2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Fuel System Problems

I am submitting this complaint regarding a suspected safety-related defect involving the fuel system of my Mercedes-Benz vehicle. I have experienced a persistent gasoline odor originating from the vehicle. The presence of fuel odor is not a normal operating condition and reasonably indicates a potential failure involving the fuel tank, fuel lines, or related fuel system components. Fuel vapors present a known fire and explosion hazard and constitute a safety risk to vehicle occupants, surrounding vehicles, and property. This condition was not present prior to the issue and has persisted despite inspection. I reported this concern to Mercedes-Benz USA and referenced that fuel odor and fuel tank-related defects have been documented in other Mercedes-Benz vehicles. During my communication with Mercedes-Benz USA, I was informed that an extended or long-term warranty related to the fuel tank or fuel system had existed but was no longer applicable because the coverage period had expired. I was not made aware of this extended warranty at the time it was active and therefore had no opportunity to seek inspection or repair while coverage was in effect. Mercedes-Benz USA has acknowledged my complaint but has declined to provide corrective action beyond internal review. Given the safety implications of fuel system defects and the potential impact of inadequate disclosure of extended safety-related warranty coverage, I am requesting that NHTSA document this complaint and evaluate whether this condition represents a broader defect trend and whether recall or further investigation is warranted. This complaint is submitted to ensure the issue is formally recorded as a potential fuel system safety defect.

The contact owns a 2004 Mercedes-Benz E500. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, there was an abnormally strong fuel odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated that upon making a stop, he noticed fuel leaking onto the driver's side rear wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the failure was associated with an unknown recall for the fuel tank. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

Extreme Gas Odor after filling gas tank and during time of driving.

The contact owns a 2004 Mercedes-Benz E55. The contact stated that upon placing fuel into the gas tank, a strong gasoline odor began to emit from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact removed the rear seat and saw that fuel had leaked from the fuel pumps. The contact reached out to the manufacturer through the manufacturer’s website and his request to repair the vehicle was denied. The contact wrote a letter to the manufacturer and the manufacturer denied the repair a second time. The contact stated that the same failure occurred back in 2008 and that the vehicle was repaired under a manufacturer’s recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

VEHICLE HAS A RECALL ON REPLACEMENT OF FUEL TANK. MERCEDES BENZ DEALER DID NOT WANT TO HONOR THE RECALL. WHEN I FILL CAR UP WITH GAS IT LEAKS OUT OF THE TANK AND ON THE GROUND. MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER SAID I MISSED THE TIME FOR THE RECALL. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP BEFORE THE RECALL ENDED IN 2019 SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE ADVISOR AT THE MCKINNEY MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERSHIP AND I INFORMED HIM THE CAR WAS NOT DRIVABLE DUE TO THE BRAKING SYSTEM FAILURE CALL THE SPC HYDRAULIC PUMP. TURNS OUT THAT IS ALSO A RECALL THAT IS WIDELY KNOWN.AT THAT TIME THE CAR WAS NOT DRIVABLE AND THEN THE PANDEMIC HIT SO THERE WAS NO NEED TO TAKE IT UP THERE AT THE TIME DUE TO COVID. MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD HONOR THIS SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD LEAD TO A DEADLY SITUATION IF NOT ADDRESSED. THEY HAVE BEEN DECEPTIVE BY MARKING THIS IS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ISSUE AND NOT A SAFETY RECALL ISSUE. THEY PRETTY MUCH TOLD ME SINCE I DON'T HAVE MY CAR WORKED ON AT THE DEALERSHIP, THEY DON'T WANT TO HELP ME IN THIS SITUATION. THEY MENTIONED HAD THE CAR BEEN SERVICED AT THE DEALERSHIP AND NOT AT THE INDEPENDENT SHOO THAT I USED I MAY HAVE HAD A BETTER CHANCE AT THEM COVERING THE CHARGES FOR THIS TANK REPLACEMENT.

RECEIVED THE CAR FROM MY DAD AS A GIFT STONG SMELL OF GAS COMING FROM INSIDE ONLY RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION FOR OUR NEWBORN BABY NOW DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO... LOOKED ALL OVER THE INTERNET AND FOR RECALLS AND SEEN A FEW.. BUT THEN I SEE ALOT OF PEOPLE SAYING NOTHING HAPPENS... JUST SAYING WITH SOMETHING THAT HAD A PREVIOUS RECALL ON AND IF SOMETHING WOULD TO GO WRONG WITH ANYONE'S FAMILY THAT IS A HELL OF A LAWSUIT....

I FILLED THE GAS TANK FULL AND ON PULLING IN THE GARAGE COULD SMELL A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE... WENT TO GET MY OIL CHANGE THE NEXT DAY AND THE GENTLEMAN MENTIONED HE COULD SMELL GAS COMING FROM MY CAR AT VALVOLINE OIL CHANGE.... VERY STRONG SMELL IN THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR AS WELL AS WHEN WALKING AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAR YOU COULD SMELL A STRONG SMELL OF GAS... THE GENTLEMAN FROM VALVOLINE LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND SAID THERE'S SOME TYPE OF COVER THAT GOES UNDERNEATH THE GAS TANK ITSELF AND PUT HIS FINGER INTO IT AND COULD TOUCH GASOLINE ON HIS HAND... I JUST WENT ONTO THE INTERNET AND READ MANY MANY COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME THING WITH THIS TYPE OF CAR LAWSUITS HAVE BEEN FILED... IN THOSE COMPLAINTS THE PEOPLE THAT BROUGHT THEIR CAR TO DEALERSHIP SAID THAT IT WAS VERY EXPENSIVE TO REMEDY AND THAT THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL... AFTER DRIVING A LITTLE BIT AND REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF GASOLINE IN THE TANK THE SMELL HAS SUBSIDED SOMEWHAT... THOSE COMPLAINTS ALSO MENTION THAT IT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS WITH THIS TYPE OF LEAK

STRONG GASOLINE ODOR IN THE BACK OF THE CAR AFTER FILLING UP THE TANK. DEALERSHIP CONFIRMED THAT THE TANK NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS ISSUE WAS COVERED AT SOME POINT BUT WAS NEVER DONE TO THIS SPECIFIC CAR VRTC-DCD-3206. I PURCHASED THE CAR A FEW WEEKS AGO AND WAS TOLD BY MB THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER REFUSED TO DO THE FIX/SERVICE. THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE THE CABIN HAS AN INCREDIBLY STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE. IF THE FIX WAS OFFERED AT SOME POINT AND WAS NEVER DONE, WHY CANT THEY PERFORM IT NOW? QUOTE FOR FIX ATTACHED

GAS LEAK, THERE A STRONG GAS SMELL

I INHERITED THIS VEHICLE FROM MY FATHER AND WHEN I FUEL UP THE SMELL OF GAS IS OVERPOWERING. I CHANGED HOSES AND GASKETS IN 2018 AND WAS OK UNTIL 3 MONTHS AGO. NOW IT ALWAYS SMELLS LIKE GAS TO THE POINT OF LIGHT-HEADED AND VOMITING. CALLED MERCEDES THERE WAS AN ACTIVE RECALL THAT EXPIRED IN 2019 BUT I HAD NEVER RECEIVED NOTICES AND SPOKE TO MY MOTHER THAT ALSO NEVER RECEIVED. MERCEDES ADMITTED THEY HAD INCORRECT ADDRESS SO THEY WERE SENDING TO A DECEASED PERSON TO WRONG ADDRESS. BUT SINCE IT IS EXPIRED, THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO FOR A FAULTY FUEL TANK THAT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS

SMELL OF STRONG GAS ODOR. RECALL EXPIRED LESS THEN ONE YEAR AGO SO MERCEDES WONT FIX IT. WHY IS THERE A CUT OFF DATE TO A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION? *TR

BAFFLE INSIDE FUEL TANK BROKE AFTER NORMAL USE, CREATING RATTLING NOISE, CANNOT BE REPAIRED AND REPLACEMENT OF TANK REQUIRES LENGTHY VEHICLE DISASSEMBLY. *TR

When the vehicle is has a full tank of gas, there are heavy fumes of gasoline in the interior of the car. It appears to be the fuel pumps that are underneath the rear seats, leaking fuel on top, next to the the wiring. It is a hazard for fumes and possibly a fire

2004 MERCEDES E320 HAS A STRONG GAS SMELL. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND FOUND OUT THAT "1/3 THE FUEL TANK HAS A COVER ON TOP OF IT-SANDWICHED BETWEEN THE TOP OF THE TANK AND THE FLOOR OF THE VEHICLE THE TANK IS LEAKING WHERE THE COVER MEETS THE 2/3 TANK WHEN YOU PULL THE BACK SEAT OUT YOU CAN SEE THE TANK TOP-FUEL IS SEEPING OUT STAINING THE SIDE OF THE TANK" I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A 15 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY DUE TO THIS ISSUE AND I WAS ADVISED IT EXPIRED. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND I HAVE OWNED THE CAR FOR 12 YEARS. I REACHED OUT THE MERCEDES HEADQUARTERS AND THEY ADVISE ITS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE CAR CAN CATCH ON FIRE. SHOULDN'T THIS HAVE BEEN A RECALL? DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE IT IS. MERCEDES STILL STATED NOTHING THEY COULD DO. THE TANK WILL COST $2300 AND THEY ADVISE NO AFTERMARKET AVAILABLE. THIS IS UNFAIR TO THE CONSUMER BY ALL MEANS. MERCEDES KNOWING KNEW THERE WAS A ISSUE AND NO RECALL HAS BEEN DONE

VERY STRONG FUEL ODOR WHEN HALF TANK OR MORE OF GAS. CANNOT PARK IN GARAGE OR WILL SMELL ENTIRE GARAGE WITH FUEL ODOR. ALSO HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH MY PREVIOUS CAR WHICH WAS A 2004 MERCEDES E500.

DRIVER IS EXPERIENCING A HEAVY ODOR OF GASOLINE AFTER FILL UP. VEHICLE IS NOT OVERFILLED/TOPPED OFF. VEHICLE WAS SITTING INSIDE GARAGE WHEN OWNER NOTICED A HEAVY FUEL ODOR AND NOTIFIED FIRE DEPARTMENT TO INVESTIGATE. PER RECOMMENDATIONS OF FIRE DEPARTMENT, KEEP VEHICLE OUT OF GARAGE UNTIL ISSUE COULD BE INSPECTED BY A QUALIFIED MECHANIC. MECHANIC INSPECTED FUEL SYSTEM AND FOUND FUEL LEAK UNDER REAR SEATS NEAR FUEL PUMP/SENDING UNIT. MERCEDES BENZ REFUSES REPAIR ISSUE SAYING IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. GASOLINE FUMES/VAPORS ARE ESPECIALLY HEAVY INSIDE A SINGLE CAR GARAGE, AND IF A IGNITION SOURCE IS INTRODUCED IT COULD BECOME FATAL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MERCEDES-BENZ E500. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REFUELED, THE CONTACT BECAME AWARE OF A FUEL LEAK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL ODOR DETECTED OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WAS RED AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF GOLDENS BRIDGE 321 NY-22, GOLDENS BRIDGE, NY 10526, (914) 232-8122 TO BE DIAGNOSED. A FUEL LEAK WAS CONFIRMED HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED OR INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.

FUEL SMELL AFTER FILLING WITH GAS. *TR

SMELL STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE AFTER FILLING GAS TANK OVER PAST SEVERAL MONTHS

STRONG GAS SMELL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. CHECK ENGINE CAME ON AND GAVE ME A CODE P0456. PLESSE ADVISE!