NHTSA complaint: 2003 MERCEDES BENZ S CLASS — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
MY 2003 MERCEDES S500 HAS TWICE ELECTRONICALLY SELF-CLOSED IT'S TRUNK ON TWO SEPARATE USERS, ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO TWO SEPARATE MERCEDES DEALERS FOR THE PROBLEM. ONE OF THOSE DEALERS REPLACED A NUMBER OF PARTS. DESPITE DOING SO, THE SECOND OCCURRENCE (LAST NIGHT), LEFT MY OTHER HALF IN TEARS, PAIN, WITH A RECESS IN HER HEAD AND A HEADACHE. THE ELECTRONIC TRUNK LID HAS HAD INSTANCES WHERE IT DOES NOT OPEN ALL THE WAY, DOES NOT CLOSE ALL THE WAY, OR A COMBINATION OF THE TWO. THEN THERE IS THE MORE SERIOUS AND I BELIEVE POTENTIALLY LIFE TREATING, UNPROVOKED, UNEXPLAINED AND AS YET UN FIXED ELECTRONIC CLOSING THAT HAS TWICE OCCURRED WHEN PUTTING IN OR REMOVING GOODS FROM THE TRUNK. I WOULD FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT I AM THE ONLY OWNER WHO HAS HAD SUCH A PROBLEM. THE METAL TRUNK LID COMES DOWN WITH FORCE STRIKING DIRECTLY ON THE TOP OF AN ADULTS HEAD. IT IS UNKNOWN WHAT IT WOULD DO TO A NON-ADULT. I HAVE SPOKEN TO A REPRESENTATIVE FOR MERCEDES WHO STATES TO HER KNOWLEDGE THERE IS NO PROBLEM AND THAT THEY WOULD BE HAPPY TO GET THE CAR IN AND ATTEMPT TO FIX IT, BUT CAN NOT GUARANTEE THEY CAN. THE FIRST TIME IT OCCURRED, IT HIT ME AND NEARLY KNOCKED ME OUT. AFTER BRINGING THE CAR IN I ASSUMED IT WAS FIXED, HOWEVER, AFTER LAST NIGHT, IT CLEARLY IS NOT. THOUGH I CAN NOT MAKE IT PERFORM UPON COMMAND, I HAVE NO REASON TO BELIEVE IT WILL NOT OCCUR AGAIN. *JB
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation