This sort of thing is very common on Mercedes-Benz cars built from around 1998 to around 2004. It was a period when Mercedes body preparation hit the pits. They call the thing that collapsed a 'spring perch' and failures on W210 Mercedes-Benz E Class were particularly common. However, I don't see Mercedes-Benz offering any goodwill over a fault with a 12-year-old car and I doubt whether even tough US consumer protection legislation would be much help for a 12 year old. Cars are built to last six or seven years. Anything longer than that is a bonus. If a component fails that costs more to replace than the car is worth, the car should be scrapped.