2024 MERCEDES-BENZ C-Class

On Friday [XXX] at approximately [XXX]. My wife and I were driving our 2024 C-Class 300 (~8,000 miles on this vehicle) on [XXX] and entering the intersection of [XXX]. Riverside, CA 92506 when all of sudden the car just died (the engine stopped running, pushing the gas pedal with no power) and all the dashboard lights came on flashing like crazy. This incident paced my wife and I in a very venerable bad not safe situation. If there was any traffic at in this intersection at that moment it would have been a bad situation. I called MB Walter's they could hear the sounds which were loud and they ask me to open and close the doors to see if sound would stop and wait 5 minutes and try to restart. Waited 5 minutes car started and we drove it to Walter's. The week before I had it back in the service department because the finger print function was not working any longer. They supposedly replaced the software package and then this major issue happen. The service department at Walter's has tried at least two times to download a new software package however this vehicle is not allowing it to accept it. They said engineers from the East coast were trying to help but nothing has been accomplished. It is becoming frustrating and allowing the overall safety concern has been increasing for my wife and I. What if this happens again and we are on the freeway or a street with traffic which both situations could cause a severe accident and harm. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The driver’s seat in my car moves backward on its own while I’m driving. I’ve taken the car to the dealership several times, but the issue still hasn’t been resolved. This is extremely dangerous and frightening. It has happened twice on the highway, Several times in the dealership’s garage, And most recently, while I was pulling out of a parking spot: Half of my car was still in the parking area and the other half was already in the street. The road had a curve, so other drivers couldn’t see me until they got very close, which could have caused a serious accident. This is a serious safety concern that needs immediate attention.

The vehicle appears to have experienced a braking system malfunction, possibly involving the brake-by-wire system, electronic stability control (ESC), or unintended acceleration event. When the brake pedal was fully depressed, the car suddenly and uncontrollably accelerated forward into a cinder block wall. After the incident, it was observed that only the left-side tires left skid marks, indicating an apparent brake imbalance or failure on the right side. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others were severely compromised. My daughter and I were in the car during this and are extremely traumatized. Despite pressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated forward and crashed into a cinder block wall, which could have resulted in serious injury or death had a person, pedestrian, or oncoming vehicle been in front. This type of malfunction poses a critical risk of high-speed unintended collisions in public or residential areas. As of now, the problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center, but further inspection is pending. I am requesting a full diagnostic evaluation, including electronic and mechanical systems related to throttle and braking. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by Mercedes-Benz, police, or insurance representatives, but the car is in the possession of a Mercedes’ collision center. NO, there were no warning lamps, messages, or unusual symptoms on the dashboard prior to the event. The vehicle gave no indication of mechanical or electronic failure before the sudden acceleration occurred.

Issue: Post-Airbag Deployment PCM Lockout Description: I am reporting a critical safety concern regarding the 2024 Mercedes-Benz C300. After an airbag deployment, the vehicle's Powertrain Control Module (PCM) is designed to automatically lock, preventing the engine from being restarted. While this feature is intended to enhance safety, it poses significant risks in certain emergency situations. For instance, in scenarios such as a landslide, attempted robbery, or a collision with wildlife in a remote area with poor cell signal, this design could leave the driver stranded without the ability to restart the vehicle and drive to safety. The inability to restart the vehicle could result in life-threatening situations where immediate evacuation from the scene is necessary. Recommendation: To mitigate this risk, I strongly suggest implementing an emergency override function that allows the driver to restart the vehicle after airbag deployment if they are in a clear state of consciousness. This could be achieved by incorporating a method such as long-pressing the ignition button, which would allow the driver to force-start the vehicle and improve their chances of survival in critical situations.

The vehicle was in drive, as I was turning right, the vehicle shifted from p(park) to n(netural) on the roadway. The car would not allow me to shift back to drive. I had to literally turn the car off and then back on in the middle of the road in order to put it back in drive Thankfully, there was not a vehicle nearby at the time, which could have caused a major accident or lost of life. At the time there was not a warning message at the time. Three days later tire pressure warning with fluctuating numbers occurred. I have only had this vehicle, purchased new for under five months. The vehicle is currently sitting in the service department at the Mercedes dealership waiting on a diagnosis(4) days so far. I will no longer feel safe and fear for my safety in that vehicle.

Within the first week of ownership (delivery on 1/15/24), the car's parking and/or front collision sensors started malfunctioning on a regular basis. The sensors repeatedly gave off false alerts when the car would approach intersections even though no obstacles were in front of, or behind, the car. The false alerts were quite startling and they consisted of loud alarms and warning images in both the driver's display and the car's heads up display. The repeated false alarms posed a significant safety hazard because they initially caused me to slam on the brakes risking a rear end collision. Once I realized the sensors were malfunctioning, I started to ignore them which is equally dangerous if a real collision needed to be averted. The car is currently in the service department, and it has been there for a total of 29 days thus far. It was initially thought that a software update would resolve the problem, but that did not work. After the software update was completed, a new "parktronic" module was installed. That also did not solve the issue. I am now being advised that the car is issuing fault codes related to the airbag system. It seems that there are some serious electrical problems that are plaguing the vehicle. The service department has advised me that they have no clear date on when this issue will be resolved.