Hello everyone, I hope all of you are staying healthy.
I’d like to call all owners of 2005- 2007 M272 V6 and M273 V8’s to help make matters right following the notorious balance shaft and sprocket defect. If you are not familiar with such issue, please scroll down for questions and more information. Please share this page with anyone you know that may have had these associated issues.
Certain Mercedes-Benz models have faced or are facing issues regarding the balance sprocket in which drives the camshaft and crankshaft of the vehicle. Mercedes-Benz had made a decision to make certain engine components out of soft metals, when such metals are not adequate in handling the stress of the engine. In particular, in many cases, the balance sprocket was made with inadequate materials and gradually deteriorated to the point in which it could not engage the timing chain and cause camshaft-crankshaft misalignment.
If you have a 2005-2007 Mercedes Benz with an M272 or M273 (see the list of associated vehicles below), know someone with this vehicle, or are a mechanic who knows the horrid details of this defect, please help us get Mercedes-Benz to ratify their mistake and let the many loyal Mercedes-Benz customers get awarded or compensated for the expensive repairs they need. We have started a claim for a safety recall with the NHTSA.gov and we need additional participants to help make the case become formally investigated. It will only take a few minutes and you'd be helping out your fellow BenzForum community members who have also been pained with this defect and its expensive repairs.
Visit the following link to submit a safety concern and help the recall effort:
File a Vehicle Safety Complaint | Safercar.gov | NHTSA
(The complaint requires a specific event where you had a concern of a lack of safety as a result of the defect. This could be an event where the car stalled, locked steering, would not start on the roadway or in a dangerous place, left you stranded, faced dangerous temperatures, lost control, lost power steering, caught fire, or lead to an accident. It does not necessarily have to cause damage.)
If you cannot recall a dangerous event that occurred because of this defect, but still want to help and potentially be rewarded for repairs, fill out this form and we'll look into starting a class action suit on Mercedes-Benz's negligence in providing safety, failure to recall, and likely knowing that they are responsible for the defect.
![forms.gle]()
MB M272-M273 Balance Shaft Support Form
Hello! Thanks for helping your fellow Mercedes-Benz customers. Please fill out the form to the best of your ability. Your information will never be disclosed to any external parties and you will never be contacted about the matter unless you opt for it.
![forms.gle]()
forms.gle
What’s to gain? Is it worth my time? A class action lawsuit was filed against Mercedes in 2015 on the matter of defective balance shafts and sprockets, and reached a settlement where Mercedes-Benz agreed to only cover a portion of repairs in most cases, deny responsibility, and only give affected customers a few months to submit their claim before it closed. In addition, pretty much only the people who researched or happened to come across the lawsuit found out about the settlement. Many were disappointed after hearing that there was a settlement that they missed out on, and were left with a bill excess of $4,000 for an issue that they were not responsible for. By helping our efforts in filing for a mandatory recall, we are making Mercedes Benz own up to their mistakes that they covered up and potentially making them offer free repairs or compensation for balance shaft repairs.
How do I know if I have or had this issue? If you have the model year 2005-2007 with the M272 or M273 engines (if you don't know which vehicles have this engine, scroll down for a complete list) there is a high possibility that you have been affected by the balance shaft defect or will be affected by it in the near future. The signs of such issue are highlighted by a check engine light, persisting P0016 and/or P0017 codes, loss of acceleration/torque, rough transmission gear shifts, strange or different noises from the engine at higher speed/gear ranges, a misaligned camshaft and crankshaft, transmission in limp mode, metal in the oil pan, and/or of course a deteriorated or worn balance sprocket (see pictures). You can verify that you have this issue by following the simple procedure highlighted in this video. Use a 27mm socket and attach it to the drive pulley, and remove the single screw attached to both sensors. Rotate the drive socket to 305 degrees clockwise. Never turn the pulley the other way. Look into the holes for the camshaft sensors and see if the circular emblem is dead in the center of both. If not, your camshaft is misaligned, your engine is deteriorating, and the defective balance shaft is the likely culprit. Please do this procedure at your own risk.
Here are the potentially affected vehicle list:
God bless you and America, and please stay safe.
![IMG_0142[1].jpg](https://www.benzworld.org/d2/attachments/828/828535-442688dc37a5a5c47c1cc3e88724fc71.jpg "IMG_0142[1].jpg")
I’d like to call all owners of 2005- 2007 M272 V6 and M273 V8’s to help make matters right following the notorious balance shaft and sprocket defect. If you are not familiar with such issue, please scroll down for questions and more information. Please share this page with anyone you know that may have had these associated issues.
Certain Mercedes-Benz models have faced or are facing issues regarding the balance sprocket in which drives the camshaft and crankshaft of the vehicle. Mercedes-Benz had made a decision to make certain engine components out of soft metals, when such metals are not adequate in handling the stress of the engine. In particular, in many cases, the balance sprocket was made with inadequate materials and gradually deteriorated to the point in which it could not engage the timing chain and cause camshaft-crankshaft misalignment.
If you have a 2005-2007 Mercedes Benz with an M272 or M273 (see the list of associated vehicles below), know someone with this vehicle, or are a mechanic who knows the horrid details of this defect, please help us get Mercedes-Benz to ratify their mistake and let the many loyal Mercedes-Benz customers get awarded or compensated for the expensive repairs they need. We have started a claim for a safety recall with the NHTSA.gov and we need additional participants to help make the case become formally investigated. It will only take a few minutes and you'd be helping out your fellow BenzForum community members who have also been pained with this defect and its expensive repairs.
Visit the following link to submit a safety concern and help the recall effort:
File a Vehicle Safety Complaint | Safercar.gov | NHTSA
(The complaint requires a specific event where you had a concern of a lack of safety as a result of the defect. This could be an event where the car stalled, locked steering, would not start on the roadway or in a dangerous place, left you stranded, faced dangerous temperatures, lost control, lost power steering, caught fire, or lead to an accident. It does not necessarily have to cause damage.)
If you cannot recall a dangerous event that occurred because of this defect, but still want to help and potentially be rewarded for repairs, fill out this form and we'll look into starting a class action suit on Mercedes-Benz's negligence in providing safety, failure to recall, and likely knowing that they are responsible for the defect.
MB M272-M273 Balance Shaft Support Form
Hello! Thanks for helping your fellow Mercedes-Benz customers. Please fill out the form to the best of your ability. Your information will never be disclosed to any external parties and you will never be contacted about the matter unless you opt for it.
What’s to gain? Is it worth my time? A class action lawsuit was filed against Mercedes in 2015 on the matter of defective balance shafts and sprockets, and reached a settlement where Mercedes-Benz agreed to only cover a portion of repairs in most cases, deny responsibility, and only give affected customers a few months to submit their claim before it closed. In addition, pretty much only the people who researched or happened to come across the lawsuit found out about the settlement. Many were disappointed after hearing that there was a settlement that they missed out on, and were left with a bill excess of $4,000 for an issue that they were not responsible for. By helping our efforts in filing for a mandatory recall, we are making Mercedes Benz own up to their mistakes that they covered up and potentially making them offer free repairs or compensation for balance shaft repairs.
How do I know if I have or had this issue? If you have the model year 2005-2007 with the M272 or M273 engines (if you don't know which vehicles have this engine, scroll down for a complete list) there is a high possibility that you have been affected by the balance shaft defect or will be affected by it in the near future. The signs of such issue are highlighted by a check engine light, persisting P0016 and/or P0017 codes, loss of acceleration/torque, rough transmission gear shifts, strange or different noises from the engine at higher speed/gear ranges, a misaligned camshaft and crankshaft, transmission in limp mode, metal in the oil pan, and/or of course a deteriorated or worn balance sprocket (see pictures). You can verify that you have this issue by following the simple procedure highlighted in this video. Use a 27mm socket and attach it to the drive pulley, and remove the single screw attached to both sensors. Rotate the drive socket to 305 degrees clockwise. Never turn the pulley the other way. Look into the holes for the camshaft sensors and see if the circular emblem is dead in the center of both. If not, your camshaft is misaligned, your engine is deteriorating, and the defective balance shaft is the likely culprit. Please do this procedure at your own risk.
Here are the potentially affected vehicle list:
- 2005–2007 SLK350
- 2005–2007 CLS350
- 2005–2007 CLK350
- 2005–2007 C350
- 2005–2007 E350
- 2005–2007 S350
- 2005–2007 SL350
- 2006–2007 R350
- 2006–2007 ML350
- 2005–2007 Viano
- 2006-2007 Sprinter
- 2005–2007 SLK280
- 2005–2007 CLS280
- 2005–2007 CLK280
- 2005–2007 C280
- 2008--2007 GLK300
- 2005–2007 E280 (E300 in 2007)
- 2005–2007 SL280
- 2005–2007 Mercedes-Benz Vito
- 2005–2007 R280
- 2005–2007 S280
- 2005–2007 C230
- 2005–2007 E230
God bless you and America, and please stay safe.
