2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS Complaints

100% BRAKE FAILURE/LOST I LEFT MY OFFICE AT 02:30 AM. 3.5 MILES FROM HOME, AS I'M DRIVING UP HILL APPROXIMATE SPEED OF 55 MILES PER HR TEMP. OF 75 DEGREES DRY ROAD CONDITIONS. I APPROACH ONE OF THE INTERSECTIONS AS I PRESS ON THE BRAKE THERE IS 100% BRAKE FAILURE THE PEDAL FEELS NORMAL NOT HARD NOT SOFT NORMAL, THE WARNING SYSTEM ACTIVATES A RED LETTERING DISPLAY ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL STOP! VEHICLE BRAKE (SOMETHING) I CANT REMEMBER THE INSTRUCTIONS OTHER THAN STOP VEHICLE BUT I COULD NOT STOP AT ALL. I PROCEEDED TO DOWNSHIFT AND FLICKERING MY HI/LOW BEAMS TO MAKE THE RED LIGHT TURN GREEN WITH SUCCESS IT TURNS GREEN AS I REACHED THE INTERSECTION, SINCE MY CAR WAS GOING UPHILL IT MADE IT EASIER TO COME TO A STOP. THERE IS NO PHYSICAL CONSEQUENCE, PROBABLY DUE TO THE HR. OF THE DAY IT WAS BUT IT MAKES ME THINK ABOUT WHAT IF I WAS ON MY WAY DOWN TO WORK @ 8:00 AM. I COULD HAVE KILLED MY SELF MY 3 KIDS OR SOMEONE ELSES FAMILY OR YOURS FOR THAT MATTER. MY VEHICLE IS AT THE DEALERS NOW THE LAST REPORT FROM THE ASST. MANAGER IS THAT THE THERE WAS AN ENGINEER BEING SENT FROM MERCEDES BENZ TO INSPECT VEHICLE. *JB

PLEASE SEE PREVIOUSLY FILED REPORT #10083022. ON MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2004, THE BRAKE FAILURE DESCRIBED IN THE ABOVE-MENTIONED REPORT OCCURRED AGAIN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, HOLDING THE CAR AT THE STOP. IT FELT LIKE THE CAR HAD BEEN TAPPED FROM BEHIND, BUT THERE WAS NO VEHICLE BEHIND ME. THE DASH WARNING CAME ON AGAIN SHOWING THE SAME TWO MALFUNCTIONS PREVIOUSLY LISTED AND THE WARNING BEEP SOUNDED. THIS TIME THERE WAS SOME BRAKE ACTION REMAINING IN THE PEDAL. THE CAR BEGAN TO IDLE VERY ROUGHLY, BUT BECAUSE THERE WERE SOME BRAKES LEFT, I DROVE THE CAR FOUR BLOCKS HOME. THE DEALER IS PICKING THE CAR UP...AGAIN. SEE VOQ 10033232 ALSO. *DSY. *AK

1- VEHICLE (2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E55) WAS TRAVELING AT 65-70 MPH ON GARDEN STATE PARKWAY (NJ). I WAS APPROACHING EXIT 109 WHEN A CAR ENTERING FROM THE RIGHT DECIDED TO CROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC, CUTTING ME OFF. *AK 10086185 2- WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE GAS QUICKLY, THE DASH LIT UP RED, A WARNING BEEP CAME ON AND A MALFUNCTION MESSAGE TOLD ME "BRAKE MALFUNCTION-STOP VEHICLE" (A BIT IRONIC, HUH?). THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS SOFT TO THE FLOOR. I DOWNSHIFTED TWO GEARS AND TRIED PUMPING THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT FINALLY HAD TO STOP THE CAR BY DOWNSHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION AGAIN AND APPLYING THE PARKING BRAKE. I PULLED THE CAR ONTO THE SHOULDER. THE DASH SHOWED TWO MALFUNCTIONS, BRAKES AND ESP (TRACTION CONTROL), AND THE WARNING BEEP CONTINUED UNTIL I REMOVED THE KEY. I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES AS INSTRUCTED BY THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, UNTIL FINALLY THE DASH ADVISED "NO MALFUNCTIONS," AND THE PEDAL REGAINED ITS NORMAL FEEL, AT WHICH POINT I DROVE SLOWLY HOME. ABOUT 1/4 MILE FROM MY HOUSE THE FAILURE REPEATED ITSELF. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND TRIED TO SLOW THE CAR FROM A WALKING PACE USING ONLY THE BRAKE PEDAL. WITH BOTH FEET ON THE PEDAL AND CONSIDERABLE FORCE APPLIED, THE BRAKES COULD BARELY STOP THE CAR FROM EVEN THAT SPEED. I STOPPED THE CAR AGAIN USING THE PARKING BRAKE AND REPEATED THE TURN IT ON/TURN IT OFF SEQUENCE UNTIL GETTING THE "NO MALFUNCTION" SCREEN AGAIN AND DROVE THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. UPON ENTERING MY DRIVEWAY, I GOT THE FAILURE MESSAGE AGAIN, SLOWED THE CAR IN THE SAME MANNER AS BEFORE AND PARKED IT. 3- THE DEALER PICKED UP THE CAR ON A FLATBED AND BROUGHT IT IN FOR SERVICE. I ALSO CONTACTED THE NHTSA PRIOR TO ALLOWING THE CAR TO BE TOWED AWAY IN CASE ANY INVESTIGATION NEEDED TO BE PERFORMED. ULTIMATELY, THE ABS/ESP CPU WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AND THE CAR WAS RETURNED ON JULY 27, 2004. COPIES OF THE REPAIR ORDER HAVE BEEN FAXED TO SCOTT YON AT NHTSA FOR REVIEW. THE CAR HAS PERFORMED PROPERLY SINCE THE REPAIR.

WHEN THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE, IT HESITATED. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. A LOUD NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT AND THE VEHICLE VIBRATED WHILE DRIVING. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT THE CONTROL MODULAR WAS REPLACED ON THIS VEHICLE TWICE. THE CONSUMER INFORMED THE MECHANIC THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER A REPRESENTATIVE WOULD COME DOWN TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB

NEW BRAKES WERE INSTALLED ON VEHICLE , AND THEY FAILED WHILE IT WAS GOING ABOUT 70 MPH. VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN, BUT THE BRAKES DID NOT GRAB COMPLETELY, EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS GOING ABOUT 10 MPH. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND INFORMED THEM OF THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THEY WOULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. *AK SEE VOQ 10083022, 10086185. *DSY

ON THE '03 & '04 E CLASS THERE IS NO WAY TO SET UP THE PREFERENCE FOR THE RADIO TO SCAN TO THE NEXT PRE-SET STATION FROM THE WHEEL, OR ANY WHERE ELSE. ITS IS NOT A CHOICE TO BE SELECTED IN SETTINGS OR ANY WHERE ELSE. IT WILL ALWAYS SCAN TO THE NEXT FREQUENCY THAT IS ON AIR. THE '02S HAD THE CHOICE AVAILABLE TO THE OWNER IN "SETTINGS", BUT NOT THE NEW E CLASS (W211'S) IN THE USA. *AK

WHILE APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE VEHICLE JERKED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION NINE TIMES, AND MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER ALSO EXPERIENCED LOST OF POWER STEERING DUE TO FLUID LEAKING INTO THE GROUND. DEALER REPLACED POWER STEERING GEAR BOX. ALSO, SUNROOF DOESN'T CLOSE. DEALER REPLACED SLIDING ROOF ANGLE BRACKET. *LA

VEHICLE LUNGES FORWARD AND SLOWS UNEXPECTEDLY. UPON ACCELERATION WILL JERK BACK AND FORTH AS IT IS ABOUT TO STALL.

TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. MERCEDES BENZ 2003 E500.....I HAD JUST STARTED THE CAR, PUT IT INTO DRIVE AND WITHIN 20 FEET, I RECEIVED A WARNING DISPLAY TO STOP VEHICLE, BRAKES INOPERATIVE. I WAS ABLE TO STOP CAR WITH PARKING BRAKE. THIS CAR'S BRAKING SYSTEM IS A "BRAKE BY WIRE" TYPE. *JB

THE PURGE VALUE FOR THE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM, MAKES A TAPPING NOISE IN THE ENGINE AT IDLE, AS IF THE CAR IS LOW ON OIL. WHEN I TOOK THIS IN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO SEE WHAT THE TAPPING NOISE WAS, THEY EXPLAINED THAT A LOUD METAL TAPPING NOISE WAS NORMAL ON THE MERCEDES. THEY STATED THEY WOULD PUT A NEW "PURGE VALUE" IN THE CAR TO SEE IF THAT WOULD QUITE THE LOUD NOISE IN THE ENGINE. UPON DOING SO, THE CAR BEGAN JERKING BACK AND FORTH VIOLENTLY WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. THE PROBLEM BECOMES GRADUALLY WORSE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, THE CAR BEGINS CONSUMING LARGE AMOUNTS OF GASOLINE (ABOUT 8-10 MPG), THE CAR WILL ROCK FROM SIDE TO SIDE AT AN IDLE STOP AND WILL HESITATE FOR 10-30 SECONDS, WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP. *LA