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MERCEDES BENZ HEADLIGHT LENSES — EQUIPMENT

crash · 508722 · 2004-11-29

Vehicle

Make
MERCEDES BENZ
Model
HEADLIGHT LENSES
Year
Manufacturer
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
Component
EQUIPMENT

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
Yes
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

LN LATE AUGUST, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD OF A 1999 MERCEDES BENZML430. CAR WAS DELIVERED TO THE DEALER TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM. AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS AND TESTS, MERCEDES BENZ DECIDED TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION. OWNER INCURRED COST OF LABOR. IN NOVEMBER, DRIVER WAS PARKING CAR AND REMOVED KEY FROM IGNITION WHILE TRANSMISSION WAS IN DRIVE. KEY RELEASED IN ERROR CAUSING CAR TO ROLL INTO A RAVINE AND HIT A TREE. MERCEDES HAS DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE FAILURE OF THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE. IN FACT, THEY STATE THAT THE KEYS(3)ARE WORN DOWN AND NO LONGER PROVIDE THE SAFETY BY LIMITING THE RELEASE OF THE KEY UNLESS THE CAR IS IN PARK MODE. CAR WAS DELIVERED TO MERCEDES BENZ FOR INVESTIGATION. AFTER A TWO WEEK INVESTIGATION, MERCEDES CLAIMS THE KEYS(3) WERE WORN OUT AND THAT IS WHY THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE FAILED. MERCEDES IS TAKING NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CORRECTING THE PROBLEM OR FIXING THE CAR. THE RESULT OF THIS "DEFECT" COULD INVOLVE SEVERAL FATALITIES. IF A DRIVER CAN REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT IN PARK, THIS FEATURE CAN NOT BE CLAIMED AS SAFE. IF MERCEDES CLAIMS THIS IS A KEY ISSUE, THEN ADDITIONAL SAFETY FEATURES SHOULD BE IN PLACE TO ALERT THE CONSUMER TO THIS PROBLEM. WHILE SUBMITTING THIS COMPLAINT, IT WAS NECESSARY TO FILL IN THE FIELD OF "HEADLIGHT LENSES." WRITER WAS NOT GIVEN ANY OPTIONS AND SO INPUTTED THIS INFORMATION IN ORDER TO PROCEED. AS YOU CAN SEE THE HEADLIGHT LENS HAVE NOTHING

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10100723
Machine
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