2001 mercedes benz e320. Consumer writes in regards to loss of power steering and brakes. *smd the consumer stated when he drove over a speed bump, the check engine light illuminated. He put the vehicle in reverse, and discovered the brakes did not work, he tried to turn the steering wheel and it was not working either. With great effort, he was finally able to make a left turn. He turned the vehicle off, re-started it, and the check engine light did not come back on. The brakes and steering also resumed to normal operation.
Mercedes Benz E320 power steering loss problems
12 of the 1,164 owner complaints about the Mercedes Benz E320 describe loss of power steering, most of them for the 1999 model year.
- owner complaints
- 12
- worst model year
- 1999
- typical mileage
- 65,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
- 20051
- 20031
- 20011
- 19995
- 19982
- 19961
- 19951
Often reported together
What owners say
On a right turn the rack and pinion mechanical part failed. Steering became extremely difficult, and almost caused a move into oncoming traffic. The mechanical failure caused a blow back of fluid with metal filings into the power steering pump. The pump overflowed onto the belt. The belt then stressed the water pump until it too was broken. $8,000 worth of damage.
Front spring perches must have been rusted at the welding seam. When I was driving at 35 MPH I heard a big snap and the front of the car hit the ground at which point I lost steering control. The front perches must have dislodged and almost caused accident while I was driving. This is a vital part of the suspension/steering system and should be recalled. The dealership would not help out replacing this part. This is clearly a manufacturing issue and should be recalled. Luckily I was driving on a local road, or it could have caused an accident or death, at which point they would have had a lawsuit on their hands. I also had 2 additional passengers at the time of the occurrence. This event could have been prevented by a recall as I've also heard the same issues from other owners. The car is a mercedes benz 1996 e320 with 134,000 miles on it.
My 1995 e-320 wagons engine wiring harness insulation has deteriorated to a point where the car was going crazy, odd accelerator behavior, loss of power, loss of trans control, loss of traction control, all wire insulation on this harness has deteriorated to the point that it is amazing that there has not been a fire or accident b/c of the malfunctions. I cannot believe I have been driving around with my 20 month old daughter in the car with it like this. When the car stated acting up. I took it to a cert. Mechanic and he showed me that I the car could have burned up or I could have lost steering or braking capabilities or trans control. I couldn't believe it!!! I could not tell that anything was wrong until he removed the cover from around the group of wires. I have never seen anything like it, not even in my 30 year old volkswagen beetle I had. Mercedes must have known this was a issue and should recall before anybody gets seriously hurt.
As I was accelerating onto the freeway, I heard a loud noise from my engine. I started losing power steering and my battery charger light kept flashing indicating a problem with the crankshaft pulley. Luckily I was able to get home safely.*ak after safely driving home, I looked under the hood and noticed huge chunks of rubber parts inside. I took the car to the mercedes dealership the next day and was told that the harmonic balancer had been damaged. When the harmonic balancer was damaged, it in turn ruined the oil pan cover and the timing chain cover resulting in a $2500 repair bill. The service manager stated he would write merceds to see if some of the costs can be defrayed and will be getting back to me. I highly doubt any substantial amount will be defrayed by the manufacturer. I am extremely disappointed in mercedes and the e320.
During normal operation I experienced total loss of steering assist and the engine quit running. I barely missed hitting several roadside obstacles and was nearly stranded in the middle of a high speed roadway. I am a woman of over 70 years of age and do not have the strength to wrestle a 3000 pound car around without power assist. I had great difficulty maintaining control and avoiding a collision. The car had to be towed nearly 20 miles to the dealership where it was out of service for approximately a month at a cost of $4500.00. The dealership told me that the car had a failure of the harmonic balancer on the engine which destroyed a large number of surrounding parts. The damaged parts were replaced and the balancer was also replaced. The old part has been requested from the dealer.
While driving, power steering fluid leaked. This would cause the vehicle to lose power steering. *ak
1999 mercedes-benz e320t, 60k miles - crankshaft harmonic balancer (damper pulley) failed. Advised by mechanic to replace immediately, so as to avoid loss of multi ribbed-v-belt and concurrent loss of power steering, alternator and water pump function.
While driving the engine's crankshaft pulley broke. As a result the power steering failed, which caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. No report of impact. Please provide additional information.
The rubber insert in the pulley crankshaft experienced a mechanical failure which resulted in no power steering or brakes. *jb *scc
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Mercedes Benz E320 power steering loss
Which Mercedes Benz E320 years have loss of power steering problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1999 (5 complaints), 1998 (2 complaints) and 1995 (1 complaints).
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