Valeo is an original equipment manufacturer of automobile radiators. Its radiators were used in Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz cars. Owners of certain Mercedes-Benz cars reported problems with their Valeo radiators, which were expensive to fix.
Coolant Leaks
Certain Mercedes-Benz cars equipped with Valeo radiators may suffer from glycol contamination. Coolant leaks into the transmission, resulting in damage to the transmission. The coolant mixes with the transmission fluid. When the problem is discovered, the replacement of the radiator, transmission, torque converter, transmission control module and a complete fluid flush is needed to remedy the problem.
Radiator Design
The transmission fluid is cooled by routing it through the radiator. The transmission fluid is cooled in a chamber separate from the coolant chamber. When the Valeo radiator fails, coolant will mix with the transmission fluid. This will cause the transmission to lose power, make noise and damage internal parts.
Affected Vehicles
The affected vehicles with the problem radiator are 2000 through 2003 Mercedes-Benz C and E class models. These affected models are also known as W-203, W-209 and W-211 models. The affected vehicles are equipped with automatic transmissions.
