Tl* the contact owned a 2017 mercedes-benz gls450. after the vehicle was parked for approximately 30 seconds, it caught fire. prior to the failure, the contact noticed that the cup holder and armrest console were hot. the contact noticed an odor of burning rubber in the vehicle. the fire department extinguished the fire. a fire report was filed. the vehicle was destroyed, towed, and quarantined at the insurance company's impound lot. valley imports (located at 402 40th st s, fargo, nd 58103, (888) 929-9843) and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. the cause of the fire was not determined. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000. *tt the consumer stated the fire dept determined it to be a leaky hot liquid. *tr
After owning the vehicle for more than 2 years, the rear tailgate opened by itself 3 times in 8 days. the first time, the vehicle was parked in our home garage. the second time, we were traveling on a citiy street when the tailgate just popped open on its own. the third time, when exiting a parking garage with a low roof, it opened by itself, striking the low overhang in the garage. this time, the glass was broken and the body damaged. the first incident occurred when the vehicle was parked. the second incident, the vehicle was moving at 35 mph. the third incident, the vehicle was moving at about 5 mph.
On friday 11/30 my 2017 mercedes gl450 suffered a catastrophic electronic malfunction that led to a) no ability to get car out of drive (e.g. wouldn't park, reverse, couldn't take my foot off the brake), b) no ability to turn car off, c) power steering went out, d) airbags flagged as inactive, e) most all my dashboard warning lights went on including one that said "malfunction", f) my dashboard gauges failed (e.g. no working odometer), g) the rear hatch couldn't open. this happened while driving my family -- including 2 young children -- through the desert, putting us at very great risk. my car is being serviced at mb of valencia (the closest one i could drive to). i'm being told by them that a minor, low-speed and low-impact dent in my rear bumper caused a misalignment in my exhaust, which blew hot air into the bumper and caused the blind spot assist to melt. this seems like a major design flaw -- that a small misalignment could cause a severe and life-threatening cascading system malfunction if left untreated, and that i had no warning of any kind that what appeared to be a minor dent was a major issue. i want to know if others have had this happen, and if this warrants initiating a recall investigation. my insurance company is taking photos and writing up findings. i'll provide them on request.
Vehicle is only 3 weeks old. a faulty engine wire harness caused the vehicle to cease operating in traffic and put my family in a potentially life threatening situation. mercedes did not replace but only "repaired" the wire, which we were told was not assembled correctly and was pinched in a bracket and subsequently chafed, which can potentially still cause a life threatening engine malfunction during normal operation. mercedes is not willing to replace the engine harness wire, nor replace the vehicle. i fear for the safety of my family.