Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | |||||
| PB-42-46-102 | 12/19/2008 | 10028644 | Mercedes: vehicle fails star diagnosis test; inspect brake system for air. models 230, 219, and 211. model years 2003-2009. *pe | 05/12/2009 | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||||
| PB-42-46-102 | 12/19/2008 | 10028644 | Mercedes: vehicle fails star diagnosis test; inspect brake system for air. models 230, 219, and 211. model years 2003-2009. *pe | 05/12/2009 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | |||
| 12/23/2012 | 43000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 mercedes-benz e320. the contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the sbc hydraulic unit failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 43,000. kmj | |||
| 12/23/2012 | 43000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 mercedes-benz e320. the contact stated that while driving, the brake warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the sbc hydraulic unit had failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 43,000. mh | |||
| 12/25/2012 | 160000 | 1 | |
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 mercedes e320. the contact was driving approximately 50 mph when the brake warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle would not respond. the vehicle eventually came to a stop. the contact shut the engine off and after restarting the vehicle the brake system functioned without failure. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vin was not available. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 160,000. kmj *tr | |||
| 12/25/2012 | 160000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 mercedes e320. the contact was driving approximately 50 mph when the brake warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle would not respond. the vehicle eventually came to a stop. the contact shut the engine off and after restarting the vehicle the brake system functioned without failure. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vin was not available. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 160,000. kmj | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | |||
| 04/08/2008 | 82000 | 1 | |
| I was driving my 2003 mercedes benz e 320 on april 3,2008. all of a sudden a sign appeared on the dash board that brake was disabled and i was unable to control the vehicle without a brake and still it was running. some how i managed to drive the vehicle to a parking lot on left and stopped it by changing the gear to parking. if it was happening after 10 second it would have collided with other vehicles in high speed in a major intersection and i wouldn't be in the face of the earth today. later i found out that the brake system of 2003 e 320 was in recall. when i checked with the dealer they said it was replaced before and there is no more warranty. i had to pay $2500 to fix the problem from my pocket. i am so upset about this incident - more than the money - the negligence of mercedes benz can risk the life of many people like me driving mercedes 2003 e320 model with faulty brake which break down without any warning while going in high speed. what shall i do in this matter? *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 02/18/2012 | 57210 | ||
| I was driving approximately 45 mph when the red dash warning light came on brake failure stop immediately visit workshop. the red emergency brake light and the amber abs light also came on. the vehicle started to automatically downshift into lower gears and i was able to pull off the road and stop using the emergency brake since the brakes were not working and i had the brake pedal to the floor. i was able to get the vehicle home using the emergency brake to stop the vehicle and the next day when i started the vehicle everything worked fine. i took it to my local mercedes-benz dealer and they updated the software for the sbc control unit. they also verified that all recall service for this vehicle had been previously performed. had this incident occured during an emergency braking situation or at a high speed i feel that this would have resulted in an accident. | |||
| 01/14/2012 | 162000 | ||
| On several occasions when starting my vehicle, the dashboard would go completely red, followed by beeping and an esp warning, saying limited breaking. the pedal would go to the floor at that point. sometimes i would already have the shift engaged before the lights went off and would have to use the emergency brake to stop the car. we researched and found the recall regarding the hydraulic braking system and took the car to a mercedes dealer for repair. we were advised by the repair shop that if the recalled part was the problem, then the dashboard would light up and we'd have no brakes. we explained that that is exactly what happens, but they would not repair the vehicle until they saw that happen themselves. after keeping the car for 3 days, they returned it saying it was the reservoir which would cost appox. $1800 to replace. we called mercedes corporate about this also, but they have yet to call us back. looking into the recalled unit, it appears this is all one system and therefore should have been replaced under the recall. i had the car for a couple weeks without another incident until this weekend when i had been driving the car for approximately one hour and after about a half hour of not braking the dashboard lit up red while i was doing approximately 45-50 mph. i tried to brake, but there were no brakes. fortunately it was very early in the morning and very few people on the road. i was able to pull to the side and use my emergency brake to stop the car. after turning the car off and on about five times, it finally stopped warning me and i was able to drive and park the car safely. if this braking system is known as faulty and was part of a massive recall, why can't i get my car fixed? | |||
| 05/19/2011 | 58206 | ||
| Complete brake failure. almost crashed. i have numerous fault codes in computer, abs code, sbc code, resivior code, etc, etc on a 58,000 milr car! they are telling me only one part has extended warranty and that is the sbc. everything else i must pay for. the sbc effects all of these other parts and that is crap! like which came first? the chicken or the egg. why have you not effected a complete recall of this make & model as everyone is having the same problem. you and mercedes are going to get someone killed as the brakes go to manual and it's hard panic stoppng a 3400lb car!!!!! | |||
| 12/15/2005 | 19000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owned a 2003 mercedes benz e320. he was driving 35mph on 12-15-05 when the brakes failed and a crash occurred. a police report was filed and the contact was given a citation. although his shoulder was severely injured. the contact can provide photos. the contact noticed a yellow brake warning light prior to the failure on the instrument panel; . the injuries were from his toes to the top of his head including a concussion and memory loss. he was taken to an emergency room who only diagnosed him with a fractured ankle. he had been in a wheel chair for three years. his memory continued to come and go. the brake pads were replaced three to four weeks prior to the failure. the contact later found out that the recall repair was not performed at that time but was directly related to the failure. he had been confined to a couch or a bed since the crash occurred due to the injuries he sustained. he also had a fractured vertebrae, his hips and knees were snapped, lost one kidney and his stomach was placed behind his heart during surgery twice for the bleeding through his arteries. the contact stated that recall 04v296000 , service brakes, hydraulic mfr's report date: jun 22, 2004 and nhtsa campaign id number: 05v133000 , service brakes, hydraulic, mfr's report date: mar 31, 2005 are directly related to the failure. the electronic braking system was engineered improperly and was no longer being installed in mercedes benz. he stated that nhtsa thought that mercedes would take care of the recall and its customers; however, they failed to do so. the insurance agent confirmed that the vehicle was destroyed. the doctor had not noticed the extent of several of his injuries for at least 4 years. he also had three eye surgeries within the last six months and the problem still had not been corrected. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was approximately 19,000. | |||
| 12/15/2005 | 19000 | ||
| Tl the contact owned a 2003 mercedes benz e320. he was driving 35mph on 12-15-05 when the brakes failed and a crash occurred. a police report was filed and the contact was given a citation although his shoulder was severely injured. the contact can provide photos. the contact noticed a yellow brake warning light prior to the failure on the instrument panel; however, the dealership was not open on the weekend. the injuries were from his toes to the top of his head including a concussion and memory loss. he was taken to an emergency room who only diagnosed him with a fractured ankle. he had been in a wheel chair for three years. his memory continued to come and go. he hired an attorney to assist him with his case. the brake pads were replaced three to four weeks prior to the failure. the contact later found out that the recall repair was not performed at that time but was directly related to the failure. he had been confined to a couch or a bed since the crash occurred due to the injuries he sustained. he also had a fractured vertebrae, his hips and knees were snapped, lost one kidney and his stomach was placed behind his heart during surgery twice for the bleeding through his arteries. the contact stated that recall 04v296000 , service brakes, hydraulic mfr's report date: jun 22, 2004 and nhtsa campaign id number: 05v133000 , service brakes, hydraulic, mfr's report date: mar 31, 2005 are directly related to the failure. the electronic braking system was engineered improperly and was no longer being installed in mercedes benz. he stated that nhtsa thought that mercedes would take care of the recall and its customers; however, they failed to do so. the insurance agent confirmed that the vehicle was destroyed. the doctor had not noticed the extent of several of his injuries for at least 4 years. he also had 3 eye surgeries within the last six months and it still had not been repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was approximately 19,000. | |||
| 10/04/2010 | 113000 | ||
| 2003 e320 mercedes brake failure!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i bought this car in 07 with 65,000 miles a good deal. fine car! however...today while driving to work a red brake failure warning...flashes across the screen and my car would not stop!!! i am rolling across a small country rd bridge and thankfully am at the bottom of a steep hill. the brake pedal just flopped..nothing.. i managed to get it into park and get out with the car still running!!! ive had it towed two hours away...while waiting on my husband to get home to go the dealership with me, i located about 3 recalls on this model.. question... what responsibility does this used import car dealer have to me as a customer? they are consulting the mercedes dealership to see if it is indeed an issue with a brake/hydraulics recall..i dont want to deive this car again..i owe some money on it. what could i insist they do??? | |||
| 08/15/2008 | 35000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e320. when the contact exited the interstate, an alarm began to sound, indicating that there were no brakes. the following day, the brakes were working properly. the dealer replaced the sbc controller for free. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number 05v133000 (service brakes, hydraulic). the vin and speed were unknown. the failure mileage was 35,000. | |||
| 04/07/2008 | 82000 | 1 | |
| I was driving my 2003 mercedes benz e 320 and all of a sudden a sign appeared on the dash board that brake was disabled and i was unable to control the vehicle without a brake and still it was running. some how i managed to drive the vehicle to a parking lot on left and stopped it by changing the gear to parking. if it was happening after 10 second it would have collided with other vehicles in high speed in a major intersection and i wouldn't be in the face of the earth today. later i found out that the brake system of 2003 e 320 was in recall. when i checked with the dealer they said it was replaced before and there is no more warranty. i had to pay $2500 to fix the problem from my pocket. i am so upset about this incident - more than the money - the negligence of mercedes benz can risk the life of many people like me driving mercedes 2003 e320 model with faulty brake which break down without any warning while going in high speed. what shall i do in this matter? *tr | |||
| 04/07/2008 | 82000 | 1 | |
| While i was driving the car in 35 miles speed, all of a sudden the brake system failed. i was unable to control my 2003 mercedes e 320 and i was almost dead crossing a heavy traffic area. fortunately i turned the car left to a parking lot and changed the gear to parking to stop the car and to avoid getting in to the shop. i bought the mercedes with a trust, but i lost my trust. not only that i am still waiting to get the repairing cost from mercedes due to the product defect. *tr | |||