Totaled the E300 Diesel This AM

[bio350]

Got the dreaded phone call at 0615 this morning. My wife was on the way to work and put the 95 E300 in the concrete wall at 50mph!!
She's okay but the car is totaled. All front end damage. No other vehicles involved.
Here is the question: She says she is driving down the freeway and she notices the car is steering strange. It's all a straight freeway but she notices it is not responding well just staying in the lane. She describes it as "fish tailing", like she was over correcting. She had driven out of our house for about 4 miles of country road before the freeway and no problems with steering. Then when the interchange comes up she goes to turn and the car goes straight into the wall, bounced off and did a 360 across two lanes and came to rest on the embankment. Nobody stopped, nobody called 9-1-1.
I had just driven the car yesterday, fully loaded (4 people) and no steering problems.
The car is being towed to an auction yard as the insurance pretty much totaled it, over the phone. So I will not be able to go over it and see what happened. But the CHP and insurance are not really believing her and saying she was going to fast. This is my wife that refuses to drive even one mile an hour over the speed limit and loves diesels because it "smokes them when they tailgate her". I love my wife!!!!

Any ideas on the steering issue?

[Skid Row Joe]

Originally Posted by bio350

Got the dreaded phone call at 0615 this morning. My wife was on the way to work and put the 95 E300 in the concrete wall at 50mph!!
She's okay but the car is totaled. All front end damage. No other vehicles involved.
Here is the question: She says she is driving down the freeway and she notices the car is steering strange. It's all a straight freeway but she notices it is not responding well just staying in the lane. She describes it as "fish tailing", like she was over correcting. She had driven out of our house for about 4 miles of country road before the freeway and no problems with steering. Then when the interchange comes up she goes to turn and the car goes straight into the wall, bounced off and did a 360 across two lanes and came to rest on the embankment. Nobody stopped, nobody called 9-1-1.
I had just driven the car yesterday, fully loaded (4 people) and no steering problems.
The car is being towed to an auction yard as the insurance pretty much totaled it, over the phone. So I will not be able to go over it and see what happened. But the CHP and insurance are not really believing her and saying she was going to fast. This is my wife that refuses to drive even one mile an hour over the speed limit and loves diesels because it "smokes them when they tailgate her". I love my wife!!!!

Any ideas on the steering issue?

My first thought from what she described is a blow out.

Glad she's OK.

[tbomachines]

Originally Posted by bio350

Nobody stopped, nobody called 9-1-1.

Yeesh, cold people! I usually make it a point to stop and make sure everyone is ok if I come across something like that, it has paid off more than once for the occupants. I suppose its the bystander apathy theory (remember thee kittie genovese case?). Anyways glad to hear she is okay, it sounds like a front tire "blowout" to me as well. The tire probably took a few minutes to get all the way low, so it was just a slow blowout. I doubt the steering would simply begin to flutter without any noticeable noises (such as something breaking). Good thing she is ok--you can always replace cars, not people.

[awsrock]

Sorry to hear that!!

If not a blowout, maybe a suspension link failure / subframe bushing breaking? I have never heard of this happening, but I can imagine that it would cause similar problems. Heck, having work suspension links can be scary under throttle and at high speeds.

[KarTek]

Wow, sorry to hear about this and I'm glad the wife is OK or at least not hurt too badly. She'll probably feel it for at least a couple days. My best wishes to her, make sure she's checked out thoroughly.

My first thought is also a slack tire - especially in the rear can cause the kind of fish-tailing that she described. If the driver starts "chasing" the steerinig, the car can spin. The only strange thing is that if it was a rear blow out, usually the car does a couple 360's if you lose control. A front tire that gets slack enough can separate from the rim on a turn and you'll end up plowing straight ahead.

Good thing she was driving a good solid car!

[bio350]

The first thing I checked when I pulled up. All 4 tires still fully inflated, even though the front ones were pinned back. They still had full air and tread was completely intact.
We did have the front bushings replaced in December. But it has had just under 10,000 miles put on it since then.

[kerry]

I don't think a blowout would account for the car continuing in a straight line when the steering wheel turned. I'd suspect a failure in the steering linkages somewhere.

[JonL]

Possibly a ball joint or tie rod end failed? A ball joint that is going bad might not be too noticeable until it is almost all the way gone....
Although the fishtailing description and my sense that the steering problem felt fairly subtle up to the end suggests rear suspension to me.
Thank goodness she's fine. That's the most important thing.

[connerm]

Sorry man. Walking away from a freeway wreck that totals the car is a good day.

[ah-kay]

Originally Posted by connerm

Sorry man. Walking away from a freeway wreck that totals the car is a good day.

I cannot agree with you more if it was in fact 50mph on to a stationary concrete wall dead on. Most occupants would be a goner at that speed. You should thank your lucky stars and be thankful.

[bio350]

She's tending to agree with the rear suspension failure.
We are grateful for all your concern and yes, she is thankful she was driving a MB rather than something else. She was able to walk away.
I'm just glad it was the only one that I have not worked on.

[Chris W.]

Get that car up on a lift or something and have a look for failed rear and/or front components. A good forensic accident guy should be able to tell if something failed pre or post accident.

That is a very scary thing to have happened - those of us others with this type car/suspension need to know!

Rgds,
Chris W.
'95 E300D, 287K

[kerry]

Originally Posted by Chris W.

Get that car up on a lift or something and have a look for failed rear and/or front components. A good forensic accident guy should be able to tell if something failed pre or post accident.

That is a very scary thing to have happened - those of us others with this type car/suspension need to know!

Rgds,
Chris W.
'95 E300D, 287K

X2

The thing that sucks about helping out an accident victim these days, is that people are downright evil in this day and age. I just recently saw on CNN, where a guy helped a woman from a wrecked car that had the potential to explode. The victim later sued the heroic guy for half a million for endangering her life, claiming, that he was not a paramedic, or qualified emergency personell, and he could have unknowingly paralyzed her for life by moving her. The judge immediatly agreed and allowed the lawsuit.

[TylerH860]

I guess there's not good Samaritan laws in the state?

Usually its the personal injury lawyers with all those TV ads that create this behavior.

Ferengi rule of acquisition: Greed is eternal.