Seat height adjustment handles on both front seats have broken off twice. Replaced under warranty.
Driver's seat developed a nasty creaking noise in the frame at around 25,000km. Dealer replaced seat frame under warranty.
Indicator stalk broke inside the steering column, which made the high-beam headlights switch on at night whenever the indicators were used. Fixed under warranty. 35,000km.
Numerous squeaks, rattles, and creaking cheap plastics used in the cabin. Some problems fixed, others impossible to fix.
At 66,000km the timing chain snapped in the engine, causing bent valves, damaged pistons, and other damage. Dealer said this is the first time they have seen a snapped timing chain on an A-Class (read below).
Hot water hose from the radiator developed a leak.
The front seat height adjustment handles are very fragile on all German A-Classes built before May 2001. Just two small plastic tabs turn a metal spigot on the seat. I used the handles maybe 5 times before they snapped off. No undue pressure is required as they are quite fragile. After replacing four on my car (one just minutes after I drove the car off the dealer's parking lot) they used silicone glue to help reinforce the handles on the seat.
As other reviews point out, the interior quality of pre May 2001 A-Classes is marginal. For some reason Mercedes-Benz chose to use a hard plastic that creaks and groans, especially the silly trim around the passenger seats. I ignored it at first, but eventually plastic quality with all the creaks and clicking noises when driving really annoyed me.
Another common problem on the older A-Classes was the driver's seat frame, which would develop a loud creaking noise whenever weight was shifted on the seat (changing gears was enough). The dealer offered to replace the frame with a redesigned model without hassles. Initially they just tried lubricating the seat, but that did not help.
The indicator stalk issue was interesting, as it was impossible to avoid turning on the high-beam headlights at night when turning with the indicator on. The dealer replaced the indicator stalk the next day, but I must have annoyed a lot of drivers in the city that night.
The final nail in the Mercedes-Benz quality coffin was the timing chain. In early October 2004 I complained to the dealer (car is now out of warranty) that there is a strange two tone noise coming from the engine bay. Difficult to explain, but it was definately not normal. It got faster with increased revs and the airbox in the engine was shaking quite violently. A belt pretensioner assembly was changed in the vehicle for AU$500 plus labour, but this did not fix the problem. The dealer rang telling me of another noise coming from the engine bay, and asked permission to look under the rocker cover. From their tone of voice they sounded like they thought I was a very fussy car owner who wanted every noise eliminated from a car.
So they had a look, and found a seized link in the timing chain. They had never seen anything like it, and ordered a new chain. This was going to be an expensive repair as the timing chain is not designed to be changed in the A-Class: Its sealed for the life of the engine. I drove out of the dealership and less than 100km later the timing chain snapped in the engine, causing valve, piston, and other damage. The A-Class has a non free spinning engine, meaning damage is caused if the chain snaps. Remember this happened at only 66,000km!
All the valves had to be replaced along with various gaskets, piston parts, and minor damage to the engine block. Fortunately DaimlerChrysler agreed to pay for all the repairs on my vehicle even though it was out of warranty. They found a snapped timing chain in an A-Class to be unacceptable. Without their help the repair bill would have run into many thousands of dollars, as there is a LOT of labour involved in removing the A-Class engine (basically everything from the front is removed).
The A-Class has a funky design, and I really liked my A160 petrol funshift Avantgarde despite all the problems. However, the timing chain failure was the last straw. I simply could not keep the vehicle.
The car is roomy and has quite good performance. Beware of dark coloured paint, as it is very easy to scratch. The Funshift transmission is a joy to use and gives all the economy of a manual.
Safety is excellent in the car, certainly better than a lot of other much larger cars.
Mercedes-Benz have built the A-Class down to a strict budget. Repairs are numerous, quality is so-so, and parts are very expensive. Please look past the gleaming Mercedes badge when buying your next vehicle. Friends have commented 'how could Mercedes build a bad car?' with puzzled expressions. I tell them any company can build a poor quality car despite the prestige of their badge.
My A-Class 140 engine has also just been replaced. The noise started with a fast ticking noise when the engine was cold and before placing the foot back onto the accelerator after a gear change (I also have the 'funshift'). The dealer replaced the 'tapits' but the problem was not cured. Then the car ran out of warranty! Three weeks after the warranty ran out the car was in again for the same noise. The verdict - a new engine! So far we've not been told the problem with the old one. Daimler Chrysler and the dealer have picked up the cost of this repair - and for this I am very grateful for this excellent service. However, following a myriad of faults including rear suspension replacement, windscreen wiper failure, new steering column and very creaky windows, I've been very unhappy with the car. It only has 28,000 miles at present!
My A160 has done 67000km and has just blown its ECU unit. This caused the vehicle to run roughly, stall and blow black smoke and deposit exhaust soot on the driveway. I am advised the unit must be replaced at $AUD2500 (July 2005). I have chosen to have the ECU repaired ($AUD1200 with a 2 year warranty).
Previous major problems include
- brake failure, repaired under Warranty.
- Replaced steering column ($AUD1600), just out of Warranty. The car had been serviced a few weeks previously and no problem found. The local petrol station mechanic identified the problem whilst reversing the car. Not impressed with MB quality or servicing.
As a follow up to my original post, I later found out the alternator became intermittent in my A160. Sometimes it would charge the battery... sometimes it would not. The car was stranded with a flat battery more than a couple of times.
Hi, I have just bought a second hand A140 with 45k. I only had it two weeks when the timing chain snapped. Luckily I had bought it from a reputable dealer who had given me a six month's engine and gearbox warranty. The engine had to be stripped and pistons replaced etc.
This seems to be a serious design flaw. Disappointing for a supposedly quality brand!
Hi
I bought a A160 and had it for 2 days and the steering felt VERY heavy all of a sudden... I took it off to my mechanic who said it could have been something minor, however, it turned out to be the power steering itself ($2000AUD for a replacement) I have now been told, that apparently this is a very common occurance in these cars.
I am so sorry I have bought this total lemon, now we re just trying to get rid of it... cheaply made!
Hi All.
I’ve bought 2000 A-Class Avantgarde in 2001… very much happy with the car until now. But lately, the car is jerking whenever I slowdown from speeding… and the worst part is after it jerked for a few times… it will automatically shift the gear to 1st…
Anyone of you ever experience this?
/juli.
Our 2000 A160 has done 55,000Km and now needs the Engine Control Unit/Air Sensor replaced at a cost of $1,740 yet this has no moving parts!
I am claiming through the small claims court under NZ consumer Guarantees Act, as it obviously should have lasted longer than this.
My 1999 A160 Avantgarde has been having trouble with the auto transmission. It will sometimes display 'F' on the dash and will not go into gear or will 'thunk' out of gear. they have replaced the ignition unit, but are now saying it could be the engine control unit which is about $2000. Has anyone else had a similar problem. It tends to happen after the car has been running for some time. It has only done 36,000 kms.
Hi yes I have had the same problem with my A160 gearbox. It comes up with a 'F'. I have no idea what this is. I'm getting it into the service centre soon. The gearbox went into F in the middle of me waiting in the McD's drive through. I had to wait for 1 hour before it went normal again! I am disappointed with A160. I still love it and I think Merc has obviously turned into money hungry company. Where's there promise for quality gone? I paid a price to have a quality small car. I might as well buy a Toyota. I've been to the service people 4 times this year. My rear view mirror Dropped off! and my rims actually cracked and they told me I had hit something. I was on the freeway in traffic! where was this A class made in!?
Re 20 and 28 Dec comment: I have finally got them to find the fault with the transmission - it is the selector unit which is costing $1800 installed! Has anyone had any luck with going to small claims? My car has only done 36,000 kms!
I have had my A 190 since 2000. There have been numerous problems like, the seat handles broken off, the fan belt broke, the 'BAS ESP' light came on last year for new brake bads and now this year again. I'm told this is a electrical fault? The power steering has failed and the steering wheel, when turned sounds like the window wiper's are on, but on a dry window screen, so you get that awful squeak as you turn the wheel. In cold weather it gets worse. I am also told due to this electrical fault, I may need a new part in the engine which will be very costly.
Does anyone have this problem?
I purchased an 1999 A160 Avantgarde six months ago at 87,000kms. Now at 97,000kms the transmission control module has apparently decided to supply damaging fluid pressures to the trans and stuffed the first gear (just spins). At an estimated repair cost of $7,500 (new control module and trans repairs) I have decided to stick to Toyota, though I am seriously looking at the new Suzuki swift. After paying $11,500 initially and $900 on repairs before this, if I paid for these repairs I could have bought myself a brand new Swift for about the same money! I have pulled the TCM fuse out to drive it in F (second gear, 4500rpm@62km/h). I am thinking about controlling the trans solenoids manually to give me the other good gears (2-5, who needs 1st anyway). Has anyone had any success or tech knowledge on how this can be done? Other than all the faults I think the A class is a good looking fun car to drive. Maybe the new A class doesn't have all these problems.
I have an A160, year 2001, with 80000 miles.
I have had numerous problems with mine also, but I am hoping someone can advise me on the current problem, which no garage including Mercedes is able to find the solution to.
When I turn on the ignition and put my car into reverse, it cuts out immediately. If I turn the ignition on with the car in neutral or a gear other than reverse, it will most likely work, but on occasions the ignition will not turn over at all for a period of time with either of the above situations. It eventually corrects itself and the car will start working again after a period of 5 to 10 minutes.
The car has been stripped from a wiring perspective to see if there is a wiring fault. No fault is ever found. One day it works perfectly, and the next day the fault may occur on each drive.
If anyone has experienced this problem, please email me at bcfja4@eircom.net
Hi, I have just bought my mercedes a140 auto 1999 and within a few days noticed it makes a slight rattling noise when the engine is cold and also the transmission is late to shift even when the accelerator is pushed down with force the it surges forward when the gear shifts. All this said the most dangerous problem I have detected is the fact that sometimes it suddenly shifts to "f" which I haven't a clue what it stands for and the car slows just stops and won't move until I switch the engine off and on again. Please please if anyone has had this problem and has been told what the cause may be and how much it is to repair email me SJ_LCF@HOTMAIL.COM. Thank you very much.
I have a A140 2000MY manual and it has this rattling noise from the engine bay and I was told by my mechanic that it was the alternator that made such noise and it will cost arm and leg to replace. The turning indicator stalk was also broken off in the inside so the high beam keep going off. Height adjustment knob broke off twice, but I just glued it with super glue and it works. The huge question is how can mercedes built such car? does anyone here have the solution for the alternator problem that I have aside from changing the whole unit???