2001 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ ML320. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED WITHOUT WARNING AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO COME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

SHE WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 45 MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND SHE BURNED RUBBER ON THE ROAD BEFORE SHE WAS ABLE TO STOP, HOWEVER SHE WAS IN THE OTHER LANE. I WAS JUST THANKING GOD ANOTHER CAR WAS NOT COMING THE OTHER WAY. I WON'T LET HER DRIVE IT AND ORDERED A YAW SENSOR FOR IT BECAUSE WHEN I WENT ONLINE TO READ WAY THIS WOULD HAPPEN IT SEEMS LIKE IT HAPPENS A LOT TO THE 2001 AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE YAW SENSOR. WHEN WE GET IT IN WE WILL TRY TO DRIVE IT IN AND GET THE CODES BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU HAVE NOT DONE A RECALL ON THIS PART. I ALMOST LOST MY DAUGHTER BECAUSE OF THIS. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS, IT'S AND EASY FIX BUT THE PART IS EXPENSE. THANK YOU [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *JB

SAME STORY AS I'VE SEEN THOUSANDS OF TIMES ON THE INTERNET AND YOU CLAIM NOT ENOUGH OCCURRENCES! I'M ON THE INTERSTATE, GOING 70 MPH. WEATHER IS GOOD, TRAFFIC IS LIGHT (THANK GOD!) AND MY BREAKS SLAM ON. THE ABS SYSTEM KICKS IN, SO I'M ABLE TO GET OVER TO THE SHOULDER BEFORE BEING REAR ENDED. THE TRIANGLE WARNING LAMP IS LIT AND THE BAS / ESP LAMP IS LIT. I TRY TURNING THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, LIGHTS GO OUT, I MOVE FORWARD, GET UP TO ABOUT 20 MPH AND THE BREAKS SLAM ON AGAIN. I SHUT THE CAR OFF FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES WHILE I GOT OUT AND WAS INVESTIGATING THE TIRES AND BREAKS. GET BACK IN, START THE VEHICLE AND DRIVE ANOTHER 45 MINUTES. GET INTO TOWN, DRIVING ABOUT 25 MPH AND THEY SLAM ON AGAIN. I'M ABLE TO LIMP HOME WITH THE ABS GOING ON AND OFF. I PARK IT FOR THE NIGHT. NEXT DAY I DO SOME RESEARCH AND SEE THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. FOLLOW ONE OF THE SUGGESTIONS AND DISCONNECT MY BATTERY. FIXED THE ISSUE FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS BEFORE IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS TIME I WAS IN THE PASSING LANE GOING AROUND AN 18 WHEELER WITH TRAFFIC BEHIND ME. ME AND MY 8 YEAR OLD WAS ALMOST KILLED ALONG WITH OTHER DRIVERS. THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING ISSUE THAT YOU CAN'T IGNORE. IT HAS HAPPENED 4 OR 5 TIMES IN THE TWO YEARS I'VE OWNED THE VEHICLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ ML320. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE BRAKES SEIZED AND THE ESB WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,557.

THIS IS A SEQUEL REPORT TO MY ODI 10664733 OF 12/16/2014. TWO INCIDENTS ARE IDENTICAL. THE EARLIER INCIDENT HAPPENED AT ODOMETER READING 118,714; THIS SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED AT 118,832, 118 MILES LATER. I WAS ON I-280 SOUTHBOUND APPROX. 53 MILES SOUTH OF SF. AROUND 1PM, A SUDDEN EXTRAORDINARILY FORCEFUL BRAKING ? THE MERCEDES OWNER?S MANUAL CALLS THIS MAXIMUM BRAKING CAPABILITY POWER BOOST WHICH EXCEEDS DRIVER?S MANUAL BRAKING STYLE ? THE ?BRAKE ASSIST SYSTEM BAS? HAPPENED AGAIN WITHOUT DRIVER?S COMMAND. I WAS GOING STEADY AT 65 MPH, ABSOLUTELY NO BRAKING. THE TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AND THE ROAD WAS DRY. THE CAR SWERVED SLIGHTLY WITH A LARGE BRAKING NOISE AND CAME DOWN TO NEAR HOLT. I COULD STEER THE CAR TO THE RIGHT SIDE EMERGENCY AREA BY TRAVELING PERHAPS 15 FEET WHILE THE BAS WAS FIRMLY IN FORCE. THIS IS COUNTER TO THE NHTSA ACTION PE07007 REFERENCE ATTRIBUTED TO MERCEDES AS THE ESP ELECTRICAL FAULTS DURATION BEING 0.3 SECONDS OR LESS. MY EXPERIENCE INDICATES THIS IS INCORRECT. IT LASTED AS LONG AS I WAS TRYING TO MOVE THE CAR. WHEN THE BAS ACTIVATED, THE ESP ALARM SIGNAL AND THE BAS/ESP LIGHT CAME ON. TURNED OFF THE ENGINE FOR A FEW MINUTES AND RESTARTED. THE BAS/EPS LIGHT CAME BACK ON BUT THE CAR BEHAVED NORMALLY OTHERWISE. DROVE BACK TO SF WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENCE. WERE THE TRAFFIC HEAVY AND THE ROAD WERE WET AND SLIPPERY, MY MERCEDES ML320 WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND WOULD HAVE LOST CONTROL ON THE WET ROAD. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE MERCEDES MUST ADDRESS WITH THE DEFINITIVE SOLUTION. I AM WILLING TO AVAIL MY VEHICLE FOR FIELD TESTING. PE07007 CITES ?THE LOW COMPLAINT RATE? THROUGH 2007 LED TO CLOSING ODI INVESTIGATION. A QUICK WEBSITE RESEARCH INDICATES THERE ARE A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF BAS INCIDENTS POSTED SINCE 2007 ON VARIOUS PRIVATE FORUMS AND BLOGS BUT THESE DRIVERS MAY NOT HAVE REPORTED TO NHTSA. *DT

I WAS ON CALIF HWY1 NORTHBOUND APPROX 20 MILES SOUTH OF SF, DOING 45MPH, AROUND 1:00PM. ALL OF A SUDDEN, BRAKES WERE ACTIVATED IN A FIERCE FORCE, WHICH BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP WITHIN A SECOND OR TWO TRAVELING TWO TO THREE FEET. I FELT ALL THE FOUR WHEELS WERE LOCKED FIRM. I DID NOT EVEN TOUCH THE BRAKES. MY CAR SWERVED SLIGHTLY BUT DID NOT LOSE CONTROL. THE ROAD WAS DRY. THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC AND NO VEHICLE BEHIND ME OR TO MY SIDES. AS I STEERED THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER AREA OF THE HIGHWAY, I NOTICED THE ESP/BAS LAMP WAS ON. I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTED A MINUTE LATER. THE ESP/BAS LAMP CAME BACK ON. I WAS LUCKY THAT THE TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AND THE ROAD WAS DRY. DROVE BACK HOME WITHOUT ANOTHER INCIDENCE. *TR

WHEN DRIVING ON A LOCAL STREET BETWEEN 25 AND 30 MPH, THE CAR SUDDENLY APPLIED STRONG BRAKING FORCE BY ITSELF (MY FOOT WAS NOT EVEN ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AT THAT TIME). DURING THAT INSTANCE, THE CAR ALSO WENT OUT OF STEER. FORTUNATELY, THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS ABLE TO AVOID ME WITHOUT REAR ENDED INTO MY CAR. I WAS THINKING IF THE SAME THING HAPPENED ON A FREEWAY, ME AND MY FAMILY COULD HAVE GOT KILLED. *TR

RIGHT SIDE BRAKE LOCKING UP WHEN I'M DRIVING AND MAKE THE CAR SLOW DOWN REAL FAST .I ALMOST GOT HIT FROM BEHIND . I HAVE TO TRAVEL ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HWY SO WHEN IT LOCKS UP I CAN TRY TO GET OFF ROAD. I NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL LOCK UP. ITS SCARY. *JS

THEN ON DEC 28, 2012 I WAS DRIVING BACK FROM SACRAMENTO, CA TO MY HOME IN SAN LEANDRO, CA. I WAS ON THE 580 FREEWAY IN LIVERMORE GOING AROUND 75 MILES IN THE FAST LANE AND THE CAR SUDDENLY BRAKE ON ITS OWN. THIS TIME IT WAS A SUDDEN AND SEVERE BRAKING ACTION. IT CAUSED THE TIRES AND BRAKES TO SMOKE. MY TWO CHILDREN WERE IN THE CAR WITH ME.WHAT I NOTICED THIS TIME WAS THE UPSIDE DOWN EXCLAMATION LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON RIGHT AS THE CAR WAS BRAKING. THE BAS/ESP LIGHT CAME ON. I DROVE ABOUT 40 MPH TO GET MY FAMILY HOME. I DIDN'T DRIVE THE CAR FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND. MY ADVISOR AT MB OF PLEASANTON. HE TOLD ME IT WAS THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. THE CAR HAS BEEN DOING THIS ON AND OFF SINCE NOV 2012. IT WILL GO SEVERAL MONTHS WITHOUT THIS "SELF-BRAKING" ACTION THEN IT WILL DO IT ON AND OFF FOR WEEKS.I AM SO SCARED TO DRIVE IT AND EVEN MORE AFRAID WHEN I HAVE MY KIDS IN THE CAR. RECENTLY (APRIL 2014) I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY A BIG RIG ON THE FREEWAY AS A RESULT OF THE SUDDEN BRAKING. I TOOK IT TO SMYTHE EUROPEAN IN SAN JOSE. THEY SAID IT WAS THE YAW SENSOR AND THAT NEEDED TO BE FIXED. MY THIS TIME I HAVE REPLACED BRAKES AND TIRES AS A RESULT OF THE WEAR FROM THE BRAKING. I WAS TOLD I WOULD NEED BACK TIRES TOO. THE YAW SENSOR WAS REPLACED. I GOT MY CAR BACK ON A FRIDAY (APRIL 25TH) AND IT DROVE FINE. ON MONDAY(APRIL 28TH) I WAS GOING TO LUNCH AND THE CAR BRAKED ON ITS OWN. FORTUNATELY I WAS ONLY GOING ABOUT 5 MPH BC I WAS AT THE LIGHT. I CALLED MY MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THAT IF ITS STILL BRAKING IT MUST BE THE AAM AND THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL $1000 REPAIR. MERCEDES BENZ IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BUT SINCE NO ONE HAS DIED YET, IT IS NOT BEING HANDLED PROPERLY. I NEED HELP AND RESOLUTION BEFORE THE FATALITY IS ME, MY FAMILY OR SOMEONE ELSE'S FAMILY. *TR

I AM HAVING SAFETY ISSUES WITH MY 2001 MERCEDES BENZ ML 320 WITH A ESP BAS LIGHT COMING ON AND LOCKING FRONT BRAKE CAUSING THE ABS TO COME ON AND STOP SUV. TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT AND ALMOST GETTING REAR ENDED WITH MY KIDS IN CAR. CONTACTED MERCEDES DEALER AND CANT GUARANTEE WHAT PROBLEM IS ALREADY CHANGED BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH 2 TIMES SAID IT COULD BE ABS PUMP {800} OR WHEEL SPEED SENSORS {1200} OR YAW SENSOR, IGNITION SWITCH, MAYBE EVEN COMPUTER BUT SAID THEY COULD NOT GUARANTEE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE IT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS SOME ONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED. SPOKE TO BENZ AT CORPORATE AND THEY ONLY SAY BRING IT TO THE DEALER WHO DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. HOPE I CAN GET A ANSWER TO THIS SITUATION. *TR