTS WOULD LIGHT UP BUT CAR WOULD NOT TURN OVER. I OWN A 2008 C300 AND NOTICED IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS PART BUT MERCEDES WILL IT FIX THE ISSUE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE KEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,685.

HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH AND/OR STEERING WHEEL LOCKING MECHANISM. VEHICLE WILL NOT START. THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH MANY C 300'S

I CAME HOME FROM WORK ON 6/8/2015 AND LATER RETURNED TO MY CAR TO MEET A FRIEND FOR DINNER. THE DOORS UNLOCKED AND THE LIGHTS CAME ON BUT THE CAR WILL NOT START. THE STEERING WHEEL TURNS BUT THE CAR WILL NOT START. I HAVE TRIED BOTH KEYS, CHECKED TH BATTERY. AFTER SPEAKING WITH MY MECHANIC I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT IS IS THE IGNITION SWITCH. I WILL HAVE TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. I HAVE SEEN ON THE BENZ FORUM THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT MERCEDES WILL NOT TAKE OWNERSHIP OF. I WILL NEVER BY A MERCEDES AGAIN.

UPDATE: OCT 19, 2015 MY CAR WOULDN'T TURN OVER. THE LIGHTS, RADIO AND BATTERY WERE FINE. I TRIED TO JUMP THE CAR JUST IN CASE (IT WASN'T THE BATTERY) HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY. THE FOLLOWING DAY THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME IT WAS THE EIS SWITCH (ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK). PRICE TAG $1212 AND SOME CHANGE.

I HAD STOPPED TO CHECK THE MAILBOX IN THE PARKING LOT, TURNING THE ENGINE OFF. UPON RETURN, ENGINE WOULDN'T CRANK; WINDOWS WOULDN'T GO DOWN. DASHBOARD INDICATOR & INTERIOR/EXTERIOR LIGHTS WORKED. STEERING COLUMN LOCKED; UNABLE TO SHIFT GEAR FROM PARK. TOWED CAR TO DEALER. I HAD ONLY ONE KEY FOB. THEY WANTED TO TEST A SECOND ONE; SINCE I DIDN'T OWN ONE, THEY STATED I SHOULD PURCHASE ONE FOR $250 IN CASE IT WAS A FOB PROBLEM. IT WASN'T. THE EIS--ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH (THEY CALLED IT "STEERING LOCK" AKA ESL--ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK) IS THE CAUSE, ACCORDING TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY WANT $1100 FOR THAT ISSUE, TOTAL OF $1420 + TAX.

MY 2008 C300 WAS PARKED. I CAME OUTSIDE TO HEAD OUT AND MY IGNITION WOULD NOT TURN OVER BUT ALL LIGHTS, RADIO, SEAT, ETC WERE WORKING JUST FINE. WINDOWS AND SUNROOF DON'T WORK. MY CAR IS STOPPED AT 68,018 MILES.

2ND TIME WITH SAME EIS ISSUE IN ONE YEAR. IGNITION WOULD NOT TURN OVER BUT ALL LIGHTS, RADIO, ETC WERE WORKING JUST FINE. IT COST ME $1300 TO GET IT FIXED THE FIRST TIME AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP. WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. A YEAR LATER I HAVE TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN?!?! IT IS RIDICULOUS THAT MERCEDES DOES NOT RECALL THIS ISSUE AS IT IS SO COMMON AFTER READING SO MANY POSTS ABOUT IT.

IGNATION SWITCH COMPLELY DEAD. BATTERY OK. VEHICALE WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY. USED VEHICALE IN MORNING RAN FINE. WENT USED VEHICALE AFTERNOON. IGNATION SWITCH COMPLELY DEAD. THEY MUST BE RECALL ON THIS IGNATION SWITCH PROBLEM. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER.

EIS/ STEERING WHEEL LOCK FAILURE. LEFT STRANDED FOR 4 HOURS.

I REPLACED THE BATTERY AND KEY DUE TO CAR NOT STARTING ($600 AND 1 WEEK IN THE SHOP). 2 DAYS LATER, THE NEW KEY FAILED TO START THE CAR DUE TO THE SAME ISSUE. EIS FAILURE WILL COST ANOTHER $1200. THIS SHOULD BE PART OF A RECALL, I WAS STRANDED TWICE AND IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL.

HELLO, I INSERTED MY KEY INTO MY 2008 C300, BUT THE CAR WON'T START. IT TURNS AS IT SHOULD, BUT THE CAR ISN'T STARTING. THE BATTERY FOR THE CAR IS NEW AND READS 12.6 V WHEN TESTED. THE RADIO AND LIGHTS WORK, BUT THE WINDOWS WON'T ROLL UP OR THE SUNROOF, AND THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT DOESN'T LIGHT UP. WITH THE KEY INSIDE THE IGNITION AND THE DOOR OPENED, THE CAR NOTIFIES ME TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. I AM NOT SURE WHAT'S GOING ON, ANY IDEAS?

CAR WONT START. COMPUTER RECOGNIZES KEY IN IGNITION BUT DOESN'T TURN ON ANY INSTRUMENTS OR START THE CAR. TRIED A SPARE KEY - SAME ISSUE. REMOTES UNLOCK AND LOCK FINE BUT IGNITION WONT TURN ON. *TR

CAR WILL NOT START. VERY COMMON FOR THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. THE KEY WILL NOT START THE ENGINE

ON JULY 6, 2015, I LEFT WORK TO GO HOME AND MY CAR WOULD NOT START. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME IN THREE WEEKS I HAVE HAD TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED FROM WORK DUE TO IT NOT STARTING. HOWEVER, THIS TIME I HAD IT TOWED TO THE MERCEDES BENZ DEALER AND WAS INFORMED I HAVE A FAULTY EIS SYSTEM THAT NEEDS $2100 IN REPAIRS. I IMMEDIATELY INFORMED THEM THAT THE CAR HAS BEEN SHUTTING DOWN ON ME FOR THE PAST THREE WEEKS AND I DON'T BELIEVE I AM THE ONLY PERSON HAVING THIS PROBLEM. AFTER BEING GIVEN A LOANER CAR, UNTIL I CAN DECIDE TO HAVE THE REPAIR WORK INITIATED, I FOUND OUT THROUGH ONLINE RESEARCH THAT MERCEDES BENZ HAS KNOWN OF THIS PROBLEM AND HAS NOT OFFERED TO RECALL ANY OF THE CARS AFFECTED IN THE 2008 C300 CLASS OR ANY OTHER CLASS OF MB WITH THE SAME EIS PROBLEMS. IT'S SAD THAT WE ALLOW THEM TO SELL US THESE CARS AND THEY WONT HONOR OUR PATRONAGE ENOUGH TO FIX THEM WHEN THE BREAK DOWN AS A FAULT OF DESIGN BY MB. IT IS ABSOLUTELY ASTONISHING THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS WITH THIS SAME ELECTRICAL ISSUES THAT PLAGUE MB C-CLASS CARS. THE ONLY REASON NO ONE HAS DIED SO FAR, IS BECAUSE ONCE THEY CUT OFF YOU CAN'T START THEM TO DRIVE ANYWHERE..AND THAT LEADS TO SAFETY ISSUES AS WELL!! I HEARD THAT SOME OF THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS CAN BE COVERED UNDER THE CAM SOLENOID RECALL MB HAS. I PLAN ON CHECKING WITH MY DEALER IN REGARDS TO THIS ON TOMORROW. ..UPDATED 08/24/16 *BF

SAME AS MANY OTHERS, STEERING LOCK, WOULDN'T ID KEY, WOULDN'T START. EIS PROBLEM I BELIEVE. $980 TO FIX WITH ONLY 35K MILES! THIS IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM ACCORDING TO THE FORUMS I HAVE VISITED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED IN THE IGNITION SWITCH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE RADIO, THE HEADLIGHTS, AND OTHER ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS OPERATED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. FIRST TIME I GO TO START MY 2008 C300 AND IT WILL NOT START, WILL NOT SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL, NO WINDOWS WILL GO UP OR DOWN. I AM A REGISTERED NURSE AND WAS WORKING HOME HEALTH. WAS STUCK AT A PATIENTS HOUSE AND NOT ABLE TO SEE ANY OTHER PATIENTS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. TOOK TO MERCEDES DEALERSHIP AND TOLD IT WAS THE EIS. SO $1200 DOLLARS LATER IT WAS FIXED. AGAIN 2 YEARS LATER THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENS AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW, EIS AND $1200 REPAIR AGAIN. EVEN THE GUY FROM THE MERCEDES SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR AND MODEL. MERCEDES SHOULD BE ASHAMED TO CHARGE SO MUCH FOR A CAR AND NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR WORK. IF THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IT SHOULD BE A RECALL. I WILL NEVER OWN ANOTHER MERCEDES AS LONG AS I LIVE. MY WIFES FIRST KIA WAS MORE RELIABLE THAN THIS CAR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ C300. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE KEY WAS STUCK IN THE LOCK POSITION AND THE KEY WAS NOT PROGRAMMED TO THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ C300. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE FUEL GAUGE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V303000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000.

CAR WOULD NOT START, LOCKED IN PARK. BATTERY CHECKED OK. ALTERNATE KEY DID NOT START CAR. APPEARS TO BE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH -- WHICH WILL REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. NOTED MANY ONLINE FORUM SIMILAR COMPLAINTS, ALONG WITH THE BELOW MBUSA CAMPAIGN. CAMPAIGN NO. 2008020003, MARCH 2008 SUBJECT: MODEL 204, MODEL YEAR 2008 REPLACE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH DAIMLER AG HAS DETERMINED THAT THE EIS MAY MALFUNCTION PREVENTING THE ELECTRIC STEERING LOCK AND THE CENTRAL LOCKING FROM FUNCTIONING. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE EIS ON THE AFFECTED VEHICLES DURING THE NEXT WORKSHOP VISIT.

THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, THE KEY TURNED IN THE IGNITION WITH NO CRANK. ALL OTHER ELECTRICAL FEATURES WORKED AND THE BATTERY TESTED AS BEING OK. THE ELECTRICAL IGNITION SYSTEM JUST DID NOT RESPOND. TOW TO THE DEALERSHIP. $1350 TO FIX IT. *TR

THE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM ALSO KNOWN AS EIS IS BROKEN. I TURNED IF THE CAR AND IT DID NOT READ MY KEY. AFTER LOOKING IN THE INTERNET AND SPEAKING WITH THE MECHANIC IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE MODELS 2008 09 10 HAVE THIS DEFECTIVE PART. I ALSO SPOKE TO A SERVICE TECHNICIAN AT THE DEALER WHO WISHED TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS AND HE ADMITTED THAT JUST AT HIS DEALER THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES ARE BROUGHT IN FOR THIS SAME ISSUE AND YET MERCEDES BENZ REFUSES TO RECALL. THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO POLICE THIS MATTER WHICH IS COSTING MINIMUM $1300. *TR

THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, THE KEY TURNED IN THE IGNITION WITH NO CRANK. ALL OTHER ELECTRICAL FEATURES WORKED AND THE BATTERY TESTED AS BEING OK. THE ELECTRICAL IGNITION SYSTEM JUST DID NOT RESPOND. IN ADDITION, THE WHEELS WERE LOCKED THUS REQUIRING A SPECIAL DOLLY TO TOW THE VEHICLE. *TR