2000 Mercedes Benz ML320: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed Sep 23, 2013 · Acceleration, Brakes · 185,630 miles · CA

I was on the freeway, I was using my cruise control (luckily just after heavy traffic hours) just like any other day. A car slowed in front of me, so I went to apply my brakes. As soon as I hit the brake pedal the brakes not only did not disengage the cruise control but the brakes got stiff and would not work no matter how hard I pressed them. At the same time the accelerator was floored and the car was trying to go what seems like 130-140 MPH. It took all my strength to try and keep it at an appropriate speed. Luckily my passenger told me to stay calm and tried to help me disengage the cruise control. I had to maneuver the car to the slowest lane and shift it into neutral. That was the only option I had besides crashing into the car in front of me. I am extremely shaken from this event, I have anxiety/panic attacks whenever I drive any vehicle now. I am currently looking for a physician to help me work out some kind of treatment/therapy.

Filed Jun 25, 2011 · Airbags, Brakes · 51,000 miles · NY

I have been the owner of a 2000 mercedes ml320 for about 6 years. The car was purchased from the dealer with approx. 30,000 miles. Today it has approx 73,000 miles. Since owning it, I have had several problems which were all out of warranty and which I feel were unwarranted and were not seriously attended to by mb or the dealer: this complaint form was very difficult to complete according to the fields provided. The equipment information included is not correct and was included just to get to the form. I felt that the problems with the car should be reported specifically the esp light and the air bag problems at about 51,000 miles, the airbag became inoperative. I was told that it would cost about $2000 to repair and correct. Dealer offered a small adjustment. I chose not to make the investment. At about 65,000 miles, I began having very loud noises that seemed to come from the crankshaft and appeared to be a brake problem. Dealer did try to determine what it was, but couldn't isolate the problem unless "he had to take the whole car apart" there was a related problem because the esp light would come on intermittently that the dealer advised could not be isolated unless I did the work on the brake and the crankshaft:" at about 72,000 miles, the car developed oil leaks from the motor. Est. Cost of repair was $2000. We are watching and waiting. In may, I was advised that there is a recall notice on the cruise control of the car. No word on that issue since. Because of the cruise control notice I received, I was prompted to write you about these other issues and became further concerned about the esp light and the faulty air bag the care has had., car is driven an average of 150 miles a week in mostly city driving. Car is serviced but not by the dealer because of the high cost and relative dissatisfaction from the service provided. Updated 07/27/11

Filed Jun 3, 2011 · Lights · 100,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 mercedes benz ml320. The contact was driving with the cruise control activated and when she tapped on the brakes to disengage the component, the vehicle accelerated abnormally as opposed to decelerating. The contact had to shift into neutral in order to stop the vehicle from accelerating any further. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the brake light switch was defective and needed to be replaced. The failure recurred five times and each time, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the identical, diagnosis was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance, stating that the vehicle was no longer under factory warranty. The failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was not available.

Filed Jan 31, 2011 · Lights · 80,000 miles · TX

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 mercedes ml320. The contact stated that she had to replace the break lamp switch several times as the brake lights stayed on while driving although the brakes were not applied. Also, when the switch went out she was not able to switch gears and the cruise control did not engage. The vehicle was taken to a local shop who diagnosed a faulty break lamp switch. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and current mileage was 360,000.

Filed Feb 26, 2008 · Driver assistance · 74,000 miles · NJ

I own a 2000 mercedes ml320 - while driving a few years ago on cruise control doing 65 miles per hour the truck jammed on the brakes. It took me to just about a complete stop from 65 miles per hour on a major highway route 287 in nj. When I called and was put on with a customer service specialist to troubleshoot the problem he asked "how far did you skid" and laughed. I brought it to the dealer and they drove it around for two weeks and told me it does not do this when they try it. It was raining at the time so I waited until it rained again and tried it again. I did it at a lower speed in a safer situation and it did it again. They replaced the yaw sensor but we are not trusting the cruise control and never used it again. Well, now for the last few months the truck locks up one or more wheels randomly at high and low speeds. Sometimes for only a few seconds and other times longer. Sometimes the system fails and turns the light on and other times it just recovers and starts driving again. It happens on dry days just driving in a straight line. When only one wheel locks up it pulls the truck in that direction and has almost caused me and my wife to crash. It is random it might happen three times in a day or not at all for a week. We have experienced this at least 10 times in the last two months. It did not show a code until last week. The truck was never in a accident so it can not be from damage! It is still in this state at this time and no work has been done to correct it as of yet. Code: c1120 esp yaw rate sensor n/64 or signal mercedes tries to pretend this problem does not exist but when someone gets hurt badly they will not be able to ignore it! Any system that faults by forcing the car to a stop is a scary design flaw! I found this from web search your the federal safety agency action number : pe07007 thanks, edwin wendell

Filed Mar 9, 2005 · Lights · 56,492 miles · AR

While driving with the cruise control on, in the left lane of an interstate highway, a slower moving semi-trailer truck changed into my lane suddenly. I stepped on the brake to slow down. I noticed that there was much more brake pedal pressure required than normal to slow down. When I released the brake, the vehicle immediately accelerated toward the rear end of the truck. I also noticed that the bas/esp warning light had come on, indicating a failure on the brake light switch. The dealer indicated that the failure of this component was a known problem, and they always kept them in stock for that reason. Apparently the brake light switch also controls turning the cruise control off, when you step on the brake. I consider this to be a safety hazard. After this incident happened I verified that the brake lights were in fact not working, and also verified that stepping on the brake pedal would not cancel the cruise control. The brake light switch also controls the shift knob release, allowing you to shift out of "park" after starting the vehicle.