1997 Mercedes-Benz E320 Suspension Problems

“While making a left turn on a major street I heard a loud pop and pulled over to see if I ran over something, but nothing was in the road. When I started the car and began driving I noticed the suspension was making noises. I took it to a mechanic shop and was told the passenger side rear coil spring perch separated from the body and the car should not be driven. They quoted me $1500.00 to repair.”

“When I changed tires today (march 4, 2007), I found severe corrosion/rust on the front spring perches. The front passenger side perch was already rusted through on one side. The car cannot be driven safely. It is in my garage and has not been repaired. Many others have experienced the same issues with mercedes w210 body styled cars.”

“One day I noticed that the front left tire seemed to be low. After several attempts of filling the tire, one day I decided to further investigate what is the cause of this issue (tire was fine). I quickly came to realize that my lower control arm was not only cracked but also bent out of shape. Additionally I found that the upper housing of the coil (spring) was literally peeling off the body of the vehicle thus causing the added pressure to the lower control arm where the spring sits. I went to a local body shop and got a quote from the tech there. …”

“Driving at approximately 40 MPH and the frame just dropped. The drive felt like I had all flat tires. If I was traveling at an increased speed, I would have crashed. Later I was informed that the spring perch rusted from the inside-out. This is a common problem with 1997 E320 mercedes and no one will issue a recall until a family dies. The dealership transferred my car to the body repair shop and paid half of the cost. Someone needs to make an executive decision and issue a recall.”

“My husband & I were outside and heard a loud crash. My mercedes fell to the ground on the front drivers side. It took 2 jacks to lift it up. With the tire off he found the spring perch completely rusted off, the spring and holder on the ground. Our first thought was that I could have been on the road with my son when it happened. We did a quick internet search and found this to be more common that we could imagine. The defect even prompted a recall in canada. I am the original owner of this car with 103k+ miles. …”