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1995 MERCEDES BENZ C280 — VISIBILITY/WIPER

fire · 946643 · 2012-10-26

Vehicle

Make
MERCEDES BENZ
Model
C280
Year
1995
Manufacturer
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
Component
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Miles at failure
109,033

Severity

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

Narrative

APPARENTLY THE W202 C-CLASS (1994-2000) BODY STYLE MERCEDES BENZ HAS A DEFECTIVE WIRING HARNESS BY USING BIODEGRADABLE INSULATION IN THEIR HARNESSES. I RECENTLY ACQUIRED A 1995 C280 WITH 109033 MILES. AS I WAS LOOKING THE CAR OVER, I NOTICED THAT THE REAR VIEW MIRROR FUSE WAS BLOWN I REPLACED IT WITH A NEW ONE. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE DRIVER SIDE MIRROR HOUSING STARTED SMOKING REAL BAD, SO I QUICKLY REMOVED THE NEW FUSE. NOW I CANNOT ADJUST THE MIRRORS TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT'S BEHIND, ALSO THE MIRROR HARNESS IS TIED WITH THE REVERSE/BACK UP LIGHTS. WITHOUT HAVING REVERSE/BACK UP LIGHTS, OTHER MOTORISTS AND OR PEDESTRIANS CANNOT KNOW IF I'M BACKING UP. AFTER SPENDING COUNTLESS HOURS ONLINE SEARCHING ABOUT THE C280'S AND OTHER C-CLASS W202 BODY STYLE, I LEARNED ABOUT THIS DEFECTIVE WIRE HARNESS. THE DEALERSHIPS WOULD CHARGE AN ARM AND A LEG FOR THE PART AND LABOR TO GET IT FIXED BUT THE PROBLEM STARTS FROM THE MANUFACTURER WITH THE FAULTY WIRES AND SHOULD BE A RECALL OR TSB (TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN) AND SHOULD BE REPLACED FOR FREE. *TR

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10482298
Machine
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