I own a 2003 mercedes benz e500. My wife was driving the car about 25 MPH .she put on the brakes and a bright red signal appeared on the screen and the car brakes failed .to avoid an accident ,my wife drove into an uphill parking lot where the car came to a stop without the cars brakes help .after we calmed down ,we called aaa and had the car towed to rizzoli's mecedez repair 702 west grand ave grover beach ca 93433 phone number 805‑481‑0832 which was closed and the car was left in their parking lot with the keys left in the drop box .this was the closest mercedes repair place we could think of in our state of shock. We were notified that sbc brake system had failed and it would cost $3453.06 to repair .I found out that there had been a 25 year extended warranty on the VIN number in question .after the repair I still noticed some cushioning of the brake pedal but the car brakes did work . Rizzolis is not an authorized repair shop .I called the authorized dealer where I purchased the car alphonos ,1423 calle joaquin,san luis obispo ,93405 ,805 4382701 prior to get the cars brakes repaired and the representative I talked to said they do not have a recall listed on the vehicle and could not help me . I am seeking reembersement of the cost of repair since the dealer I bought the car from would not honor repairing the vehicle on the 25 year warrantee . Thank you [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Mercedes Benz E500 brake failure problems
30 of the 460 owner complaints about the Mercedes Benz E500 describe brake failure, most of them for the 2005 model year.
- owner complaints
- 30
- worst model year
- 2005
- typical mileage
- 105,000
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mercedes-benz e500w, while driving approximately 60 MPH, the contact depressed the brake pedal, but the brakes failed. As a result, the contact drove through a stop light. The contact stated that the epc warning indicator was illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and was able to resume driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the epc unit failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 129,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mercedes-benz e500. The contact stated that a warning message to take the vehicle to a repair shop illuminated concerning the brakes. The vehicle had been previously serviced several times for various brake failures, but there had not been a permanent remedy. The dealer (mercedes-benz of valencia, 23355 valencia blvd, santa clarita, ca 91355, 661- 753-5555) and the manufacturer indicated that there was an extended warranty for the sensotronic brake control (sbc), but did not specify if they would provide a solution covered by the extended warranty. The dealer indicated that there was a malfunction with the sbc unit and the pump, which both needed to be replaced. The manufacturer indicated that there was no recall on the vehicle and they refused to cover the vehicle with an extended warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
Brake failure. Total brake failure while driving down the highway. No warning light except after failure! According to recall campaign #2005110001" brake power may be reduced". Brake power wasn't reduced, there was zero- had to coast to a stop on the side of the road. Could've been catastrophic. Per safety campaign records, my vehicle is marked as "completed" . I am the 2nd owner of the car and it's not been completed. Contact mb dealership who offered to fix this recalled item for me at a 10% discount. Contacted mb customer service and I cannot get a resolution.
While driving on interstate brake failure sing come with red light totake to dealer.try to stop the car but, not braking. Luckily no incedent. It had happened several times and it has only 122,000 miles. It can take my life away. It obviously the company's defect.spend enough money after maintanance. Dealers are day time robbers.company should replace the part without cost to loyal customers.there are other luxury vehicles available with compatative price.
When attempting to exit the highway, the sensotronic brake control system (sbc) failed and there were no noticeable brakes. The pedal went all the way to the floor with no resistance. Manufacturer claims that if you apply additional pressure during a failure, there will be some braking power available. In the situation though, when the pedal goes to the floor, human instinct is to immediately find an alternative way to stop the car. I was able to stop by downshifting the transmission and applying the emergency brake. Less experienced drivers may not be so lucky. Mercedes benz USA is aware of the potential for all sbc electric pumps to fail at any time causing this same situation for anyone. They are unwilling to cover the defective part because I am one year beyond the 'extended warranty.' they claim that as with any car parts, the sbc system can be expected to fail at some point. Anything beyond 10 years and they do not take responsibility for. Normally I would agree with that sentiment, but not when it concerns the primary electric system of electric brakes to fail. There should at least be a sufficient and noticeable hydraulic back up if this part is engineered to fail. Mercedes has recently extended all fuel tank related issues and components to 15 year coverage, and this would at least be a step in the right direction for the sbc system. However, I believe mercedes benz USA and the federal safety agency should mandate a recall of all vehicles equipped with sbc to be inspected yearly and replaced free of charge for the life of the vehicle. I believe it is just a matter of time before there are significant deaths or injuries due to this problem - as the affected vehicles are all about 10 years old at this point. It is a valid concern for both me as a driver of an affected vehicle, and a concern for fellow motorists and pedestrians on the road.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes-benz e500. While driving, the brakes failed and the driver was unable to immediately stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer (mercedes-benz of north houston located in houston, texas) who indicated that the hydraulic sbc brake pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact indicated that the sbc brake pump was previously replaced in 2011. After retrieving the vehicle and while driving, several warning messages displayed, including the battery and alternator warning indicators before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the alternator and battery were faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 152,801. Updated 09/05/17*lj *cn
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.
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. 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 for free. This is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed. We are too scared to drive the vehicle because we don't know when the brakes will go into failure mode. Mercedes extended the warranty period for 10yrs which has expired. Even under that warranty period mercedes only replaced sbc units that had failed. The main issue is when the sbc unit fails you have no brakes; and replacing the sbc does not solve this because the sbc will eventually fail again in the future.
Upon exiting a highway, a red brake failure warning and beeping noise appeared. All braking capability was absent, so I was able to safely roll to a stop. This happened twice (odometer during these incidences exceeding 120,000) and I now have a white message appearing when I start the vehicle which notes "brakes - visit workshop". The times that the brakes seized up on me I was always able to turn the car off and start up again with no message ever to appear for months at a time, which made me think it was some sort of computer error message. I had the brakes checked and the mechanic could not see anything wrong with them, so I was always sent on my way with no repair work done. I have reached my limit with this vehicle. I do not feel safe and it is unfortunate I had to experience such trauma twice. Thankfully I was able to not crash into anyone and had convenient parking lots to roll into. Please investigate this matter. It has happened to many people.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Mercedes Benz E500 brake failure
Which Mercedes Benz E500 years have brake failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2005 (15 complaints), 2003 (9 complaints) and 2004 (4 complaints).
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