Check a VIN

2004 Mercedes Benz E320 brakes complaints

Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 50, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2004 Mercedes Benz E320 brakes problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Oct 18, 2017 · Brakes · CA

Oem brakes

Filed Oct 17, 2017 · Brakes · 130,000 miles · FL

The sbc control unit failed. There was a red warning light on dash, that when I was in the road the brakes just about failed. When I shut off the car and tried to start again it would not let me move it from park position. Tried several times and was able to get it into neutral and drive to pull in position for the tow truck. In reading up on the web this is a known problem with the sbc control unit. I was fortunate to be close to home but this is a really dangerous problem. Mercedes put a limit on the unit to shut down without warning. They do not have any way to tell us owners when this will hit their limit. They should be forced to repair all of these sbc control units or at least find a way to tell us when it will happen. I also found out that they did know of the problem and extended the warranty for the sbc unit for ten years, but depending how often you used it determines the break down of the brake system.which meant if you had an older car you paid for something they force to break. There is an app $30 that can reset the amount of braking you have done and has been shown to fix the problem instead of a $2000 repair that mercedes will charge you for a whole new sbc unit. Why don't the dealers have this app? Why do we let the manufacturers get away with forcing parts to seemingly break so they can make more money?

Filed Sep 21, 2017 · Brakes · 36,579 miles · CA

A warning signal appeared on by dash board citing brakes, take to shop. The mercedes benz service center put on front brakes pads and rotors. I was told toded to replace the sbc united because it was "timed out" and the brakes could fail.the cost of unit is $2418.32. This is life threatening.there should be a recall.

Filed Jul 6, 2017 · Brakes · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes-benz e320. When the contact depressed the brake pedal, it traveled to the floorboard. The brake and various other warning indicators flashed. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who stated that there was a manufacturer recall and that the sensotronic brake control system failed to function properly. The vehicle was not yet inspected and diagnosed by a dealer. The vehicle was excluded from the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v133000 (service brakes, hydraulic), although the failures were identical. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was waiting to determine if they would respond with a solution to prevent the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

Filed Mar 9, 2017 · Brakes · 83,000 miles · TN

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes-benz e320. While driving 35 MPH, a red warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel regarding the brakes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ABS stabilizer failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

Filed Feb 1, 2017 · Brakes · 131,000 miles · NV

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.

Filed Jan 27, 2017 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 145,000 miles · SC · crash

I was driving down a paved road, went to make a left hand turn and my esp came on, vehicle shut off and almost ran me into another vehicle, which then caused me to run into the ditch. Now I'm finding out that there is a recall on the sbc unit, which is what's wrong with my car, but the recall is not showing up for my VIN number. I am very, very disappointed/frustrated by mercedes. This is a very expensive part to replace. I should not have to pay out of pocket to fix my car, which is now sitting due to it not starting, especially if other same year vehicles were affected and theirs is covered under the recall. I think the entire situation is ridiculous! I will never own another mercedes!!!

Filed Nov 14, 2016 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 65,000 miles · FL

Gas smell all the time, main computer keeps on and drains battery, brakes lights

Filed Oct 12, 2016 · Brakes · 133,000 miles · WA

I am an owner of a 2004 mercedes benz e320 that I have bought 3 years ago in november. When I purchased the vehicle I elected to also buy a 3 year 36k warranty. Over the past 3 year I have had no to very little trouble with the vehicle and have maintained a very positive and optimistic attitude towards the vehicle never having to utilize the warranty. Well until last week... I was driving the vehicle on the interstate when suddenly I lost all braking power out of nowhere. I was petrified and very scared for myself and everyone in the vehicle, only getting a "reduced braking power" notice on the dash after brake loss. Recollecting that if this occurred in heavier traffic we could have been seriously injured and or killed in an accident due to the reaction of the sbc unit that failed in the vehicle. Come to find out my vehicle had a recall for this specific failed unit and mercedes benz offered a 10 year 150k mile warranty to fix this issue in the vehicle. Unfortunately by the time that I had purchased the vehicle, had I know this was an issue, I would have only had a short period of time for the unit to fail before I could have taken advantage of this "warranty".. But I was unaware of this issue and honestly would have not purchased the vehicle if I would have known. I commuted with this vehicle 60 miles a day for the last year and even drove it to california over the summer as a family trip, with no negative thoughts or malfunctions. I cannot say that I can drive this vehicle in confidence any longer with the knowledge that I have now of the sbc braking units. My vehicle warranty is no longer valid because my vehicle exceeded mileage..this issue should be covered by mercedes I should not be held liable for correcting this issue. This is a major saftey issue and is not being address appropriately.

Filed Oct 8, 2016 · Brakes · 100,000 miles · FL

Takata recall. The brake light on dashboard came on few months ago. We had replaced brake pads etc, earlier and was told the sbc needed to be replaced. I went to 2 dealers in my area and they both stated it is not under warranty. I have read many comments about the faulty design from mbenz and do not understand why they do not want to replace it at their cost. Are they waiting for lawyers to sue for a fatal crash? I do not want to be the one dying nor anyone in my family. The car has only 106,331 miles. Can you help?

Filed Sep 1, 2016 · Brakes · 197,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes-benz e320. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed and traveled close to the floorboard. The contact stated that the brake pedal required excessive force to stop the vehicle. In addition, the ?brake longer distance visit workshop? Warning message appeared in red on the instrument panel. The contact was concerned that the failure could result in a fatal crash. The failure occurred every time the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the sbc hydraulic unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer offered to cover ten percent of the cost, but the offer was declined. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 05v133000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and 04v296000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The contact stated that a recall remedy could not be performed unless the vehicle received a service not related to a recall, which was why the manufacturer's recall remedy for the fuel tank was not performed. The contact felt that the failure occurred due to high mileage. The manufacturer stated that there was an extended warranty related to the failure that expired. The failure mileage was 197,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Aug 22, 2016 · Brakes · 144,514 miles · TX

While driving on the freeway at around 60 MPH my instrument message display suddenly turned red, started beeping continuously, and displayed the message "stop break defective stop vehicle". The car had zero breaks, pumping them did no good, and I had to immediately put on my hazards, downshift to slow the car, and pull off the freeway and park using the emergency break to avoid a potentially life threatening accident. While waiting for help I turned the car back on after 15 minutes and everything appeared to be working fine. My car is serviced regularly and very well maintained and it gave no indication of any break problems prior to this failure. It had a full break job at the mercedes benz dealer less then 30k miles ago and was serviced for another issue in the last 1.5 years. At no time were my breaks mentioned as needing maintenance. Mercedes benz is aware of this issue, see "2004 mercedes benz e class brake foundation components tsb (bulletin sb-090930)" where it is mentioned. This is a serious life threatening issue that because of the design of the break system is completely unpredictable. My car is not within the 10 year warranty covered in the tsb referenced above. This sbc breaking system should have never been permitted on the road. Mercedes benz realized the mistake and discontinued the use of it after 3 years due to all of the issues. Any car with this system is a ticking time bomb that could put any number of lives at risk with absolutely no warning. At least with a standard break system you have some chance of stopping the car.

Filed Aug 19, 2016 · Brakes · 79,564 miles · FL

I was pulling out of a drive way and brakes completely failed with no warning. I could not change gears or stop. I only came to a stop when the car finally rolled to a stop. This was unbelievable terrifying. I had car towed to nearest mercedes mechanic. I paid the $1394.00 and mercedes benz customer services says I have no recourse because I am out of the 10 year warranty. I could have been killed as car pulled out blindly onto the city street. This happened late at night with no warning. I am still shaken up by how suddenly this happened on a vehicle that I once held in such high esteem.

Filed Aug 11, 2016 · Brakes · 70,000 miles · NY · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes-benz e320. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to stop and all the warning lights on the instrument panel illuminated. In addition, an error message displayed and informed the contact to immediately stop the vehicle. The brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard, but failed to respond. As a result, the contact crashed into the curb, which caused the vehicle to stop. The vehicle was towed. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the computer system related to the brakes was reprogrammed. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the sbc system failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

Filed Aug 4, 2016 · Brakes · 80,000 miles · NY

Merecedes benz USA customer service would not honor the federal safety agency campaign 04v296000 (sbc brake pump failure) claiming failure was beyond the limit of the campaign. Car was always serviced at mercedes dealership however this part was never replaced. Due knowledge of potential defect in the brake unit, I have requested the part be replaced at mercedes expense which has been denied. I was told my car is unsafe to drive and the repair is quoted at $2200.00

Filed Jul 13, 2016 · Brakes · 39,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes-benz e320. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the brake pedal was applied and failed without warning. The vehicle was pulled over into a parking lot and the emergency brake was applied to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a brake failure the sbc/electro hydraulic brake system component, which needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 39,000.

Filed Jul 6, 2016 · Brakes · 180 miles · CA

Berberian stockton dealer wants $2,400 to fix the sbc (sensotronic brake control) $740 to fix front brakes. The rep ralph carrasco said the dealership cannot comply with the remedy for recalls as the time period for recalls has expired. Really? Repair of faulty brakes expire? I was waiting for the light to turn green when the bright red message "stop! Brakes unsafe stop the car immediately" [ can't recall exact verbatim]. To stop the car because the brakes had become unsafe to drive .the car froze up, restarts but will not shift gear to drive. Why does mb sell outageously expensive but defective cars? What about consumer protection law? The federal safety agency (national highway traffic safety) published on 4/05/2005 this sbc issue as mercedes-benz recall no. 2004 050014. The recall began on october 21, 2004. Owners should contact mercedes-benz at 1‑800‑367‑6372. The federal safety agency summarized the recall on certain vehicles, the electronic monitoring system of the sensotronic brake control (sbc) is designed to monitor the pressure gradient within the high pressure line of the brake system. If an unacceptable pressure gradient is detected, the system will switch, as it is designed to do, into the hydraulic function mode. Hazard: if vehicles are not routinely serviced and have extremely high mileage combined with a high number of brake actuations, or frequency, the pump motor of the sbc may run out of permissible tolerances, thereby triggering the hydraulic function mode.customers may also contact the federal safety agency's vehicle safety hotline at 1‑888‑327‑4236 (tty 1‑800‑424‑9153), or go to

Filed Mar 14, 2016 · Brakes · 10 miles · CA

The sbs sytem has gone out when there was a recall on the item. Sbs sytem is not good. Now I'a out to 2000 for a recall part this is not fair

Filed Dec 8, 2015 · Brakes · 1 miles · MI

Recall was performed in 2004 on sbc hydraulic system and has gone out again, 12/08/2015, and the dealer said the recall "expired" in 2013. Vehicle was diagnosed at autohaus in royal, oak, mi.

Filed Nov 8, 2015 · Brakes · 70,100 miles · VA

Brakes failed three times today. At one point, we were forced to use emergency brake to stop, and at another point, we were forced to drive off into the grass to stop.

Filed Nov 2, 2015 · Brakes · 95,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes benz e320. While driving at approximately 20 MPH, the power brakes failed without warning causing, which caused the brakes to go into backup mode. The VIN was serviced under the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v133000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the failure continued. The failure recurred three times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the ABS pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000. Updated 01/27/16*lj

Filed Oct 5, 2015 · Brakes · 140,000 miles · MD

While driving on the highway, the (sbc) systems failed with a red stop sign on the dash board. I managed to bring the car to a complete stop by pushing the pedal all the way to the floor with no resistance and applying the emergency brake with my left foot simultaneously. It was a scary experience as it was a stormy late night with 10% visibility due to the rain. I managed to park/towed the car to my house and it has been in my drive way ever since the incident. This vehicle is equipped with sensotronic brake control (sbc) 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.

Filed Jul 30, 2015 · Brakes · 132,000 miles · FL · crash

This was one of 4 accidents or fender benders I've been in in the last 14 months due to brake malfunction. I have changed my brakes 2 in 14 months and its not the brakes its a malfunction the brakes loose pressure the brake pedal goes completely down but do not actually brake with this I have hit 4 vehicles from behind.. I contacted mcb coral gables and they said they do not have any recalls therefore can only service it if I pay. I feel like I will likely get into a terrible accident , something needs to be done I am in danger..I do not have means of other transportation.

Filed May 29, 2015 · Brakes · 68,209 miles · CA

At the annual service the mercedes dealer tested the brakes and informed me the brake system sbc has failed. This is a problem with this model and has been the subject of a recall/extended warranty. It's an approximately $4,000 dollar repair and they claimed to have just discovered it only months after the recall/extended warranty has ended. They do not want to repair the brakes under the recall/extended warranty issue to do so but have said it needs to be repaired. The vehicle just underwent a recall/extended warranty authorized repair for a long standing fuel leak problem the month before. There remains a strong smell of fuel in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

Filed May 26, 2015 · Brakes · 131,000 miles · LA

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes benz e320. While driving at 75 MPH, the brakes failed to respond and the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 131,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed May 8, 2015 · Brakes · CO

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. Look for 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.

Filed Apr 17, 2015 · Brakes · 109,000 miles · CT

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes benz e320. The contact stated that the brake warning light illuminated and the brake pedal became very loose. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and it was determined that the sensotronic brake control module needed to be replaced along with the entire hydraulic brake system. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 109,000.

Filed Mar 13, 2015 · Brakes · CA

I just replaced my brakes and I get an message on my dash that says reduced brake effect longer stopping distance. I take it in to the dealer penske mercedes and they tell me the sbc pump and another part are bad and that it will cost me $2200 to repair because my extended warranty expired 10 years after the date I purchased my vehicle. I thought extended meant after the manufacturer warranty expires not the day I buy the car. This is a very dangerous issue if my brakes fail because of their negligence why should I have to pay for them to fix their mistake.

Filed Feb 3, 2015 · Brakes · 138,000 miles · CA

Sbc system failed 4 months after warranty expired. Multiple posts on line regarding issue which should be a recall not an extended warranty. This is a safety hazard regarding a part that appears to have a much higher failure rate.

Filed May 9, 2013 · Airbags, Brakes · 44,200 miles · GA

After refueling, the car has a strong gasoline odor inside and outside the car. The air brakes make a roaring noise when pressed. The air bag is deactivated.

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used 2004 Mercedes Benz E320?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history