Consumer Complaint Detail
MERCEDES BENZ / C280 / 1999
0 Injured
0 Death
No Fire
| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 001071394 | Incident Date: May, 06 2001 |
| Consumer's City: | Consumer's State: CT |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: | Manufacturers Name: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC |
| Model Name: C280 | Model Year: 1999 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: WDBHA29GXXA | Date added to File: May, 16 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: May, 20 2001 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: Yes | Purchase Date: Aug, 31 1999 |
| Was Original Owner: Yes | Anti-lock Brakes: Yes |
| Number of Cylinders: 0 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: On may 7 my wife and i took a trip to visit her parents graves and to enjoy a relaxing day in the country. after finding the rural cemetary and paying our respects we sat down for a little picnic at the cemetary. as we tidied up when finished, we began to put our stuff into the trunk of the car, which we had left open while we picnicked. as my wife began to put the picnic blanket into the trunk, there was a small explosion. it was accompanied by a puff or so of smoke and the smell of something that had burned. we did not know what had happened. innitially thought it might have been some leaking gasoline, but that was not the case. the tow truck operator upon arrival immediately questioned if the battery had exploded. such an event was rare to us, but that was what had happened. the battery on this car is in the trunk under the board, upholstery, etc. upon inspection, it was noted that the battery was shattered. yes an explosion, not an implosion. the liquid we had seen leaking out from under the trunk and the gas tank was battery acid. my wife experienced battery acid from the explosion on her clothing, both her cap and her pants. a jacket of mine that was in the trunk was destroyed by the battery acid. since we were putting things into the trunk when the explosion occurred, we feel most fortunate that we were not injured from the battery acid. the cause, in my opinion, of the explosion was a buildup of hydrogen that was set off by static electricity from the blanket being shaken and put into the trunk. how this could have happened is not clear, since the trunk had been left open while we snacked, and there was a modest wind blowing. the car was parked at the time of the explosion and the motor was off. the motor had not been run for al least 30 minutes before the explosion.*ak |