NHTSA complaint #11641513

Owner complaint summary

The component that failed was the right front differential. My safety and the safety of others was put at high risk as I was driving at 60 mph on the highway and my vehicle suddenly and abruptly reduced speed to about 15mph without any warning. This created an extremely dangerous and potentially hazardous situation as I tried to maneuver my car at this very low speed on the highway in the middle lane safely to the side of the highway. Cars around me quickly maneuvered around me in attempts to avoid my slow moving vehicle and not hit me. The entire experience was terrifying, especially given that the car gave no prior indication of a malfunction. The vehicle had to be towed to Mercedes. I have no real answers from Mercedes as to the cause or why the vehicle did not notify me or why the service light did not go on. The vehicle only had 51,000 miles and is well taken care of. Because the car was out of warranty they refused to cover the expense. I called and sent letters to corporate and received $2500 towards a $6000 bill. I feel this was a safety issue and my car shut down without any type of warning and Mercedes should cover all repair costs. The car has been repaired, but I am still nervous to drive it.