Mercedes Benz M Class 2002
Model M Class made in 2002 by Mercedes Benz got 12 consumer complains, 10 investigations there are 5 recalls as well as 4 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to air bags, electronic stability control and engine and engine cooling. Technical service bulletines regarding electrical system, engine and engine cooling and seat belts. The car had some investigations: fuel system, gasoline, service brakes, hydraulic and steering. There were some recalls concerningseat belts, steering and tires.
Model 2002
Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - WARNING LIGHT/DEVICES | ||||||||||||||||
| 02V203000 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | from 05/01/2002 to 06/30/2002 | V (Vehicle) | 3603 | 09/25/2002 | MFR | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 07/26/2002 | 08/01/2002 | 571 | 208 | |||||
| Defect Summary | Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, s7.3, occupant crash protection. the seat belt chimes may not function as designed and is not consistent with the requirements of the standard. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | If the driver buckles his seat belt prior to starting the vehicle, the chime will not sound at all when the vehicle is started. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will inspect the vehicles to ensure that the seat belt chime operates as required by the standard. owner notification began september 25, 2002. owners who do not receive the free instructions within a reasonable time should contact mercedes-benz at 1-201-573-0117. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236). | |||||||||||||||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | ||||||||||||||||
| 08V465000 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | V (Vehicle) | 125228 | 11/15/2008 | ODI | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 09/17/2008 | 09/16/2008 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | Mercedes-benz is recalling 125,228 my 1998-2004 m-class vehicles. the hose clamp used to secure the power steering fluid cooling hose to the power steering fluid cooler may not provide sufficient clamping force for this connection. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | The loss of power steering fluid may result in diminished power steering over time and ultimately can damage the power steering pump. this could result in a loss of control and a crash without warning. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | An earlier recall repair performed on these vehicles may not be sufficient to prevent a future leakage or failure of the power steering hose connection (please see 03v121). since it is not possible through inspection to identify specific vehicles that may not have been properly repaired, all vehicles repaired prior to november 15, 2003, will be repaired again. the recall is expected to begin during november 2008. owners may contact mercedes-benz at 1-800-367-6372. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Mercedes-benz recall no. 2003040005.customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov. | |||||||||||||||
| 03V121000 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | from 05/01/1998 to 12/31/2002 | V (Vehicle) | 211000 | 06/16/2003 | ODI | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 03/27/2003 | 04/02/2003 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain passenger vehicles, the hose clamp used to secure the power steering fluid cooling hose to the power steering fluid cooler may not provide sufficient clamping force for this connection. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | The loss of power steering fluid may result in diminished power steering over time and ultimately can damage the power steering pump. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will install a new hose clamp on the power steering hose to the power steering cooler. during clamp replacement, the power steering cooling hose will be inspected and replaced as necessary. owner notification began june 16, 2003. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact mercedes-benz at 1-800-367-6372. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Mercedes-benz recall no. 2003-040005.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
| TIRES - SIDEWALL | ||||||||||||||||
| 02V058000 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | from 12/01/2001 to 01/31/2002 | V (Vehicle) | 172 | 02/27/2002 | MFR | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 02/13/2002 | 02/27/2002 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Certain passenger vehicles equipped with dunlop sp5000 tires. some of these tires have a separation around the entire circumference in the area of the side wall and tread. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | This could result in premature tire wear. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the dunlop tires which exhibit this defect when visually inspected. only dunlop tires in week 4901 with tire codes 4909 or 4917 are involved and will be replaced. owner notification by telephone began febuary 27, 2002. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact mercedes-benz at 1-800-367-6372. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236). | |||||||||||||||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CRUISE CONTROL | ||||||||||||||||
| 11V208000 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | from 08/01/1999 to 06/30/2002 | V (Vehicle) | 136751 | 10/20/2011 | ODI | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 03/31/2011 | 04/01/2011 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Mercedes-benz is recalling certain model year 1999-2002 m-class and model year 2000-2003 m-class amg vehicles. the cruise control system in the affected vehicles allows the driver to disengage the system in a number of ways, including tapping the brake pedal, using the cruise control stalk, or braking the vehicle enough to reach a certain rate of deceleration. mercedes-benz has determined that under certain circumstances use of the brake pedal may not automatically disengage cruise control as expected by the driver, although the other means of deactivating cruise control remain fully operative. specifically, where the driver pumps the brakes rather than applying consistent pedal force, the level of force required may be unusually high. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Difficulty or delay in disengaging cruise control can increase the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. the safety recall began during october 2011. owners may contact mercedes-benz at 1-800-367-6372. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Mercedes-benz campaign number is 2011090001.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| 424562 | 05/16/2005 | 424562A | 10016685 | Esp lamp illuminated. *tt | 09/27/2005 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 805732 | 02/07/2005 | 10012829 | Engine will not start and fault message start error appears in instrument cluster. *tt | 03/31/2005 | |
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - WARNING LIGHT/DEVICES | |||||
| 101002 | 10/10/2002 | 10000347 | Seatbelt warning chime service campaign. *tt | 02/24/2003 | |
| 092502 | 09/25/2002 | 10000089 | Service campaign regarding seatbelt warning chime. *tt | 02/12/2003 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | ||||||
| EA08009 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 04/28/2008 | 12/16/2009 | BRAKE LINE CHAFE | ||
| Analysis of complaints to odi and mercedes and warranty claim data submitted by mercedes indicates that the alleged defect has occurred at a low rate (36.5 complaints per 100,000 vehicles and 0.29 percent warranty claim rate), with no discernable defect trend indicating that the rate of chafing related brake line failures is increasing.there have been no new complaints since january 2009.when the analysis is limited to incidents of brake line leakage that resulted in allegations of reduced brake effectiveness, the rate drops even further (22.3 complaints per 100,000 vehicles and 0.04 percent warranty claim rate). mercedes provided data showing that in the rare instances when chafing did progress to brake line leakage the driver would be immediately alerted to a problem by illumination of the bright yellow esp/bas warning lamp and changes in brake pedal feel.continued operation with a leaking brake line would result in illumination of the bright red brake warning lamp and an audible chime due to low master cylinder reservoir level. continued operation with the brake warning lamp illuminated would ultimately drain the reservoir for the affected circuit, resulting in loss of the circuit and an approximately 80% increase in stopping distances. surveys conducted by odi and vrtc indicate that routing anomalies may be more common than the complaint and warranty data suggest for the subject line bundle, with line contact or other routing anomaly noted in 13 of 51 vehicles surveyed by odi and vrtc (25.5%).while evidence of contact between the fuel line and subject brake in a particular vehicle is not necessarily predictive of eventual line failure/leakage, significant chafing wear was noted in two survey vehicles (3.9%).to address concerns with line routing and ensure that lines with evident chafing do not progress to a leak condition, mercedes will conduct an owner notification program instructing owners to bring the vehicles to a dealer for a free inspection and repair.lines that do not have a spacer (rubber grommet or omega-clip) between the subject fuel and brake lines will have an omega-clip spacer installed to ensure adequate clearance between the lines.brake lines with chafe marks will be replaced. accordingly, this investigation has been closed. the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist. the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted. for additional information regarding this engineering analysis refer to the ea08-009 closing report. | ||||||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | ||||||
| PE10050 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 12/21/2010 | 05/04/2011 | Brake lamp switch failure. | 11V208000 | |
| 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 to consumers in september 2011.this action taken by mb is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation. | ||||||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | ||||||
| EA08009 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 04/28/2008 | 12/16/2009 | BRAKE LINE CHAFE | ||
| Analysis of complaints to odi and mercedes and warranty claim data submitted by mercedes indicates that the alleged defect has occurred at a low rate (36.5 complaints per 100,000 vehicles and 0.29 percent warranty claim rate), with no discernable defect trend indicating that the rate of chafing related brake line failures is increasing.there have been no new complaints since january 2009.when the analysis is limited to incidents of brake line leakage that resulted in allegations of reduced brake effectiveness, the rate drops even further (22.3 complaints per 100,000 vehicles and 0.04 percent warranty claim rate). mercedes provided data showing that in the rare instances when chafing did progress to brake line leakage the driver would be immediately alerted to a problem by illumination of the bright yellow esp/bas warning lamp and changes in brake pedal feel.continued operation with a leaking brake line would result in illumination of the bright red brake warning lamp and an audible chime due to low master cylinder reservoir level. continued operation with the brake warning lamp illuminated would ultimately drain the reservoir for the affected circuit, resulting in loss of the circuit and an approximately 80% increase in stopping distances. surveys conducted by odi and vrtc indicate that routing anomalies may be more common than the complaint and warranty data suggest for the subject line bundle, with line contact or other routing anomaly noted in 13 of 51 vehicles surveyed by odi and vrtc (25.5%).while evidence of contact between the fuel line and subject brake in a particular vehicle is not necessarily predictive of eventual line failure/leakage, significant chafing wear was noted in two survey vehicles (3.9%).to address concerns with line routing and ensure that lines with evident chafing do not progress to a leak condition, mercedes will conduct an owner notification program instructing owners to bring the vehicles to a dealer for a free inspection and repair.lines that do not have a spacer (rubber grommet or omega-clip) between the subject fuel and brake lines will have an omega-clip spacer installed to ensure adequate clearance between the lines.brake lines with chafe marks will be replaced. accordingly, this investigation has been closed. the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist. the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted. for additional information regarding this engineering analysis refer to the ea08-009 closing report. | ||||||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - SWITCHES - BRAKE LIGHT | ||||||
| PE10050 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 12/21/2010 | 05/04/2011 | Brake lamp switch failure. | 11V208000 | |
| 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 to consumers in september 2011.this action taken by mb is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation. | ||||||
| PE10050 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 12/21/2010 | Brake Lamp Switch Failure | |||
| Odi has received 15 vehicle owner questionnaire reports that allege that the brake lamp switch failed resulting in one or more of the following conditions: loss of illumination of the exterior brake lamps, an inability to shift the vehicle out of park gear position, and/or an inability to disengage the cruise control system once enabled and set.mercedes benz has previously issued technical service bulletin (tsb) 10016685, dated may 16, 2005, which discusses an improved and/or revised brake lamp switch service replacement part.odi is opening this pe to further evaluate this issue. | ||||||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | ||||||
| RQ08002 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 03/11/2008 | 09/17/2008 | POWER STEERING HOSE LEAK | 08V465000 | |
| Mercedes-benz usa (mbusa) will notify certain model year (my) 1998 through 2003 m-class owners of the need to bring their vehicles into dealers to address the issue previously campaigned under mbusa recall 2003-040005 (nhtsa recall 03v-121).the mbusa campaign, which odi is designating recall 08v-465, will replace the power steering cooler hose and clamp in all vehicles that received the original recall remedy for 03v-121 and which haven't received a subsequent repair to install a revised hose and clamp.approximately one-third of the vehicles that received the original repair procedure and parts returned for subsequent service for leakage from the hose fitting and, in approximately 10 percent of these vehicles, complete separation of the hose from the cooler.a revised service procedure for 03v-121, which involved replacing the old hose and clamp with modified parts, had significantly lower rates of return repairs.mbusa will apply the revised service procedure from 03v-121 to the vehicles covered under 08v-465.accordingly this recall query is closed. | ||||||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - POWER STEERING FLUID | ||||||
| RQ08002 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 03/11/2008 | 09/17/2008 | POWER STEERING HOSE LEAK | 08V465000 | |
| Mercedes-benz usa (mbusa) will notify certain model year (my) 1998 through 2003 m-class owners of the need to bring their vehicles into dealers to address the issue previously campaigned under mbusa recall 2003-040005 (nhtsa recall 03v-121).the mbusa campaign, which odi is designating recall 08v-465, will replace the power steering cooler hose and clamp in all vehicles that received the original recall remedy for 03v-121 and which haven't received a subsequent repair to install a revised hose and clamp.approximately one-third of the vehicles that received the original repair procedure and parts returned for subsequent service for leakage from the hose fitting and, in approximately 10 percent of these vehicles, complete separation of the hose from the cooler.a revised service procedure for 03v-121, which involved replacing the old hose and clamp with modified parts, had significantly lower rates of return repairs.mbusa will apply the revised service procedure from 03v-121 to the vehicles covered under 08v-465.accordingly this recall query is closed. | ||||||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | ||||||
| RQ08002 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 03/11/2008 | 09/17/2008 | POWER STEERING HOSE LEAK | 08V465000 | |
| Mercedes-benz usa (mbusa) will notify certain model year (my) 1998 through 2003 m-class owners of the need to bring their vehicles into dealers to address the issue previously campaigned under mbusa recall 2003-040005 (nhtsa recall 03v-121).the mbusa campaign, which odi is designating recall 08v-465, will replace the power steering cooler hose and clamp in all vehicles that received the original recall remedy for 03v-121 and which haven't received a subsequent repair to install a revised hose and clamp.approximately one-third of the vehicles that received the original repair procedure and parts returned for subsequent service for leakage from the hose fitting and, in approximately 10 percent of these vehicles, complete separation of the hose from the cooler.a revised service procedure for 03v-121, which involved replacing the old hose and clamp with modified parts, had significantly lower rates of return repairs.mbusa will apply the revised service procedure from 03v-121 to the vehicles covered under 08v-465.accordingly this recall query is closed. | ||||||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | ||||||
| PE10050 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 12/21/2010 | 05/04/2011 | Brake lamp switch failure. | 11V208000 | |
| 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 to consumers in september 2011.this action taken by mb is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation. | ||||||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CRUISE CONTROL | ||||||
| PE10050 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 12/21/2010 | 05/04/2011 | Brake lamp switch failure. | 11V208000 | |
| 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 to consumers in september 2011.this action taken by mb is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||
| 12/22/2006 | 0 | 04/10/2006 | |
| Tl* - the contact called to report that the airbag indicator light says that the airbag is off in her 2002 mercedes m class. there is a light next to the airbag that says srs which is on. the vehicle was traveling approximately 60-65 mph when the contact was adjusted the front passenger seat and the airbag light deployed. this is the first time this has happened. | |||
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL | |||
| 08/11/2010 | 60000 | ||
| While driving her 2002 mercedes ml 500 at a steady 40 mph in traffic the electronic stability control engaged for no reason locking the brakes and making the vehicle uncontrollable and unresponsive to driver input. the only thing that prevented us from being hit was there was no one behind us, had this of occurred going through an intersection we would have certainly have been hit. our vehicle is at the mercedes dealer now and we are being told it needs a brake switch this will be the third or fourth one changed on the vehicle, it also has a bad yaw sensor the part that the dealer says caused the stability control to malfunction. the yaw sensor that is currently in our vehicle is not the original and has a different part number meaning it has also been changed in the past. i have a serious problem with this whole situation vehicle safety systems should not jepordise the safety of the operator this is a serious safety defect. i have researched the mercedes owner forums and found numerous occurrences of this exact defect on several models of mercedes vehicles one happened while a gentelman was going at highway speed and mercedes has done nothing to take action. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 11/15/2011 | 40900 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercedes-benz m430. the contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph the vehicle started to jerk and it suddenly stalled without any warning. the contact was unable to restart the vehicle and it was towed to the closes dealer. the vehicle failure was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure and current mileage was approximately 40,900. the vin was unavailable. rvk | |||
| 11/15/2011 | 40900 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercedes-benz m430. the contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph the vehicle started to jerk and suddenly stalled without any warning. the vehicle was unable to restart and was towed to the nearest dealer. the vehicle had yet to be diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and current mileages were approximately 40,900. the vin was unavailable. tb | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 08/15/2003 | 3261 | ||
| One day after washing the car, the rear brake sticks until pressing the gas pedal and force the brake to release. it makes a loud cracking noise during the force release. the noise is so loud that you may think you hit something from your bumper if you don't know the problem. mbz said that's normal because of the rust overnight. they did took the brake apart, clean and put them back together. they told me it's my responsiblity to drive the car after i wash to car to get rid of the excess water within the brake pads. yesterday, it was a rainly day and i parked the car in the garage after driving. it happened again next day. i don't know how can i drive the car to get rid of the water when there is a rainly day. i'm still waiting for the manager to give me an answer and i don't think they will do anyting to resolve the problem since they claimed that this is normal for this brake. | |||
| STEERING | |||
| 02/04/2008 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Recall campaign # 2003-040005 - mercedes benz ml 320 recall of power steering clamp. item was replaced by independent dealer in virginia and the charge was completed for the service rendered. recall notice came in the mail 3 days later, and independent dealer does not want to refund any or all of the service cost. information received claims that mercedes is responsible for refund now. cost for part and service was $133.57. looking for refund, work is complete and vehicle runs fine. *tr | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA | YORKTOWN | AUTO HAUSE |