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Mercedes-Benz C-Class and AMG: Recalls and Technical Service Bulletins

If you're in the market for a Mercedes-Benz C-Class, it's helpful to be informed of any problems, recalls, and service bulletins the company may have sent out regarding the model you're interested in.

By Jeffrey Bausch - May 14, 2015

This article applies to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class w204 (2007-2014).

Generally speaking, a Mercedes-Benz C-Class vehicle is seen as a high-class car, built of quality components, and manufactured with tremendous attention to detail. Still, this does not mean that the company’s cars are not subject to the occasional recall or Technical Service Bulletin. If you’re in the market for a Mercedes-Benz, it’s helpful to be informed of any issues the car may have experienced in the past. Read on to learn about some of the common problems, recalls, and Service Bulletins specific to the C-Class w204 line of Mercedes-Benz.

Recalls and Bulletins

In case you’re unfamiliar with recalls, note that this occurs when either Mercedes-Benz (or the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration) determines that a specific car model has either a mechanical or safety related issue, which results in the car not meeting motor vehicle safety standards.

In terms of Technical Service Bulletins, these are released by Mercedes-Benz as a suggested procedure to address unforeseen issues or problems that are being reported by a collection of car drivers.

Both recalls and Technical Service Bulletins can be seen as public service announcements put out by Mercedes-Benz in order to provide better safety to the general public, and better vehicle performance for their drivers. If you already are a Mercedes-Benz owner, who is interested in accessing a database with all reported recalls and Technical Service Bulletins per your specific model, visit the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration’s website or go to the Mercedes-Benz safety page.

Recalls

June 2008: A recall was issued for Mercedes-Benz vehicles fitted with the 3.0-litre OM642 V6 turbo-diesel engine that were manufactured between May 2006 and October 2007. An open circuit in the chip housing of the crankshaft position sensor could occur due to contamination of the silicone during its manufacture. When this happened, the engine would lose all power and not restart. To repair, the crankshaft position sensor was replaced.

November 2010: A recall was issued for Mercedes-Benz w204 C-Class sedan vehicles (manufactured between June 1, 2009 and February 28, 2010) for higher than normally required steering forces. In particular, during parking maneuvers. In all likelihood, this was caused by a loss of fluid at the connection between the high-pressure line and the power steering pump. Such loss of fluid was generally followed by a whining noise from the pump.

December 2010: A recall was issued for Mercedes-Benz vehicles fitted with the OM651 2.1-litre turbo-diesel 4-cylinder engine that were produced between November 1, 2009 and November 1, 2010. Recall was issued due to possible leaking of diesel fuel from the fuel filter.

January 2012: A recall was issued for Mercedes-Benz w204 C320 CDI and C350 CDI models fitted with the OM642 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, and manufactured from November 2009 to July 2011. Per the recall, the fuel filter was believed to be leaking diesel fuel, which, in turn, posed a potential hazard to other drivers and road users.

January 2015: A recall was issued for Mercedes-Benz vehicles with the OM651 turbo-diesel engine that were available for sale during 2014. Recall was issued because the seal ring between the timing chain tensioner and the engine was leaking oil, which posed a potential hazard to other drivers, road users, and, in extreme circumstances, a fire risk.

Figure 1. A faulty crankshaft position sensor caused the engine to lose power.

Technical Service Bulletins

As mentioned earlier, Mercedes-Benz releases a Technical Service Bulletin as a means for assisting owners with fixing a particular issue, whether it’s mechanical or safety-related. It could be something as simple as adjusting a windshield wiper, or something a bit more specific like addressing a slight vibration from tire wear.

Dozens of bulletins were released for the w204. The following is a list of some of them:

  • Engine may not restart after it has been running, but will restart once cooled. This was believed to be due to a faulty control unit for the fuel pump.
  • Knocking noises from engine bay during low speed maneuvers may be due to problems with hydro bushings. The improved bushings were subsequently released.
  • Low oil warning when the oil level is sufficient. this was believed to be due to a faulty oil level switch or software error.
  • Sunroof may not close automatically due to a faulty control module. If this is the case, the control needs to be re-flashed.
  • Climate control air conditioning may not function properly if snow enters through cowl. A revised cowl was subsequently released and could be retrofitted.
Figure 2. A faulty oil level switch or software error indicated low oil level.

Pro Tip

To review a full listing of all the Technical Service Bulletins for the specific year and model of your Mercedes-Benz w204, head here.

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