While driving down street brakes engaged on their own. Pulled car over due to warning light for brake malfunction as car down shifted itself. Tried to drive car once stopped and brakes were still engaged not allowing car to operate. Car was towed to dealership. They said the sbc hydraulic pump was defective and had been recalled by mercedes but their time frame to get it fixed had expired. I had no knowledge due to buying the car used. I was informed that this defect affect several years of this model. I contacted mbusa they explained the federal safety agency didn't do the recall for this defect and the time they set for repair had expired. I told them the repair is $2100.and asked mbusa do they stand behind their product being the part was defective that they used on their vehicles. They told me they will do nothing about it. That they could give me $200.00 of $2100.00 toward the repair being the part was defective. Mdusa has no integrity to stand behind a problem they created with defective braking system.
2003 Mercedes Benz E500 brakes complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 38 of 38, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I recently found out that the cars built between 2003 & 2006 were built with the sensormatic brake control unit or sbc. Mercedes discovered that this brake system had a lifespan based on the number of times the brakes were pressed so they extended the warranty on this unit to ten years. From what I read, these units just fail, sometimes without notice, and the car is left with 10% braking power, which is not sufficient to stop a car, especially a car going 55 or 60 miles an hour. The ten year warranty does not make sense to me because the failure is based on usage, not time. My car is 13 years old and I just saw a message on my dashboard that indicates it is possible that I need to replace the sbc. This is a very expensive job, up to $2000 and I do not believe I or any owners should have to pay to fix it. How is a car manufacturer allowed to build and sell a car that has a braking system that fails after a certain amount of taps on the brake. I am very concerned and afraid to drive my car for fear of the brakes failing on me. I have emailed daimler benz and did not get a response from them. Thank you for any help you can provide me with this matter [xxx] *dl information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
I was driving and when I tried to brake. The brakes went all the way to the floor. Red light let up in the middle of the dash it said that brake malfunction. Sbc system failure. Had to glade to a stop and have the car towed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes-benz e500. While driving 55-60 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, but failed to respond. The contact was able to slow the vehicle to a stop using the emergency brake. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the brake sensotronic control hydraulic unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.
Brake lights keep coming on so I had the brakes replaced. Brake lights still coming on, could not stop while in traffic with break pedal to the floor. Went to the mercedes benz dealership I was told my sensotronic brake control needed to be replaced. I am now hearing that there was a recall on the sensotronic brake control. Vehicle purchase 1 year ago, has just over 99k miles. Germain mercedes advised repair cost are $2500 and there is no warranty
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the brake pedal was applied but did not respond. The contact applied extreme force to the brake pedal, the vehicle spun around and crashed into a tree. The contact sustained whiplash and pains to the wrists due to the force from the impact that did not require medical attention. In addition, the head restraint air bags deployed on the drivers side and the front passenger side only. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed back to the contacts residence and the vehicle was not diagnosed yet to determine how the failure happened. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
I purchased the mercedes benz e500 2003 about five years ago. I noticed about 21/2 year that the brake lights kept coming on even after having the brakes replaced. The braking system light comes on and message states please stop your, the braking system is defective. This happen several times I was in traffic. I could not stop and when I turn the vehicle on, this message comes on the dash board. When I went to the mercedes benz dealership I was told my sensotronic brake control needed to be replaced. I was never told by any mercedes benz dealership that there was a recall on the sensotronic brake control. They just quoted me prices on replacing the sensotronic brake control, instead of telling me there was a recall. I need your help, because I was never notified, nor did the mercedes benz dealers tell me of the recall. Please email at [xxx] or contact at [xxx]. I really appreciate your attention to this matter. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Diving my 2003 e500 the red light came on and it said reduce breaking distance. It felt like the hydraulic brakes were engaged. I had the same problem with my 2002 e350 which was on the recall. List but the 2003 e500 is not on the recall having the same problem as the 2002 e350
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e500. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle downshifted and the brakes failed. The vehicle shut off and was able to be restarted. After the vehicle was restarted, the brake warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 83,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e500. While driving at 4 MPH, the ABS warning light illuminated. The brake pedal was depressed, but failed to respond and the emergency brake was engaged in order to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and the bad warning light unilluminated. The failure occurred on two occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that he sbc pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e500. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the sbc warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the brake hydraulic module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
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. 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 merged onto the 215 freeway heading north when at approximately 60mph a red stop sign showed up on my instrument cluster saying stop and something else that I don't remember. The car shifted down to second gear bells going off. I was only a couple miles from home. I am fortunate my wife wasn't driving. It was a very traumatic experience that no one should go through without warning. Can't believe mb has a safety item that works like this. This issue needs to be addressed before someone is killed.
As I were driving on a side road, suddenly a warning red light came on the dash flashing the brake sign. Soon after a message started to flash warning me to turn off vehicle. As I were proceeding to pull to a safe place, I pressed on the brake and found to my surprise that I had pressed on a soft pedal. Lucky I had kept my kool, and managed to pull over on a side street and brought the car to a stop.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes e500. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the brakes were applied and failed to stop the vehicle as the eps brake defective warning message flashed. The contact was able to steer the vehicle until it decelerated and halted. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the sbc pump failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated there was software installed in the past that was supposed to prevent the vehicle from driving in unsafe conditions when the eps malfunctioned. The contact stated that the software failed to operate. The approximate failure mileage was 176,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal was applied and the braks failed to stop the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the brake warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the gear was shifted in park independently causing the vehicle come to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the hydraulic pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 121,000.
Tl* the contact owns 2003 mercedes benz e500. The contact stated that the brake lights were not visible on the instrumental panel. The contact took his vehicle to the dealer, who stated the hydraulic pump module needed to be repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileage were 66,000.
Today while driving to work, a red brake failure warning...flashes across the screen and my car would not stop!!! I am driving down the highway at freeway speed and thankfully on a level section of road. The brake pedal just flopped..nothing.. I managed to get it to the side of the road, park and get out with the car still running!!! There is a recall on this ( see the federal safety agency #05v‑133 ) however mercedes benz is limiting it to 10 years. This is a huge safety issue since the brakes can fail at any time and there should not be a cutoff date. Mb refuses to offer any assistance to owners with vehicles outside the ten year period even thought they are aware it is still a problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes e500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, there was a warning message that appeared on the instrument panel advising the contact to stop the vehicle. The contact stated the brakes became unresponsive and abnormally traveled to the floorboard when depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 204,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes-benz e500. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the brakes failed to respond to deceleration attempts. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 114,138.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e500. The contact stated that the brake malfunction warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic and a diagnostic test was performed. The failure was located within the brake control unit. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 96,000. The approximate current mileage was 100,000.
I was driving the car at around 30 MPH ,when all of a sudden the dashboard turned red . I hit the brake pedal all the way down but the car would not brake to slow down . Fortunately I was able to turn into a meijer shopping center without hitting any one or anything. I kept driving in circle till the car slowed down enough for me to put in park gear. It was not for the empty parking lot I would have been hurt or hurt someone or both. The car had similar failure few months ago.the dealership said they replaced the failed part at no cost to me .I am shocked to find out it failed again. This matter has to be investigated.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e500. The contact stated that the brakes failed to activate when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle stopped when the brake pedal was depressed with force and seized to the floor board. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic who located the failure at the ABS antilock system. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 131,000.
Brake pump failure on 2003 mercedes e500, no accident, lower braking power, long distance for braking, warning message on dash. Has not happened again. Dealer informed that since vehicle has a salvage title, the recall campaign will not be performed without cost. Campaign 2005 070007.
Intermittent problem with brakes. Pedal has excessive travel and stopping distance is noticeably increased. It seems to fit into the problems listed with two recalls on 2003 e500. 04v296000 and 05v133000. Contacted mercedes and was told never heard of this condition, then I gave them the recall numbers. I was then put on hold for approx. 20 minutes and then was told no open recall on this unit,and I should contact dealer for assistance. Contacted dealer and was told to contact mercedes hotline because they could not help. Contacted mercedes again to be told to see dealer. I also asked if it could be checked or tested to see if the problem was what the recall listed and if so possibly get some assistance from mercedes. And if it was a different problem then charge me. The dealer said no,and if I was not satisfied with their answer maybe I should see an attorney. Certainly seems like a lot of trouble to see if this problem is related to their recall.
Driving vehicle in heavy traffic stepped on the brake and brake failure. Warning indicated complete brake failure stop immediately. Pedal pressure was excessively high resulting in very long stopping distance. Problem self cleared but then repeated with little braking and very high pedal force.
Brakes squeal in consumer's 2003 mercedes benz 3500. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer several times for repair. The dealer has replaced the engine mount, updated software, replaced caliper,replaced front and rear brake pads and rotors as well as changed a spring clip. Problem still persist. *ts
Dt: the consumer says that on oct. 21 2004 he took his vehicle in for a safety recall to be taken care of. The campaign number is 2004050014-sbs. The recall was regarding the hydraulic control unit. The line from the brake fluid looks as though it has been cut and it looked like electrical tape had been placed around it were the cut was located. He talked to mercedes and they have not gotten back with him yet. He has also replaced the instrument unit which controls all the lights.
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