There are 15 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2017 Mercedes-Benz C-Classin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
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While driving on the freeway car pool lane with my wife, a sudden vibration in the front tires was observed, the car felt like it was pushed to the right then to the left even though it was in the center of the lane. Told my wife, "something is wrong with the car!" Thinking that I may have had a flat tire, I slowed down, the car went into a violent flat spin until the right rear end of the car hit the center lane divider. Airbags deployed. 911 was called, we were assisted by Highway patrol to the other side of the freeway. As the car was put on a flatbed tow truck, the tow truck driver commented that one of the front wheel was not turning. We found out that the right rack and pinion broke. The car was declared a Total Loss.
I was driving on highway I95, all the sudden, the vehicle shows, Power Steering Malfunctioning See Owner's Manual. I've lost the power steering in the middle of the highway. The steering was so hard and not safe. The next day, I've started the car and the issue isn't there anymore! Now the car is driving fine!!! Please, this need to be fixed, cause it may happen again, and that happens on a sharp curve, it may lead to a crash!
When I started my car, the dash did not reveal park, drive, or reverse. It illuminated with a warning light indicating an Electronic Stability Problem (ESP). Research revealed this to be an important safety feature and that the Mercedes-warning-lights-electric-stability-control may have problems with traction control requiring attention. The ESP light was NOT flashing for the system to intervene – as the car was parked in my garage. It did not light up with the word ‘OFF’ to assess whether it may have been inadvertently deactivated. The light stayed on indicating a suddenly improperly working ESP system. The light remained on after stopping and restarting the engine several times as the dealer maintenance technician suggested concluding with my vehicle being towed to Mercedes Benz of Augusta for service. I am not sure if the MB mechanic reproduced the issue as they discussed several other potential failure points before resolving to replace an item in the steering control module. Experiencing this alert, I became more concerned that a safety inspection may not have been part of the last maintenance service. This is my third Mercedes and I make sure to keep up with all my maintenance. I had never seen this warning light before. Up until this time the only warning light I had seen in my car was for low air in my tires. My safety was not at immediate risk. I am glad my car was not able to be driven, as I would have hated for it to stop while I was out and about. I am a proud Mercedes Benz owner as they are world renown for the safest cars on the road. My car has just over 25,000 miles and it was unimaginable that it would have this kind of failure. I should not be held accountable to pay for a safety failure that I should be part of required maintenance checks. An additional periodic Mercedes required safety inspection could prevent this potential breakdown while providing another measure to protect the life of Mercedes Benz owners.
The electronic rear axle differential lock is inoperative; NHTSA previously issued a recall but I was never given a date to fix by the manufacturer.
SO I JUST GOT MY MERCEDES BENZ C300 4MATIC I ONLY HAVE 44,711 MILES ON IT AND I BARELY DRIVE IT, SO TODAY I WAS DRIVING AND THE WHOLE DAY THINGS WERE GREAT AND I STOPPED AT A STORE GOT BACK IN AND IT SAYS 'POWER STEERING MALFUNCTION' I WAS ON A STREET IN THE CITY, I'M ON CONFUSED ON HOW THIS IS HAPPENING TO A CAR I JUST GOT FROM THE DEALERSHIP THAT IS PRACTICALLY NEW, NOW LET ME MENTION THAT THIS IS A ON AND OFF ISSUE THROUGH OUT THIS WHOLE DAY IT HAS CAME ON AND OFF TWICE
The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while starting and driving the vehicle, the electric power steering was inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V243000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2017 MERCEDES BENZ C43 AMG. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 63 MPH IN THE RAIN, LOSS CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AS IT SLED TO THE LEFT AND CRASHED INTO THE GUARD RAIL. THE INCIDENT OF MARCH 12TH DID NOT FEEL LIKE I HAD HYDRO-PLANNED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED SUCH AS AIR BAGS FAILURE, SHOCK FAILURE, SUSPENSION FAILURE AND TRACK FAILURE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND NO POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE'S DRIVER'S SIDE WAS DAMAGED UNDER THE FRONT BUMPER AND THE FRAME WAS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO BODY REPAIR FACILITY WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE STEERING WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED AND A FAILURE CAUSE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED THE FAILURE ON-LINE AND BELIEVES THAT THE ELECTRIC STEERING WAS DEFECTIVE AND MAY BE A CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL FOR ELECTRICAL STEERING. DURING THE INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE BY PENSKE AUTO COLLISION CENTER, THE TECHNICIAN COULD NOT TELL IF THE STEERING DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED DURING THE COLLISION OR AS A RESULT OF A DEFECT. THEY ALSO FOUND DAMAGE TO THE REAR DRIVE UNIT ALTHOUGH, AS VERY VISIBLE IN THE PHOTOS, THE VEHICLE STRUCK THE BARRIER WITH THE FRONT LEFT (DRIVER'S SIDE) PORTION OF THE FRONT BUMPER. THE REAR OF THE CAR NEVER SLAMMED INTO THE BARRIER BUT DID SCRAPE ALONG THE DRIVER'S SIDE MOMENTARILY BUT THERE WAS NO IMPACT. THE COLLISION CENTER COULD NOT ACCOUNT FOR THE DAMAGE TO THE REAR DRIVE UNIT. IN RESEARCH, I FOUND A FEW MENTIONS AND COMPLAINTS OF THE REAR AXLE DISENGAGING WHICH COULD CAUSE LOSS OF CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED BY THE CONTACT'S INSURANCE COMPANY. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000. *DT*JB
The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to make a turn, the steering wheel was significantly difficult to turn. The contact stated that he was able to drive the vehicle however, an extra effort was needed to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local Pep Boys who informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V850000 (Steering). The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
ON 7/30/18 I WAS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET AFTER THE COOLANT MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR BEGAN OVERHEATING, AND THERE WAS NO AC. I WAITED FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE MORE THAN 3 HOURS. I WAS INFORMED OF THE INCORRECT POSITIONING OF THE ALTERNATOR FROM MANUFACTURING, WHICH RESULTED IN MULTIPLE LIGHTS ON CLUSTER. THEY FOUND THE ENGINE BELT FELL OFF & REPLACED THE V-BELT. THEY PERFORMED LI13.22-P-060187, AND RELEASED STRESS OF ALTERNATOR AND CORRECTED TORQUE. THEY ALSO WORKED ON A CAMPAIGN/RECALL (#2018070005) I HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF. ON 3/15/19 DURING THE SCHEDULED 20K SERVICE, THEY TESTED BATTERY TEST CODE WITH CABIN FILTERS WIPERS AND BRAKE FLUID SERVICE AND PERFORMED A VEHICLE INSPECTION. ON 3/19/19, 4 DAYS AFTER THE SCHEDULED 20K SERVICE, I WAS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF US1 DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC ON MY WAY TO WORK. THE COOLANT LIGHT CAME AGAIN. THANKFULLY, I SAFELY AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT AFTER THE CAR TURNED OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. THE REPORT SHOWED A WEAK CRANK & BATTERY MESSAGE ON THE CLUSTER DISPLAY. THEY TESTED THE BATTERY AND FOUND CODE HR250BT-DAD4LFB STATING, 'REPLACE BATTERY'. THEY REMOVED A0019820208 DATE 45/16 AND INSTALLED A0019829108 DATE 03/18. THE DRIVE BELT HAD COME OFF THE DRIVE SYSTEM & FOUND LI13.22-P-060187, WHICH STATED THEY NEEDED TO PERFORM AN ALIGNMENT PROCEDURE OF THE ALTERNATOR AND INSTALLED A NEW BELT FOR THE 2ND TIME. THE BELT ACTUALLY CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE TENSIONING DEVICE, WHICH RESULTED IN THEM REPLACING THE TENSIONER, AND PERFORMING THE INSTRUCTION FOR LI. THEY TEST DROVE THE CAR & SAID IT WAS FIXED. ON 4/4/19, JUST 3 DAYS AFTER PICKING UP MY CAR, IT TURNED OFF ON MY AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF US1. THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON AND A MESSAGE POPPED UP STATING THAT THE SYSTEM WOULD SHUT DOWN IN 3 MINUTES. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT ON A CONGESTED ROAD.
I was driving on a straight away doing the speed limit which is reported seconds before the car crash. The steering wheel turned to the left really hard out of no where and wouldn’t let me gain control over the car again. I was sober it was 9am and I was aware of my driving. I ended up spinning out and landed in the ditch feet away from the light pole. I made it know to everyone what happened, but they looked at me crazy. I stopped driving that car and sent it back to Mercedes to get a detailed inspection. Which lasted about 30 days for them to get back to me about what happened. When I received the call to get my car they didn’t provide any information about the incident. Instead they just sent it to corporate and left me in the dark. I was in pain during this whole time. I was couldn’t find a lawyer that was willing to help. It’s been three years since the incident and I will have to live with pain for the rest of my life. It’s not fair that we need thousands of dollars to be heard. I have all communication and documentation that was given during the time of incident.
POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING NEARLY CAUSING A MULTI CAR ACCIDENT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V850000 (STEERING). THE CONTACT CALLED KEYES EUROPEAN MERCEDES-BENZ AT 818-574-5053 (LOCATED AT 5400 VAN NUYS BLVD, SHERMAN OAKS, CA 91401) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED.
PROBLEM "POWER STEERING MALFUNCTION" . FRIST TIME OF THIS HAPPENED WAS FROM MAY 17, 2018,THE STEERING WHEEL CANNOT MOVE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS START UP. SECOND TIME IS TODAY,OCT 16,2018. WHEN I START UP THE CAT, "POWER STEERING MALFUNCTION" COME UP ON SCREEN. THINK IF STEERING CANNOT TURNING WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, WHAT WILL HAPPEN! ONE OF MY FRIEND BOSS HAD SAME PROBLEM WHILE HE IS TURNING ON THE ROAD AND HIT THE WALL!
STEERING WHEEL MALFUNCTION. CAR PARKED AT GARAGE AND WHEN I WENT TO START I GOT THE MALFUNCTION MESSAGE AND THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN. I CALLED MERCEDES AND THEY WILL TOW THE CAR TOMORROW. FOR A BRAND NEW 2017 MERCEDES THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026