| Issue ID | 1164360 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10692765 |
| Manufacurer | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| Brand | MERCEDES BENZ |
| Model | E350 |
| Model Year | 2014 |
| File date | 08/02/15 |
| Component | STRUCTURE |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | My car has an electronic trunk closure. With this feature, when someone kicks their foot under the rear bumper of the car, the trunk lid opens or closes automatically, assuming he or she has the car fob in his or her possession. My wife has had the trunk lid close on her head on two occasions while taking items our of the trunk. She inadvertently engaged the automatic closure while leaning into the trunk. The first time, the trunk lid hit the back of her head, the second time it hit her forehead. In each case for several days following the accident, she had headaches and swelling at the point of contact with a black and blue mark on her forehead the second time. She took medication to relieve the headaches and applied ice packs to reduce the swelling of her head. While my wife is ok now, she could have been more seriously hurt by this poorly designed car feature. This represents a safety hazard in the automobile. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 7500 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | CHESTERFIELD, MO |
| VIN pattern | WDDHF8JBXEBXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | N |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | 1 |
| No. of fatalities | 0 |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
| Drive train type | RWD |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 0 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |