03-17-2003, 08:42 AM
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Powersteering hoseclamp failure
We had this problem a couple weeks ago, our local MB dealer didn't know how this could happen:
Quote:
Complaints put M-Class under safety investigation
02/22/03
RUSSELL HUBBARD
News staff writer
The Mercedes-Benz M-Class sport-utility vehicle made in Vance is under a federal investigation after drivers complained of power steering fluid leaks that the government said can cause engine fires.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened the investigation Feb. 13 after it received seven complaints that steering fluid leaked because hose clamps failed, agency spokeswoman Elly Martin said Friday.
The investigation covers 1999 to 2001 models of the ML 320 made by Mercedes, which employs 2,000 people who make the M-Class in Alabama. No accidents, injuries or fires have been reported from the problem.
Some traffic safety administration investigations into leaky power steering hoses have led to safety recalls in the past for other manufacturers because the combustible fluid can cause engine fires. Safety recalls can require manufacturers to fix problems for free. The company made 133,000 ML 320 models from 1999 to 2001.
"Although not included in the complaint allegations, power steering fluid leakage can also result in engine compartment fire if an ignition source, such as the exhaust manifold, is present," said the agency's document that describes the problem.
Mercedes is looking into the complaints, said Michelle Murad, spokeswoman for the company's North American sales unit in New Jersey. "We are working with the Traffic Safety Administration."
This is the first traffic safety administration investigation of the M-Class, Murad said. The least expensive M-Class now sells for about $37,500.
Last year, the administration required Maserati, a unit of Italian vehicle manufacturer Fiat SpA, to recall 350 cars made in a three-month period that had leaking power steering fluid from faulty hoses. The agency cited increased risk of engine fires.
In 2001, the agency ordered a recall of Mitsubishi Galant and Eclipse models built in an 18-month period because a power steering tube came in contact with the exhaust manifold. That caused the fluid to leak and increased the risk of engine fire, the agency said.
Automotive parts makers build many of the M-Class' components and ship them to the Mercedes factory, where workers put them on the vehicle. Mercedes declined to say if the hose clamps were made by Mercedes or a supplier, Murad said.
"We feel product issues are our responsibility," Murad said.
The M-Class complaints cited greater steering effort at low speeds, such as used in parking lots, Martin said. In the past, more difficult steering at low speeds from loss of fluid hasn't been enough to generate a recall, Martin said.
The agency will collect information from Mercedes, a unit of No. 5 global automaker DaimlerChrysler AG, she said. Preliminary investigations are usually completed within four months, she said. Sometimes they conclude that no defect existed.
Preliminary investigations sometimes lead to more thorough engineering analysis, which sometimes leads to recalls if safety hazards are found, Martin said. An engineering analysis can take up to one year, she said.
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