Went to start the car and at first the key wouldn't turn over I had to keep taking put and inserting it at a different side it eventually started. Soon as it turned over the brake light esp and ABS light started flashing the car is stuck in park.
2003 Mercedes Benz E320 brakes complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 77, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e320. The contact stated that the service visit workshop warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the sbc pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 139,000.
I'm lucky to be alive! I purchased this car in 2005 and ever since I purchased my 2003 merc. Benz e320, it's been a crazy ride! Here's a list of different issues that happened to me over the course of me owning this vehicle, which unfortunately I still do. I was driving with my little girl in tow and my brakes went out on me several times, my battery dies constantly, I had an issue when after I pumped gas you could smell fuel both inside my car & outside of my car, I literally one time had fuel pouring from the back of my car that ended on my garage floor. (thank god I don't smoke!) my suspension is constantly rattling, I have water that leaks on my feet when I drive occasionally and sometimes I have heat in the winter and sometimes I don't. I always have a check engine light on and as soon as I fix one, another one comes on. I currently had issues with code po134, po135 and had the o2 sensor changed, then my check engine light came back on and now I have codes po171 & po174 that I have no idea how to get fixed because it could be a number of issues. My battery drains when my electric seats are plugged in and so I have to have them unplugged to save my battery. Did I mention my back tire blew out on interstate 95 and I almost lost control of my car. It's devastating to pay the amount of money you do for this particular model, it's pretty on the outside and is a mess under the hood! Is it normal when you have the AC on for it to sound like an airplane ready for take off? I'm tired of investing all kinds of money into this car, I just can't take it anymore! I can't even pass my va. State emissions test because of all these error codes (check engine light and malfunctions) and the state doesn't even find my car worthy of being on the roads.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e320. The contact stated that braking system hesitated to engage when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact also stated that the brake pedal was depressed numerous times in order to stop the vehicle. In addition, the gear shifter became stuck in park. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed that the ABS pump unit failed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v133000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 137,714.
I purchased my car from a used car dealership of course I expected to have to have minor work done on it. Immediately noticed that the heater didn't work when I had it repaired I was told that some valve often gets stuck on these cars the dealership always run diagnostics on your car whether you want them to or upon running the diagnostic I was advised the my new used card would need about $6k in work done from the hood to the trunk I decided to keep the car and get the major work done in stages 1st thing I had done was front break pads and rotors although I opted to have the work completed by an authorized repair shop and not the dealship for obvious reasons (cost) not once did the dealership complete recall repair work or even mention it to me that there were several recalls and my car needed to have those repairs completed but rather over charged me for ball joints plus several other things that more than likely did not need to be repaired. I felt completely taken advantage of and raised my concern adamantly to little avail. I took my car to the dealership multiple time prior to the expriration of the said 10yr extended warranty with regard to the sbc failing not once did they mention or repair it knowing full well that the main purpose of me bringing my car to them was specifically due to the brake warning light being illuminated on the dash I was told that it was some type of sensor not a big deal to worry about that my car would continue to stop and there was no need to replace the said sensor an unnecessary cost since my breaks were fine I told them my breaks weren't fine it was taking too long for the car to slow down and stop they did nothing that was 2012 the condition worsened and the light went from white to red I decided to research online a few months ago and came across 3 recalls I called mbusa they told me the warranty expired november 2013.
2003 mercedes benz e320. Consumer writes in regards to sensotronic brake control failure. *smd the consumer stated a warning light appeared on the dashboard that read braking effect reduced please visit workshop. The consumer was quoted a price of $1925.00 for the replacement of the hydraulic unit.
It started with a esp warning on the cluster, with increased brake distance, after restart the warning was gone, after many months the warning came back on in nov of 2013, went back off and came back on jan 14 2014, called the mercedes dealer in nashville tn, was advised that the auto did have a recall on the sbc unit, which is the ABS brake system, but the recall ended on 11-12, which I do not understand how a safety recall can expire with mileage or date. The repair will cost about $2000.00 with no manufacture support or help. Mercedes has know about the bosch system have only so many brake cycles, I purchased this vehicle used in 2009 and have never received any information on the recall. This is not the way a recall is supposed to work.. Mercedes said sorry, that's not good enough, this is the safety of my family and others that own these vehicles.
Red warning light illuminated on dash flashing warning driver " reduced braking effect visit workshop" and " increase braking distance visit workshop:. After research this warning is displayed because the sensotronic braking system has failed and reverted to hydraulic system has taken effect as backup. This condition was subject to nhstb recall #'s 2004050014 and 2005110001. I contacted mercedes USA customer service and was refused help. I asked to speak to someone up the chain of command and received a call from a case manager who stated that my vehicle had been repaired by mercedes and that they had no further obligation to assist me with this problem. I have studied mercedes service bulletins and by their own admission the vehicles that are subject to these recalls have notes within the service bulletin that "please note that recall and service campaigns do not expire and may be performed on a vehicle with a vehicle status indicator" it is further stated in mercedes service bulletin that the "sensotronic brake control unit pump motor may run out of permissible tolerances thereby triggering the hydraulic back up function mode. Further, "greater brake pedal pressure is required and the brake pedal travel will be noticeably longer which could lead to a vehicle crash". To this day mercedes engineers are attempting to repair this problem with software fixes which is the subject of another mercedes service bulletin. The refusal of mercedes to repair an obvious hazardous condition of a component that does not function as designed in unacceptable. It is my opinion that the vehicle poses a threat to not only the operator but others if operated under these conditions. Please help me I have not allowed my wife to operate what I believe to be an unsafe vehicle.
I was driving ewa bound on beretania street at about 7:45pm at speed 25mph. The car had a red warning and beeps said brake malfunction, stop vehicle! At this time my car can not brake at all because the brake was completely not working when my car is driving. I have to put in neutral and use the assistance brake to stop the car. Luckily I was not on highway with fast speed! I found out this is common happen to this model due to the fault of sbc ABS brake pump. Parts is breaking down but not on brake pump happen when the car is driving. It is totally dangerous! Mercedes should have recall to correct the problem. Please investigate and enforcing mercedes to improve. Thanks
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e320. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed with a delayed response from the vehicle. The failure was recurring. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who stated that the sensotronic brake control would need to be replaced. There was a recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 04v296000 (service brakes, hydraulic), however the contact's VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.
Sbc brake failure. Brakes not working. Car refused to stop. I put it on park and jumped out.
I was driving to work when my brake system failed. My car displayed a code stating "brake defective; stop vehicle". This occurred on a busy highway in rush hour traffic. I am a pregnant female and was in the car alone, it was terrifying. After having my car towed to the dealership, I learned of an extended 10 year warranty on the sbc unit of my car. Since I bought this car used, I was not the "registered user" even though I have the loan and title in my name. The warranty expired in sept of 2013. After my car was diagnosed, it was found that it was the defective sbc unit that failed me. I had previous similar codes (none that caused my brakes to fail) related to this sbc unit defect in april 2011 & august 2013 to which I purchased new brakes. It is not know whether this was necessary or not since my code of "service brake" at those times are a part of the faulty sbc unit and not necessarily related to the safety of my brakes. After my case was reviewed and denied at the corporate level, my husband and I had to shell out $1135 to fix the part ourselves. My husband was previously laid off and just started a new job in june. I feel it is unfair that we had to pay this money when we take good care of the car and were not privy to the information to fix the brake system within the warranty time. I worry about other people who have this car, are unaware of the warranty, and are outside the warranty. I was lucky to not have damage or injury. I feel mercedes should be held accountable. I also feel I should be reimbursed as this was not a wear and tear issue and I feel it was handled unfairly on the corporate level of mercedes. Thank you for your time.
On june 6, 2013, while braking on approaching intersection, brakes failed and transmission locked. Mercedes customer assistance towed vehicle to dealer, m-b greenway, houston, tx, where the service advisor explained that the pressure reservoir of the sensotronic brake unit had failed and must be replaced at a cost of $1,350. I complained that the sbc unit was the subject of the federal safety agency safety recall 05v0133 and two mbusa recall campaigns (2005070007 and 2005110001) resulting in the extension of the original warranty to 10 years with no mileage limitation. The dealer refused to honor the warranty or replace the entire sbc unit, because the electronic diagnostic code required by mb USA, llc for a dealer to file a warranty claim under the federal safety agency 05v033 campaign did not appear on the diagnostic equipment. I paid the disputed $1,350 charge and drove the car about 6 miles on june 6, 2013, and the brakes again failed and the transmission locked. Mercedes customer assistance towed it back to m-b greenweay, where the service stated the entire sbc unit had failed and must be replaced at a cost of $2,030. I complained that the replacement was mandated at no cost by the federal safety agency 05v0133, but she said mb USA llc would allow the dealer to honor the sbc warranty because the car was "driven out of the shop." she also refused to credit the $1,350 charge I paid for the sbc pressure reservoir replacement, but offered to "discount" the replacement of the entire sbc unit to "$1,799."
Vehicle suddenly showed brake reduce "require longer braking distance". I had the same issue before but I did not pay special attention of it because I thought it would just be a brake pad replacement indicator. Until I sent the car in at the dealer for service, they told me that it was an issue related to the sbc unit. Later, I found it online that it was a common known issue for 2003-2005 model. This could be very dangerous for people who was driving the vehicle on freeway if something like this happened. I called the manufacture and all they said was the unit would only be covered within a 10 year period and they did not have any other solution provided.
First incident, brakes! Visit workshop! Message was illuminated on the information system. Took the vehicle to the dealer and vehicle was diagnosed with sbc pump failure. Dealer replaced part under extended warranty for this part because it has a known defect. Second incident, on april 25, 2013, one day after I took my car from the dealer, stop!, reduced brake power, esp malfunction message appeared. I stopped the car and had it towed to the dealer. Dealer replaced the part again stating that they only have re-manufactured ones and the one I had got was a bad re-manufactured part. Dealer replaced part again. Third incident, on may 1 2013, 5 days after I picked up my car stop!, reduced brake power and esp malfunction light came on again when I was pulling into a garage at a hotel. I came close to hitting the car in front of me that was taking a ticket to get into the garage. I don't know what could have happened if I was going faster than I was. The brake will not work at all once these messages appear.
First incident, brakes, visit workshop message appeared on the information system. Took the car to the dealer and vehicle was diagnosed with sbc pump failure. Mercedes had extended this warranty to 10 years because of know defects to the part so all parts and labor were covered.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes-benz e320. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the sbc hydraulic unit failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 43,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes e320. The contact was driving approximately 50 MPH when the brake warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle would not respond. The vehicle eventually came to a stop. The contact shut the engine off and after restarting the vehicle the brake system functioned without failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The VIN was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
While driving at 45mph to go to work my car lost the brakes. The display showed brakes defective. Luckily I had plenty of space to stop the car with emergency brakes. I did diagnostic on the car and the sensotronic brake control sbc unit as mercedes-benz calls it (the brake unit) was defective. This is unacceptable defect and could be life threatening to others if they loose the brakes like I did while driving. Dealer diagnosed the car as well and replaced the sbc pump.
I was driving approximately 45 MPH when the red dash warning light came on brake failure stop immediately visit workshop. The red emergency brake light and the amber ABS light also came on. The vehicle started to automatically downshift into lower gears and I was able to pull off the road and stop using the emergency brake since the brakes were not working and I had the brake pedal to the floor. I was able to get the vehicle home using the emergency brake to stop the vehicle and the next day when I started the vehicle everything worked fine. I took it to my local mercedes-benz dealer and they updated the software for the sbc control unit. They also verified that all recall service for this vehicle had been previously performed. Had this incident occurred during an emergency braking situation or at a high speed I feel that this would have resulted in an accident.
Strong odor of fuel when gas tank is full...I am not topping off the tank when I refuel...dealership states I need entire gas tank replaced at a cost of 3000.00..I purchased this car used in march 2011 with approx 107,000 miles.
On several occasions when starting my vehicle, the dashboard would go completely red, followed by beeping and an esp warning, saying limited breaking. The pedal would go to the floor at that point. Sometimes I would already have the shift engaged before the lights went off and would have to use the emergency brake to stop the car. We researched and found the recall regarding the hydraulic braking system and took the car to a mercedes dealer for repair. We were advised by the repair shop that if the recalled part was the problem, then the dashboard would light up and we'd have no brakes. We explained that is exactly what happens, but they would not repair the vehicle until they saw that happen themselves. After keeping the car for 3 days, they returned it saying it was the reservoir which would cost appox. $1800 to replace. We called mercedes corporate about this also, but they have yet to call us back. Looking into the recalled unit, it appears this is all one system and therefore should have been replaced under the recall. I had the car for a couple weeks without another incident until this weekend when I had been driving the car for approximately one hour and after about a half hour of not braking the dashboard lit up red while I was doing approximately 45-50 MPH. I tried to brake, but there were no brakes. Fortunately it was very early in the morning and very few people on the road. I was able to pull to the side and use my emergency brake to stop the car. After turning the car off and on about five times, it finally stopped warning me and I was able to drive and park the car safely. If this braking system is known as faulty and was part of a massive recall, why can't I get my car fixed?
Complete brake failure. Almost crashed. I have numerous fault codes in computer, ABS code, sbc code, resivior code, etc, etc on a 58,000 milr car! They are telling me only one part has extended warranty and that is the sbc. Everything else I must pay for. The sbc effects all of these other parts and that is crap! Like which came first? The chicken or the egg. Why have you not effected a complete recall of this make & model as everyone is having the same problem. You and mercedes are going to get someone killed as the brakes go to manual and it's hard panic stoppng a 3400lb car!!!!!
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 mercedes benz e320. He was driving 35mph on 12-15-05 when the brakes failed and a crash occurred which severely injured his shoulder. A police report was filed and the contact was given a citation. The contact noticed a yellow brake warning light prior to the failure on the instrument panel. The contact stated he sustained injuries from his toes to the top of his head including a concussion and memory loss. He was taken to an emergency room who only diagnosed him with a fractured ankle. The brake pads were replaced three to four weeks prior to the failure. The contact later found out that the recall repair was not performed at that time but was directly related to the failure. He had been confined to a couch or a bed since the crash occurred due to the injuries he sustained. He also had a fractured vertebrae, his hips and knees were snapped, he lost one kidney and his stomach was placed behind his heart during surgery twice for the bleeding through his arteries. The contact stated that recall 04v296000 , service brakes, hydraulic mfr's report date: jun 22, 2004 and the federal safety agency campaign id number: 05v133000 , service brakes, hydraulic, mfr's report date: mar 31, 2005 are directly related to the failure. The electronic braking system was engineered improperly and was no longer being installed in mercedes benz. He stated that the federal safety agency thought that mercedes would take care of the recall and its customers; however, they failed to do so. The insurance agent confirmed that the vehicle was destroyed. The doctor had not noticed the extent of several of his injuries for at least 4 years. He also had three eye surgeries within the last six months and the problem still had not been corrected. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.
2003 e320 mercedes brake failure!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I bought this car in 07 with 65,000 miles a good deal. Fine car! However...today while driving to work a red brake failure warning...flashes across the screen and my car would not stop!!! I am rolling across a small country rd bridge and thankfully am at the bottom of a steep hill. The brake pedal just flopped..nothing.. I managed to get it into park and get out with the car still running!!! I've had it towed two hours away...while waiting on my husband to get home to go the dealership with me, I located about 3 recalls on this model.. Question... What responsibility does this used import car dealer have to me as a customer? They are consulting the mercedes dealership to see if it is indeed an issue with a brake/hydraulics recall..I don't want to drive this car again..I owe some money on it. What could I insist they do???
Car e-320 mercedes benz 2003 with 53404 miles while my wife was driving this car, the vehicle panel indicated a total brake failure and she had no breaking response from the car at all. She was traveling at around 40 MPH but says she had no one in front of her so she let the car coast to a stop, she had no breaking power at all. At this time she called me and I had her take photos of the car panel lights and then I contacted mercedes benz. We know that there has been a recall for this issue on these vehicles, based on information that I found filed with the federal safety agency. The biggest problem is that the exact same incident happened to her on this same vehicle back in january of 2009. At the time of that incident she was at a parking lot and driving very slowly. We contacted mercedes benz and were told to bring the car in. Mb said that the car required an sbc control unit upgrade (software) and the job was done at no cost to us. So here we are, 16 months and about 9,000 miles later with the same issue again, both times this problem could have resulted in a serious accident and we are happy that this was not the case. Although mb has already made an appointment for us and I was told that the problem will be resolved at mb's cost, this time they indicated to me they will be replacing some part (?) and not just doing an electronic update. Of course my wife is now very scared to drive this car, even if they do the repairs and I do not blame her. We will see. In doing internet research I found many other complains that are very similar, where there is a total electronic failure of the break system (no stopping power at all, no dual-system back-up). In other complaints if the car is turned off and then re-started the problem goes away. This is exactly what happened to my wife's car. This problem is serious enough that should be properly addressed and research so as to avoid accidents.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e320. When the contact exited the interstate, an alarm began to sound, indicating that there were no brakes. The following day, the brakes were working properly. The dealer replaced the sbc controller for free. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign id number 05v133000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The VIN and speed were unknown. The failure mileage was 35,000.
While driving my e-320 I heard a loud popping sound come through the speakers. After I heard the sound the rear speakers and the sub woofer began to make a noised that suggested they were busted. When I stop the car and shut it off I heard a buzzing noise come through the speakers. Now when ever I apply the brakes I hear what sounds like a faulty ground noise coming through the speakers. There have been recalls on the brakes electrical system that sounds just like the problem that I am having but mb said my car is not included in the recall, by the way the to door speakers cost 189.00 dollars a piece and the rear sub woofer cost 639.00 dollars. I haven't started the research on how much the radio unit cost. This car has giving me several problems. What a beautiful lemon..
I was driving my 2003 mercedes benz e 320 and all of a sudden a sign appeared on the dash board that brake was disabled and I was unable to control the vehicle without a brake and still it was running. Some how I managed to drive the vehicle to a parking lot on left and stopped it by changing the gear to parking. If it was happening after 10 second it would have collided with other vehicles in high speed in a major intersection and I wouldn't be in the face of the earth today. Later I found out that the brake system of 2003 e 320 was in recall. When I checked with the dealer they said it was replaced before and there is no more warranty. I had to pay $2500 to fix the problem from my pocket. I am so upset about this incident - more than the money - the negligence of mercedes benz can risk the life of many people like me driving mercedes 2003 e320 model with faulty brake which break down without any warning while going in high speed. What shall I do in this matter?
While I was driving the car in 35 miles speed, all of a sudden the brake system failed. I was unable to control my 2003 mercedes e 320 and I was almost dead crossing a heavy traffic area. Fortunately I turned the car left to a parking lot and changed the gear to parking to stop the car and to avoid getting in to the shop. I bought the mercedes with a trust, but I lost my trust. Not only that I am still waiting to get the repairing cost from mercedes due to the product defect.
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