# 1995 MERCEDES BENZ C280 — VISIBILITY/WIPER
> NHTSA complaint `946643` · 2012-10-26 · Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 0
- **Fire:** Yes
- **Crash:** No
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** MERCEDES BENZ
- **Model:** C280
- **Year:** 1995
- **Manufacturer:** Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
- **Component:** VISIBILITY/WIPER
- **Miles at failure:** 109,033
## 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
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*