2002 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 Complaints

I BOUGHT THIS CAR YESTERDAY FROM AN INDIVIDUAL OFF CRAIGSLIST AND THE POWER STEERING HAS GONE OUT 5 TIMES. SO FAR ONLY AT VERY LOW SPEEDS, BUT I HAVE LOOKED ONLINE AND SEEN NUMBERS COMPLAINTS WITH POWER STEERING FAILURE AT FASTER SPEEDS TOO. VERY UNSETTLING. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF RECALLS REGARDING THE CLAMPS AND HOSES, BUT UPON RESEARCH I FOUND THAT Y CAR HAS NO OPEN CAMPAIGNS. I GUESS THAT MEANS THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM. THERE IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM STILL AND I NEED IT FIXED OR I NEED A NEW CAR. THIS IS NOT SAFE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 60MPH THE VEHICLE STARTED SHAKING VIOLENTLY. THE BRAKES STARTED ENGAGING ON THEIR OWN PULLING THE CAR TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT AND NEARLY BRINGING THE CAR TO A SUDDEN STOP. IT TOOK A LOT OF EFFORT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM PULLING INTO THE OTHER LANES AND CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THE BAS/ESP LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH AND HAS STAYED ON NOW. THIS ALL LASTED FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS. I WAS IN THE 3RD LANE OF A 4 LANE HIGHWAY DURING MODERATE TRAFFIC. I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY TWO DIFFERENT VEHICLES. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE AND FOUND MANY OTHER DRIVERS WITH THE SAME THING. THIS IS A DANGEROUS DEFECT AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH FOR A SUDDEN CHANGE IN DIRECTION AND SPEED TO CAUSE A SEVERE ACCIDENT WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, AND KNOWING THAT THIS VEHICLE IS CAPABLE AND KNOW FOR DOING THIS MAKES IT VERY DANGEROUS. IT MAKES ME WONDER HOW MANY FATAL ACCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED DUE TO THIS PROBLEM, BUT NO ONE KNEW BECAUSE IT WAS JUST ASSUMED THE TO BE DRIVER ERROR. *TR

DRIVING HOME ON A LOCAL STREET AT ABOUT 30 MILES PER HOUR, APPROACHING INTERSECTION, TRYING TO TURN, ALL THE SUDDEN, STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY HARD TO TURN, WITH NO ASSISTING POWER, CAR RUN OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD, ALMOST CRASH INTO CURB. IT IS VERY LUCKY, THERE IS NO INCOMING CARS, WOULD HAVE CRASH HEAD ON OTHERWISE. CAR TOWED TO DEALER, FOUND STEERING HOSE FROM RADIATOR TO STEERING RACK BROKEN OFF, STEERING FLUID SPLATTING ALL OVER ENGINE. DEALER STATED NO RECALL FOR STEERING HOSE COMING OUT OF RADIATOR, BUT THERE WAS RECALL ON STEERING HOSE COMING OUT OF PUMP. SO THIS DEFECT WAS NOT COVERED. I URGE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THIS DANGEROUS DEFECT IMMEDIATELY, AND ISSUE RECALL TO SAVE LIVES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ ML320. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, A LOUD NOISE HEARD AS THE SUN ROOF EXPLODED INTO THOUSANDS OF GLASS SHARDS. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER BOTH SUSTAINED LACERATIONS FROM THE BROKEN GLASS. A DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO GO TO A SALVAGE YARD FOR PARTS TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE HIMSELF. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000. ...UPDATED 06-19-13 *BF UPDATED 06/26/2013*JS

MY 2002 ML320 CLUSTER DISPLAY LIGHTS ON MY DASH ALL LIGHT UP, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, THE SPEEDOMETER STOPS WORKING ACTUALLY GOES TO ZERO. ONCE THE CAR COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP IT ACCELERATES VERY SLOWLY AND WILL NOT SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR. THIS IS VERY FRIGHTENING FOR SOMEONE IN TRAFFIC AND THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE IS REAR ENDED AND DIES. *TR

THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM WOULD ENGAGE WITHOUT DRIVER ACTIVATION. THE BAS/ESP LIGHT WOULD COME ON WITHOUT ANY REASON EITHER. ONE DAY I WAS ON THE FREEWAY WHEN IT HAPPENED AND SUDDENLY THE BREAKS WERE ENGAGED AT 73 MPH WHEN I WAS ON THE FAST LANE AND OTHER VEHICLES FOLLOWING AT ABOUT THE SAME SPEED. MY LEG WAS ON THE ACCELERATOR GASSING TO CONTINUE, BUT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM FORCED THE CAR TO ALMOST A STOP - ABOUT 10MPH, BEFORE THE BREAKS DISENGAGED AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO MOVE (THAT IS ACCELERATE AGAIN). I ALMOST GOT RAMMED BY THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME. I TOOK IT TO MECERDES BENZ DEALERSHIP IN GEORGE TOWN TX. THEY SAID IT WAS UNEQUAL SIZE TIRES THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. I CHANGED THE TIRES TO ALL NEW AND THE SAME SIZE TRIES AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE GEORGETOWN DEALERSHIP AGAIN. THIS TIME THEIR DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT THE LATERAL ACCELERATION AND YAW SENSORS WERE FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR $1250.00. WHAT I DESCRIBED ABOVE WAS JUST AN EPISODE. IT HAPPEN FIRST WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL OTHER TIMES BEFORE I FINALLY TOOK IT FOR REPAIRS. I HAVE PACKED THE CAR FOR NOW BECAUSE I HAVE OTHER CARS TO USE AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT STILL BEEN FIXED. NHTSA SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL. *TR

FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL BRAKE ON IT'S OWN, PULLING ME OFF TO THE LEFT OF THE ROAD VEHICLE BRAKE (RIGHT SIDE) STAYED ENGAGED UNTIL VEHICLE SPEED WAS DOWN TO ABOUT 20 MPH. DEALER SAID A BAD YAW RATE SENSOR WAS THE PROBLEM. *TR

I RECENTLY TOOK MY 2002 ML320 INTO MY LOCAL MERCEDES REPAIR SHOP (FAIRFIELD, CT) TO HAVE SOME WORK DONE. WHEN I COLLECTED THE VEHICLE AND AS I WAS LEAVING, THE ESP/BAS, ETS AND ABS LIGHTS CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. THIS HAD HAPPENED ON MANY PREVIOUS OCCASIONS OVER THE YEARS AND EVERY TIME I HAD MENTIONED IT TO THE MERCEDES SERVICE PEOPLE THEY HAVE SAID THAT THIS IS A COMMON FAULT AND THAT I SHOULD TURN OFF THE ENGINE, WAIT AND THEN RE-START AND THIS SHOULD CLEAR THE ISSUE. THIS HAD MOSTLY WORKED UNTIL THIS RECENT OCCASION. INSTEAD IT THE LIGHTS REMAINED ON AND SO I IMMEDIATELY DROVE THE CAR BACK INTO THE REPAIR SHOP. THE REPAIR SHOP KEPT THE VEHICLE FOR SEVERAL DAYS TRYING TO ISOLATE THE CAUSE. EVENTUALLY THEY FOUND SOME SERIOUS CORROSION IN THE ESP/HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT. THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS RELATED TO AN ACCIDENT THE CAR WAS INVOLVED IN AND SUGGESTED I CONTACT MY INSURER. THE INSURANCE ASSESSOR EXAMINED THE CAR IN DETAIL AND CONCLUDED THAT THE FAULT WAS ENTIRELY UNRELATED AND THEIR DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT THE DESIGN OF THE UNIT WAS FLAWED. IN OTHER WORDS THIS IS A DESIGN FAULT. THEY SAID THAT GIVEN THAT THIS UNIT CONTROLS THE ENTIRE BRAKING SYSTEM, ANY FAILURE COULD BE CATASTROPHIC. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO AUTHORIZE THE REPAIR. HOWEVER, I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THE UNIT HAS BEEN REPLACED AT A COST OF NEARLY $2,400 BUT IF AS THE GEICO INSURANCE ASSESSOR BELIEVES, THIS IS A DESIGN FAULT THEN THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN. ADDITIONALLY, IT SEEMS THAT THE UNIT HAD BEEN CORRODED FOR SOME TIME AND COULD HAVE FAILED AT ANY TIME BUT BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A COMMON OCCURRENCE FOR THESE WARNING LIGHTS TO COME ON, NO-ONE INVESTIGATED THE ISSUE WITH THE UNIT UNTIL RECENTLY. MY RELATED CONCERN IS THAT THE UNIT COULD FAIL AT ANY TIME AND THIS POSSIBILITY PLACES ME AND MY FAMILY IN POTENTIAL DANGER. MERCEDES DECLINED TO TAKE ANY ACTION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ ML320. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED WHEN THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED UP TO 90 MPH. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL ALTHOUGH SHE WAS DEPRESSING THE BREAK PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ACCELERATOR, CRUISE CONTROL AND THE ELECTRIC KIT WERE DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,367 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 113,000.

AFTER PARKING THE CAR A SMELL OF SMOKE WAS NOTED. THE CAR HAD BEEN DRIVING VERY WELL AND WAS RECENTLY SERVICED BY A MERCEDES DEALERSHIP WHICH INCLUDED A NEW BATTERY AMONG OTHER THINGS. BLACK SMOKE WAS NOTED COMING OUT OF THE HOOD. AS IT WAS ATTEMPTED TO POP OPEN THE HOOD, FLAMES DARTED INTO THE COMPARTMENT THROUGH A CREATED HOLE JUST UNDER THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT. FLAMES WERE NOTED COMING OUT OF THE HOOD, AROUND THE TIRES AND SOON ENGULFING THE ENTIRE FRONT OF THE CAR. THE FLAMES WERE PUT OUT BY THE FIRE DEPT. THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS. THE ENTIRE ENGINE AND IT'S COMPONENTS COMPLETELY DISINTEGRATED, THE INTERIOR FILLED WITH BLACK SOOT AND ODOR. THIS WAS A HUGE SHOCK AND SURPRISE TO THE OWNER SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVING SO WELL AND NEVER HAD A SERIOUS PROBLEM BEFORE.