Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes-benz e320. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard without stopping or slowing the vehicle. The vehicle made a beeping sound and the stop engine and brake failure warning indicators illuminated. The dealer was called (mercedes-benz of brooklyn, ny, 718‑258‑5100) and the technician stated that the ABS was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer stated that there was no recall and referred the contact to the federal safety agency. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
2003 Mercedes Benz E320 brakes complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 77, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I purchased my current vehicle 18 months ago used. This weekend the giant stop light came on asking me to take the car into the dealership due to defective brakes. It turns out it's the sbc pump which was recalled by mercedes benz. Except, benz will not repair it as it's a 2003 and out of their 10 year rule. It's a $2100 I cannot afford and cannot sell vehicle with this issue as I fear it may cause harm to others. A friend suggested I ask for the federal safety agency's help as benz is unwilling to stand by the recall and repair the safety issue.
Brakes seeemed to working fine and out of no where at 65mph a red notification came on the dash saying "reduced braking effect/longer stopping distance visit workshop". Mercedes is aware of this because they extended the warranty on the sbc unit the is needed to safely operate the car but didn't do a recall and eventually stopped installing this part in the models. If the vehicle is 10 years old plan to shell out thousands since the part isn't covered and it is unsafe to drive because your brakes may go at any time. I have 96k on my vehicle and because it is over 10 years old the faulty part that the manufacturer knew about is not covered. The part is designed to malfunction at 300,000 compressions and this can happen at any time. This is unsafe and should be recalled! I hope someone doesn't have to die for benz to do something about it!
Mercedes dealer says that my VIN number is not under this recall. I bought the car on july 31,2009 and the recall for the brake pump came out in october 2009. I have had the car serviced at the same mercedes dealer for 8 years and they have never told me about any recall. Is my car covered under this recall. I understand there is a 10 years limit on the recall and mercedes has been regularly servicing my car since year 6 to year 10 I.e. @009 to 2013 and they have never mentioned any recalls in any of the times I have had the car serviced since july 31, 2009.
I own a 2003 e320 mercedes benz with 67,000 miles. I took my car to a dealership and was told my sbc unit needs to be replaced. I was also told that the warranty on this component was extended but is now outside the extended warranty period. Why was not covered by a recall rather than just an extended warranty? This seems to indicate mercedes is acknowledging a faulty component. This appears to potentially affect safety so I would hope mercedes would be eager to replace the sbcs.
I been driving mercedes for passed 20 years but never experienced scary moment like this. Thursday 09/01/16 on my way home from work out of nowhere red brake warning light lid up my whole dash with big stop sign in the middle, flashing with esp and ABS saying visit workshop and I lost 90% of braking power.luckily, it happened on open road with cars far ahead of me. Pulled aside and after few restarts warning went off and I made it safely home without towing service, keeping my left foot close to emergency brake pedal. Google search revealed to my surprise very common problem with bosch sbc units installed in this model. Is this even possible for one of the top names in the world to limit their service cycle to 300,000 brake pedal applications? Are some of the top engineers involved out of their mind? Mercedes, is it safe to drive this car in highway speeds with two kids in it? Would one of the engineers like to take my car on the autobahn now to proof their point? I believe the counter is up with 13 years and 122k miles of service because all other brake components checked fine. Unbelievable??? Where is the safety recall??? Ended in 10 years??? What a shame for both mercedes and bosch names.
Abs brake system failure. While operating the vehicle a warning light blinks in the cluster panel. Then the vehicle loses all braking power. On monday september 5th, I was driving on the highway, 110th south bound 1 mile south from downtown los angeles, suddenly a warning light appear with the following message 'brakes defective stop vehicle' the cars begins to downshift and it slows down. However the brake does not work in full. It appears that the brake works enough to come to stop after the vehicle has downshifted to the lowest gear. All braking ability is disable. After I research the code and narrow to the problem that I had, I noticed that merecedes benz had extended the warranty for the ABS pump for these models for 10 years, since my vehicle is 2003 the warranty had expired on 2013. This is an electronic braking system so if an electric failure occurs there is no way to stop the vehicle. There is no manual brake power other than the emergency brake in order to stop this vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes-benz e320. While driving 30 MPH down an incline, a "brakes are defective" message appeared. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not stop. The contact had to shift into neutral and apply the emergency brake lever to get the vehicle to come to a complete halt. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the sensatronic module for the brake system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the failure was previously repaired per a voluntary recall. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Recently on today 7-12-16 at 174,000 miles the display on my 2003 e320 4s mercedes benz all of a suddenly displayed an illuminated message in bright white : "brake" service brake visit workshop. My vehicle was in motion on a busy major highway when the hydraulic brake system exhibited this message. Shortly prior to this messaging, I notice my brakes were more hard to apply pressure,. I am glad I wasn't driving fast, this could have been a serious tragedy to myself as well as those others on the expressway just a as I was. 2. Problem with my gas tank after I fill the tank , the gas fumes become so intense after parking this vehicle inside my garage. I didn't know there were a recall. Is this fuel safety hazard recall still in effect? If so, whom do I contact to have it repaired at no cost to me the owner? 3. 4 months prior in march 2016 I incurred a problem with the coolant fluid leaking into the transmission resulting in a major monetary expense out of my pockets above $5000. Can this be covered by the manufactuer so I may be able to be reimbursed?
Sbc brake unit which control the brakes just failed when driving on highway,very limited braking,very scary when you are driving 70mph. I have read that this is major issue with mercedes benz ,some kind of penalty should be assessed to them because this is a dangerous situation. It just cost me 2380.73 to get my car fixed and I understand this is a problem that will keep happening over and over again. Hopefully it's a situation that the ntsb can look into about this defected unit from mercedes benz. Thank you.
The sbc unit for the brake system is bound to fail there was a 10 year recall on this but not all vehicle where done now mercedes attitude is oh well bad luck pay us and we will fix our faulty part
Sbc pump went out in the middle of the night, on a lonely, dark two lane road without any notice that there was a brake issue, approximately 200+ miles from my home. Message indicator in car started beeping and an emergency message displayed stating brake malfunction, stop vehicle. Car hardly any brake power and could not be driven over 35 MPH. Pulled over and now car would not come out of park. Had to wait 3 hours for a tow truck! Luckily I did not have my family with me of which includes small children!
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes-benz e320. While driving at various speeds and attempting to depress the brake pedal, the brakes failed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the hydraulic pump failed and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 144,000.
The sbc brake unit failed while I was on vacation. The rest of the brake system works fine. Mercedes recalled this brake system and knew it was unsafe, however now they will not replace the part unless I pay and the cost is $2,500.00 per the dealer. Without it the car is garbage. It is an electronic braking system.
Brakes just when out on it and they have a recall but is good for just 10 they need to be respons for this problem making cars with no brakes is a deith wish I hope you guys do something about it is not safe at all
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e320. While parked, the vehicle's "service brakes-visit workshop" light illuminated. The warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact also stated that there was an abnormal noise coming from the engine. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,000.
I was driving on route 5, branch ave., near clinton, md, about 30 MPH, down slight decline of a hill, approaching a place in the road where cars can enter the highway from both the left and the right. As we normally do, I pressed on the breaks to slow down, in case one of the cars sitting on both the left and right, decided to enter on to branch ave. My brakes failed - the foot peddle went completely to the floor when I was trying to slow down, there was little to no control in the steering wheel and I looked at the dashboard and it was lit up in red warning lights , first saying brake need maintenance (or something) at first. I manage to get the car to steer towards the right to get on the side of the road, hoping the rough terrain would help to slow the car to a stop. By this time the red warning lighted up dash board said stop, brake failure or something. The car finally stopped and I turned if off. I am 59 year old woman and was absolutely petrified - my whole body was shaking from the fear that I was going to wreck on this busy highway. Luckily for me the cars waiting to enter the road, did not and cars on the highway slowed down and went around me while the car was coasting towards the side of the road. There was no warning light telling me to get the brakes services - they just failed while I was driving on the freeway. I called mercedes roadside service for them to pick up the car. After an hour and they had not arrived, I turned the car on, there was no red light. I pressed the brake and it didn't go to the floor but it was soft and went nearly to the floor. I kept pumping the breaks - something I used to see my father do - thinking that would bring the breaks back up so that I could at least drive back home to await service truck. I let mercedes service know, then I slowly drove back, side roads, pulling over to allow cars to pass until got home.
I was traveling on a secondary road at a speed of 30mph when the mfd turned red, started beeping and stated brake failure, stop driving. When I attempted to stop, the brake pedal went to the floor and the transmission automatically down shifted. After pulling the car to the side of the road, I put the transmission in park where it locked in place. After fifteen minutes the sbc reset itself and the transmission unlocked. The vehicle was removed to the mercedes dealer where I purchased it. The mercedes tech stated that the sbc needs to be replaced. I was told there was a 10 year warranty on the sbc unit, but it expired in june 2013. I am the original owner and mercedes benz USA stated that they did not notify the owners of the warranty extension or of the problems with the sbc. The cost to replace the sbc is $2,000.
When I'm stoping the car, the breaks did not work as it should, and the stop distance increased by 50% !! On august 10th I was in the on the way between charlotte and nashville, in the mountains curves way down, I used the breaks, the car almost got out of control.... I felt like the front and rear breaks don't do any synchronization to stop the car, its making the car losing control on the curves..... I red on this issue on internet I found that mercedes has used a new breaking system for this car and stop installing this system it in 2006! The reason why they stop using this because it 100% electronic breaks system, it called sbc (sensotronic brake control ) when this threshold is reached the brake system defaults to non power assisted hydraulic mode to the front wheels only. This occurs without any prior warning and results in increased stopping distance. I have sent a copy of the mercedes service bulletin s142.46-p-0012a which addresses this issue. Mercedes stopped installing this system in 2006. At the very least, mercedes should issue a mandatory recall to interrogate these vehicles with star das to determine how close to the service threshold the sbc unit is and replace them at the dealer's expense. This is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed.
Vehicle presented with red light indicating to take vehicle to workshop in red. Braking was extremely difficult, SRS system stalled the vehicle, emergency mode was activited,we were unable, at first to turn on the ignition switch. The vehicle operated as if it was paralyzed. We finally got the vehicle to run and reset the code by turning the steering wheel. The vehicle is very dangerous to drive if you are not prepared for longer stopping distances, thankfully my husband was able to get the vehicle to the dealership. I found myself not strong enough to press on the brake pedal for adequate braking distance. This car left me with no brakes at all driving with children in the car. This I'd not safe!
Vehicle presented with red light indicating to take vehicle to workshop in red. Braking was extremely difficult, SRS system stalled the vehicle, emergency mode was activited,we were unable, at first to turn on the ignition switch. The vehicle operated as if it was paralyzed. We finally got the vehicle to run and turned vehicle into mb dealership. We were informed that the sbc unit was in need of replacement, we were beset with 1,800.00 repair. The vehicle is very dangerous to drive if you are not prepared for longer stopping distances, thankfully my husband was able to get the vehicle to the dealership. I found myself not strong enough to press on the brake pedal for adequate braking distance. Fuel: upon fueling vehicle, the fuel handle will stop and immense amounts of fuel will spurt out from fuel tank. There is also a smell of gas/fuel in the cabin after fill up. This creates a huge spill and notification to attendant. Takes up a great amount of time to fill up tank. Surprisingly we haven't been charged for fuel spills. Srs: light on for safety response system, shortly after visit at mb dealership. Have not taken vehicle to mb dealership for fear of another expensive repair.
This vehicle is equipped with sensotronic brake control that has a service threshold. When this threshold is reached the brake system defaults to non power assisted hydraulic mode to the front wheels only. This occurs without any prior warning and results in increased stopping distance. I do believe that this issue is relayed in the mercedes service bulletin s142.46-p-0012a which addresses this issue. Mercedes stopped installing this system in 2006.I purchased the vehicle in december of 2007 as a used vehicle with aprox. 40,000 miles. I have not been sent anything from mbenz notifying of this issue.vehicle put in shop 4-16-20015 at mercedes. Diagnosis was faulty sbc pump system at a cost for repair $2400.00. At the very least, mercedes should issue a mandatory recall to interrogate these vehicles with star das to determine how close to the service threshold the sbc unit is and replace them at the dealer's expense. This is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed.lastly, passenger air bag light has been on since shortly after purchasing the vehicle. Known as the SRS system.this issue is spelled out as a major safety concern in mercedes e class operator's manual, told by mercedes service dept,this is a $800.00 bill to have repaired. Question,, does something tragic have to happen before, mercedes benz live up to their obligation of keeping those who purchase their vehicle,,,,,safe.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e320. The contact stated that the brake warning indicator illuminated continuously without the ignition being turned to the on position. The failure recurred continuously. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the sbc united needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 153,000.
This vehicle is equipped with sensotronic brake control that has a service threshold. When this threshold is reached the brake system defaults to non power assisted hydraulic mode to the front wheels only. This occurs without any prior warning and results in increased stopping distance. I have sent a copy of the mercedes service bulletin s142.46-p-0012a which addresses this issue. Mercedes stopped installing this system in 2006. At the very least, mercedes should issue a mandatory recall to interrogate these vehicles with star das to determine how close to the service threshold the sbc unit is and replace them at the dealer's expense. This is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed.
I was driving down a side road by a college in lowell ma and my dash board lite up and starting beeping. Said brake failure sort stopping distance, visit work shop asap. I tried to stop the car but it was very hard stopping it, I honked the horn because I was coming up on a school crossing( thank god) they all moved out of the way because I would have ran over them all. I got the car stopped and shut it off, police over saw the whole thing and pulled up behind me and I explained what happened, we went to go start the car up and all the light where off and the car seemed fine, there was no way I was taking that chance again so I called a tow truck and had it towed to my garage, mechanic just called me and said nothing was stored in the computer system and the brakes are working fine now. He checked on line to see if there where any other complaint about this issue and informed there a lot of problem from mercedes benz owners on this issue. I will not drive this car again, I could have killed all those people in the walk way because of this problem that mercedes is aware of. Please help ! I just looked up the same information on google and there are hundred of complaint about the same issue, my brakes are new. It is a electrical problem that they are aware of.
This vehicle is equipped with sensotronic brake control that has a service threshold. When this threshold is reached the brake system defaults to non power assisted hydraulic mode to the front wheels only. This occurs without any prior warning and results in increased stopping distance. I have sent a copy of the mercedes service bulletin s142.46-p-0012a which addresses this issue. Mercedes stopped installing this system in 2006. At the very least, mercedes should issue a mandatory recall to interrogate these vehicles with star das to determine how close to the service threshold the sbc unit is and replace them at the dealer's expense. This is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed.
The w211 mercedes (e-class) have sensotronic brake control (sbc) units for the brakes. When, not if, but when they go out, there is no prior warning or anything at all. All braking ability just stops out of nowhere. This is obviously a huge safety concern because all brakes in the car stop working. This issue is well known and mercedes needs to change out the sbc pumps on these cars because the consequences can, and will, be disastrous.
My wife and I were traveling northbound on texas hwy 281 just north on marble falls texas. I noticed a train coming and started to slow down and made the decision to stop for the train! Well at that time my brake dash warning came on and it was all red and my brakes failed. Their I was not able to stop going 75 miles per hour (legally) and I could not stop and it was way to late for the train to stop also so I floored it to get over the tracks then I finally came to a safe stop. I searched the internet for a fix and to my surprise mercedes had known of this for many years and stopped all help with the issue when the car reached 10 years old. This car should be fixed by the company that knowingly put it on the road with an experimental new type of braking system then tells owners down the road to kiss their butt. And its now the owners problem. What a deal my car is in great shape but has a defective experimental braking system that mercedes will not even discuss fixing. I should have bought a corvair or maybe a pinto at least you can stop them! Wow why have you not jumped all over this manufacture about this deadly problem even you have known for years! But no one has told me??? The title should be marked deadly in bold letters.
Mercedes-benz has diagnosed my sbc pump unit, in writing, as "faulty." they have then gone on to deny and refuse to acknowledge the recall published on this website: the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v133000. According to 2 mercedes dealerships, and mbusa customer care and claim department, there is no such thing as a recall on the sbc unit, or have they ever heard of the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v133000 -- there is, however, a limited warranty for the sbc pump. After doing some independent research, it is clear that after recall: the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v133000, had been submitted to the federal safety agency, it has gone completely unacknowledged from that point on. Mercedes has instead "rebranded" it as a warranty-recall, under internal campaign #2005110001, which no longer covers the sbc pump itself, only the wiring around it. There is clearly a conflict/contradiction here, as the mbusa.com website refers to the service on my car (by VIN) as 05v‑311, but the invoice I received from mercedes-benz refers to it as [xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e320. The contact stated that the ABS sensor illuminated intermittently. The dealer stated that the sbc system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v133000 (service brakes, hydraulic ). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.
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