Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - SUPPLY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | |||||
| RSB-2009100002 | 01/01/2010 | 10033607 | Mercedes benz: check for installation of spacer between brake and fuel line, install if necessary. the spacer between the brake line and fuel line may not have been installed. check for presence of a spacer, and if missing, install the s | 08/27/2010 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC | |||
| 08/22/2009 | 39000 | 1 | |
| The brakes engaged and had shimmy even though the pedal was not depressed on several occasions. the bas/esp light came on. the dealer determined that the yaw sensor was bad. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 08/13/2010 | 136190 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 mercedes benz ml430. while driving approximately 20-25 mph the vehicle abs light and traction light came on. he stated the brakes where applied without him engaging them and brought the vehicle to a complete stop. he stated he was accelerated the vehicle when this happen. after he came to a complete stop the failure occurred again. he stated that with the second failure the bas and esp light illuminated and then the vehicle drove as normal. the vehicle was checked by a local mechanic and the yaw rate sensor needs replacing. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 136,190 and the current mileage was 136,590. vwb | |||
| 05/24/2010 | 86000 | ||
| Safety concern - yesterday while traveling at 65mph locked on cruise control, the cruise control failed to disengage when the brake pedal was pressed. instead, upon releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle began accelerating back to 65mph and almost caused me to ran into the truck in front of me. i slammed on the brakes to bring the car to a stop to avoid rear ending the car in front of me, at which time the bas/esp light came on. again, the cruise failed to disengage since i could feel the car dragging while the brake pedal was pushed down. i manually turned off the cruise, and the bas/esp light remained on. later, with the esp/bas light on, i reenaged the cruise to see if it would reset, but again it failed to disengage when the brake pedal was pressed, and i had to manually turn off the cruise. when i parked the vehicle and turned the engine off, let it sit for about 20 min, and then restarted, bas/esp stayed on and gear shift locked up in park. | |||
| 08/14/2007 | 51801 | 6 | |
| I purchased a mercedes ml 430 2001 in may 2001. since then a part called a stop light switch has gone out 6 times. the following are dates and mileage on vehicle: 5/10/05 40,561 miles, 9/28/06 47,767 miles, 8/14/07 51,801 miles, 4/10/08 55,151 miles, 3/17/09 61,105 miles, and 1/28/10 65,465 miles. on august 14, 2007 with this stop light switch going out i could not disengage the vehicle out of cruise control. by the grace of god i was able to pump the brakes until it disengaged before almost running into a vehicle in front of me at 60 mph. this part is defective and will one day kill or seriously injure people. *tr | |||
| 01/04/2010 | 146000 | 1 | |
| Whenever it rains or it is the least bit wet, the brakes slip when depressed and all three yellow lights on the left side of the dash light up - i.e., abs, esp and i can't recall the other one. usually the lights go off by themselves after a few miles of driving or if the car is turned off. the last time this happened, i drove straight to the mechanic. the mechanic said that the fault codes indicated that the pressure was high in the abs. i was advised that the codes could be reset but the brakes were functioning properly. in fact, they were not functioning properly because they slipped instead of stopped when i applied brake pressure when the street was wet. the brakes have slipped on multiple occasions when stopping on wet surfaces though they do stop the car. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2009 | 75000 | 1 | |
| After driving 2001 ml430 for approx. 30 min. there is uncommanded brake application and it will bring you to a complete stop. it will not take gas and it is hard to control vehicle because you can feel brake being applied to left and right wheels pulling you left and right at this time. very dangerous. this happens every day the vehicle is driven about 30 min. in to drive time. as this is happening the bas/esp light comes on during braking and remains on. after you have come to complete stop and start to drive again over 10 miles per hour brakes are applied again and it stops you. mercedes service dept has never heard of this problem. there are several complaints of this on different web sites and customers say they have spent alot af time and money on different parts with mercedes service dept. and vehicle still has same problem. i am not feeling confident in this problem being properly diagnosed and the vehicle has become hazardous. *tr | |||
| 05/12/2008 | 90000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 mercedes benz ml430. while driving approximately 45 mph and applying pressure to the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to slow down. the contact crashed into a bridge to stop the vehicle. there were no warning indicators prior to the failure. the vehicle sustained damages and the occupants received minor injuries. the police was called to the scene and a report was filed. the vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic. the insurance company has not determined if the vehicle was destroyed. the vehicle has not been repaired. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 90,000. vehicle vin wdc1631721a202397 | |||
| 11/25/2006 | 72000 | 1 | 01/05/2006 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, a warning light illuminated on the dash and the brakes locked without depressing the brake pedal. when it was turned off and restarted, the vehicle was drivable. the vehicle was driven to the dealer, who determined a yaw sensor needed to be replaced. | |||
| 11000 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle's brakes makes an extremely loud noise. this occurs when brakes are depressed in cold temperature while in reverse. this has resulted in brake failure. as a result consumer lost control of vehicle and went on the side walk. the dealership has replaced the entire brake system twice, but the problem recurred. *nlm | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 11/25/2006 | 72000 | 1 | 01/05/2006 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, a warning light illuminated on the dash and the brakes locked without depressing the brake pedal. when it was turned off and restarted, the vehicle was drivable. the vehicle was driven to the dealer, who determined a yaw sensor needed to be replaced. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | |||
| 12/20/2004 | 47000 | 1 | 01/10/2002 |
| The brakes would make a squealing noise when the consumer applied them. the vehicle was equipped with a brake pad warning indicator, which failed to indicate a problem. *jb | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | |||
| 04/06/2008 | 82686 | 1 | 03/16/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 mercedes benz ml430. while driving 65 mph, the brakes failed to slow down the vehicle. the contact attempted to pull to the side of the road, but the vehicle fishtailed, slid sideways, and nearly rolled over. he was able to stop the vehicle eventually. the dealer stated that the entire brake line should be replaced at the contact's expense because it was not covered under warranty. the contact stated that the brake line and the fuel line crossed one another, causing both to fail over time. both lines also crossed over the exhaust manifold, which could possibly result in a vehicle fire. the vehicle is currently at the dealer. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 82,686. | |||