| Issue ID | 872969 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10416657 |
| Manufacurer | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. |
| Brand | MERCEDES BENZ |
| Model | ML550 |
| Model Year | 2011 |
| File date | 01/08/11 |
| Component | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | Yesterday, i was driving our 2011 mercedes ml550 on a california highway, and suddenly lost my brake lights, turn signal lights and reverse lights, due to a rodent eating the wiring of the car. This is the second time this year a rodent has eaten the wiring of this car. 4 months ago a rodent ate the main wiring loom and the repair cost $1000. We have owned 5 different mercedes benz models over the last 7 years. The wiring for each of these cars has been eaten by rodents more than once and caused us thousands of dollars worth of damage (obviously not covered under warranty). In most cases the cars were garaged. The cars were parked in various places around the country, including locations where no one else with other brand cars has had rodent damage. Every time we bring the cars in to be repaired the mercedes dealerships tells us "2 other people have brought their mercedes in today with rodent damage". I hear from one of the mb repairmen mercedes has chosen to use a material for the insulation of their wiring that is attractive to rodents. Losing my lighting on a highway is a safety issue for me. Being stuck responsible for paying for repairs that may be caused by a material choice mb has made seems unfair. *kb |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 8000 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | CARMEL VALLEY, CA |
| VIN pattern | 4JGBB7CB2BAXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | |
| No. of fatalities | |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | 8 |
| Drive train type | AWD |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 60 |
| 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 |