The failed component is the YAW rate sensor, original part number A1635426340 (ATE part number 10.0980-0454.2), manufactured by ATE. I have experienced multiple incidents of sudden, unintended braking at highway speeds. These events occurred without warning and created an immediate and significant risk of a serious collision, endangering not only myself and my family but also other motorists sharing the roadway. While the defect has not been reproduced or confirmed by either a Mercedes-Benz dealer or an independent repair facility, the absence of a successful diagnosis does not diminish the seriousness of the safety hazard. In fact, your agency opened an investigation into this issue in 2007, yet no corrective action was ultimately taken despite reports indicating that more than 100,000 vehicles may have been affected. According to publicly available information, Mercedes-Benz inspected and evaluated the YAW rate sensor in May 2007 as part of its review of this issue. The continued occurrence of sudden, unintended braking events raises concerns that the underlying defect may not have been fully addressed. Most concerning is that there were no warning lamps, fault messages, or other observable symptoms prior to the braking events. The vehicle operated normally until the moment the unintended braking occurred, leaving the driver with no opportunity to anticipate or prevent a potentially catastrophic situation.
The worst 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes48
- Driver assistance35
- Steering25
- Acceleration16
- Electrical16
- Fuel system11
- Airbags8
- Engine5
- Seats4
- Visibility4
- Locks3
- Suspension3
- Transmission3
- Body2
- Seat belts2
- Wheels2
- Tires1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320
ABS 15Power steering loss 10Brake failure 6Loss of power 6Grinding brakes 5Stalling 5
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Defect investigations
Brake lamp switch failure.
ODI opened the investigation based on reports that the subject vehicle brake lamp switch (switch) failure caused 1) inoperative brake lamps (stay on or fail to illuminate), and/or 2) shift interlock failure (shifter locked in park), and/or 3) the cruise control to fail to cancel with brake application.Consumers also reported the illumination of a warning lamp on the instrument panel.The switch contains three sets of electrical contacts and a (normally extended) spring loaded plunger that actuates the contacts as it moves.As installed in the vehicle, the plunger contacts the brake pedal arm and is pushed into the switch; as the driver applies the pedal the plunger extends.One set of contacts (BLS) operates the stop lamps, a second set (EWM) controls the shift interlock system, and a third set (BS) is used by an on-board diagnostic (OBD) system to monitor switch operation.The cruise control monitors the BLS signal to determine when the brake is applied, the primary way the system is disabled when set.The relative timing of contact actuation in response to plunger movement allows the OBD system to detect a switch fault.When a fault is detected a malfunction indication lamp (MIL) is illuminated (driver alert), a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) is stored (for the service technician), and cruise control operation is inhibited (as a failsafe).In its response to ODI's January 2011 information request letter, MB explained its assessment of switch failures which was based primarily on evaluation of field return failures.MB identified both 1) electrical contact and 2) mechanical switch failure mechanisms.According to MB's analysis, electrical contact failure is the predominate failure type and the failure consequence depends on which contact fails.For instance MB claims that BLS contact failures are momentary in nature and do not affect brake light operation but are nonetheless detected by the OBD system, resulting in a DTC and subsequent replacement.Electrical contact failures of the BS and EWM contacts result in a DTC also, and EWM contact failures result in the shifter being stuck in the park (which can be overridden by the consumer).Accordingly MB maintains that electrical contact failures of the switch have no safety consequence since the brake lamps remain operational and the cruise control is always disabled.MB determined that mechanical failures of the switch, which are rare in their assessment, can result from internal wear and/or increased switch operating temperatures.High temperatures occur due to overheating of the BLS contacts and can cause the internal plastic components to melt.In one scenario overheated BLS contacts may melt to the extended plunger and are damaged when the brake pedal is released resulting in the brake lights staying on.In another scenario the increased temperatures and/or internal wear can cause the plunger to stick in the fully depressed position.In this case the cruise may not cancel when the brake is applied and the driver may have to use high brake pedal forces or other means (shifting to neutral or using the cruise master switch) to disengage the cruise.Additionally the vacuum assist can be depleted if the driver pumps the brakes resulting in reduced braking effectiveness and even higher pedal forces.In its March 31, 2011 defect notification, MB stated that to remediate the potential need for excessive brake force it would conduct a safety recall (11V‑208) to replace the switch with a more robustly designed component.The recall includes 136,751 model year 2000 - 2002 M-Class and model year 2000 - 2004 M-Class AMG vehicles.Owner notification letters will be mailed
PE10050
Electronic stability control malfunction
Odi opened pe07-007 after receiving 4 complaints within a 6 week period alleging incidents of uncommanded brake application in model year (my) 2000 through 2001 mercedes m class sport utility vehicles.information contained in the reports or gathered in subsequent consumer interviews indicated that the incidents were caused by faults in the electronic stability program (esp) system which were repaired by replacing the yaw rate sensors.although the same yaw rate sensor is used in approximately 800,000 other mercedes m-class, c-class and slk models, to date there has been only one related complaint to odi in those vehicles. During this investigation mercedes benz provided odi with 327 complaints related to the esp system in the my 2000 through 2001 m class vehicles.seven of the complaints submitted by mercedes alleged incidents of uncommanded brake activation while driving, with two of these involving vehicles identified in the odi complaints.none of the incidents resulted in crash or injury.however, the owners did express safety concerns due to the sudden, unexpected change in vehicle speed and direction. On may 10, 2007 mercedes benz met with the federal safety agency to provide a technical presentation and conduct a driving demonstration of the esp system performance with simulated electrical faults in the yaw rate sensor.mercedes showed that the esp system is programmed to diagnose electrical faults and that brake applications resulting from yaw rate sensor electrical faults are very short in duration (0.3 seconds or less) and do not affect vehicle control or stability. Nine of the consumer complaints to odi and mercedes alleged brake activations longer than 0.3 seconds, with several alleging that the incident lasted until the vehicle came to a stop.a complaint vehicle that alleged multiple incidents was evaluated by odi at the vehicle research and test center (vrtc) in east liberty, ohio.vrtc was unable to duplicate the condition.due to the low complaint rate and only one new complaint to odi or mercedes since january 2007, this investigation has been closed.odi will continue to monitor complaints in the subject vehicles and other mercedes products using the same yaw rate sensor and mercedes will provide updates on field experience (complaints, field reports and warranty claims) through the end of 2007.
PE07007
Power steering hose assembly leakage
The hose clamp used to secure the power steering fluid cooling hose to the steering fluid cooler may not provide sufficient clamping force for the connection.the loss of power steering fluid may result in gradual reduction in power steering assist (I.e., increased steering effort) over time, with potential damage to the power steering pump. There have also been a few incidents of hose separation from the fitting, that have resulted in more rapid reductions of power steering.testing conducted by mercedes-benz indicates that the leaked fluid is not likely to be exposed to hot engine components.there are no known allegations that the defect condition has caused a vehicle fire. Mercedes-benz will conduct a voluntary recall campaign for the subject m-class vehicles.mercedes-benz will install a new hose clamp on the power steering hose to the power steering cooler of the subject vehicles.during clamp replacement, the power steering cooling hose will be inspected and replaced as necessary.
PE03006
Technical service bulletins for the 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320 47
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
- Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged
- Headlamps leaking or fogged
- Vehicle with atypical reduced heat output
- During a phone call, the called party has difficulty understanding/cannot understand the driver, or...
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
- Washer fluid system leaks
- Headlamp or front fog lamp leaky or fogged
- Rear lamps fogged up/not leaktight
- Crease formation on genuine leather seat covers in vehicles with low mileage ⢠Objects left on the seats...
2001 Mercedes Benz ML320 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2L 6‑cyl | 4WD | 15 | 19 | 17 |
What 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2001 Mercedes-Benz ML320. The contact stated that the front passenger’s door failed to open more than 6 inches. The contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320. The contact stated that when they entered their vehicle and turned it on, the vehicle's passenger front door air bag made a sudden boom sound and then deployed. The contact stated that there were no warning lights. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 132,000.
Air bag off, pedal control sistem is in recall from march 31 2011, smoke pass belong to nissan mendoza auto group sold this car in ca car in recall don't pass smoke, they said yes...pass, please investigation
Ecm is malfunctioning and not controlling fuel injection and giving random misfire on cylinders 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Causing check engine light to come on . Codes 0300, 0302,0303,0304,0305,0306.
My cat brake would stop car roll over
The front brake system on mercedes benz ml320 locks up while driving.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes-benz ml320. On two occasions, while driving approximately 45 MPH and 60 MPH, the vehicle slowed down independently and came to an abrupt stop. There was no crash. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the yaw rate sensor was defective. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified via email. The dealer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 220,000.
Steering fluid leeks.there is a hole in the tank.the steering is very hard.
While driving on highway the car brakes come on automatically without touching the brakes, it happened few times, the car has to come to stop, very dangerous situation
Compare the 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320
Other model years
Questions about the 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320
Is the 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320 reliable?
Owners have filed 136 complaints about the 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320, 6.2 times a typical ML320 model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.
What is the 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320 year score?
The 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320 scores 9 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the Mercedes Benz ML320: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320?
Brakes, with 48 complaints, typically around 114,970 miles. Next is driver assistance (35).
How many recalls does the 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320 have?
No recalls on record.
What year does the Mercedes Benz ML320 have bad brakes?
The Mercedes Benz ML320 model years with the most brakes complaints are 2001 (48 complaints), 2000 (34 complaints) and 2002 (25 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320 get?
Official estimates for the 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320 range from 17 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.2L 6-cyl, 4WD) gets 15 city and 19 highway.
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