This is scary! It is "good" that the bumper piece from the self-explosion pierced the wall of the house, not the propane tank near by.

See the pictures here
http://www.landxml.org/R320/

and then read the text here
http://www.landxml.org/R320/Mercedes%20R320%20Explosion%20Event%20Statement.htm

From the pictures it certainly appears that the left rear tire let go. I've seen tires that have been run flat until there was literally nothing left on the rim but the bead!!! The pictures clearly show that not even the bead remains on the rim. The tire definitely blew up. The question is why? Let the conjecture begin!!!

I feel sorry for the poor woman, for a couple of reasons. Shopping with the kids, the diesel fuel fiasco, terrible driving conditions, and getting the car stuck in a snowbank all within an hour, sounds like a very stressful situation. While the story seems plausible, there are a few things that don't make sense.

First, the R-Class air suspension works regardless of what gear the transmission is in. The assertion that the air suspension didn't work, does not prove that the vehicle was in "PARK". I suppose that under the adverse conditions, she simply pushed the wrong button?

Next, I've never been to Colorado, but I do know it snows like hell there. How did Nathan get home from Florida in such severe weather conditions on Sunday, but couldn't leave the house to check out the car until Monday?

After the fact: The fact that one of the seat belt retractors deployed as well as the curtain bag doesn't mean a thing. Predicting which safety devices will deploy in any given event is way beyond the ability of an appraiser. He's certainly entitled to his opinion, but he's by no means an expert.

Wait, the tire was rotating with no external force (and an engine switched off) applied to it? That whole story makes no sense. Sounds like she backed it into something and needs a good excuse.

Looks like the tire blew and the a/c line hanging down blew and was under enough pressure to add to the force that set off the seatbelt tensioner ,and knocked out the interior trim . Not likely a sensor malfunction , but an overheated tire from being left in reverse . But really crazy with all the other stuff stated . But who am I to say . :wtf:

Suspect the exhaust was bent over against the tire backing into the snow drift and heated the tire causing it to burst.

__________________
Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

Isn't the gear selection on the 7-speed completely electrical/electronic? The car likely dropped into drive while idling, that's why the wheel was turning. It would also explain the doors locking. Maybe somebody bumped the shift selector, maybe high-centering on a snowbank messed up the electrical system.

My money says she was gunning the engine in an attempt to drive out of the snowbank. The tire overheated or was otherwise damaged, and failed at high RPM.

How do you high center a 4-matic vehicle, anyways?

- JimY

Yeah something sounds fishy, I'd love to have seen the whole thing happen. Maybe there was some diesel fuel trapped somewhere and combined with an overheated tire and maybe the exhuast BOOM. Diesel is hard to ignite but when it does look out!

What would Mercedes do in a case like this? Don't they have like an investigations department that will come out and look at cars like this?

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

If MB uses a "black box" the truth will be there. They record the last 30sec before airbag deployment, and they record alot of data.

The big question is: Who owns the black box?

The "statement" has a certain style, as if she was coached by Homer Simpson's lawyer. It also tried to download a program onto my computer.

Watch out.

Yes, MB has an investigation department to look into these matters. If there are allegations that a vehicle defect/failure caused an accident they'll be all over it. I've been involved in a few of these investigations over the years and I can say with certainty that they're very thorough.

I remembered the Audi sudden acceleration litigation in the 80's. Did anyone know who won in that one, Audi or the consumers?

As one would expect from a German company!

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200