2002 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 Complaints

RUN OVER THE ANY PUMP ON THE ROAD THAT CAUSE THE GAS PEDAL PUSH DOWN TO THE BOTTOM, STILL DIDN'T ACCELERATE CAUSE THE CAR SLOWLY DOWN, THIS CAUSE EVERYTIME DRIVER OVER THE PUMP. *TR

I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT A DRIVER RAN A STOP SIGN (HE MUST HAVE BEEN DOING 60+ MPH) HIT MY CAR ON THE FROM DRIVER SIDE. THE IMPACT WAS SO INTENSE THAT I HIT THE SIDE WINDOW WITH MY HEAD MY CAR THAT WAS GOING STRAIGHT DID A 90 DEGREE TURN AND THE AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. MY CAR IS A 2002 ML320. *TR

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, I HAD A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE WHILE DRIVING ONE OF YOUR VEHICLES. I AM THE OWNER OF A MERCEDES 2002 ML320, WHICH WAS PURCHASED AT A PHILLIPS MERCEDES DEALERSHIP IN VIRGINIA BEACH VA. I NEED TO ADDRESS A VERY SERIOUS INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED OVER THE WEEKEND (DECEMBER 18, 2010). I WAS DRIVING BACK FROM RICHMOND GOING TOWARD VIRGINIA BEACH, I WAS DRIVING 70 MPH ON I-64 AND HAD IT ON CRUISE CONTROL, AHEAD I SAW THAT TRAFFIC SLOWING DOWN SO I STEPPED ON THE BREAK; I THEN REALIZED THAT MY BRAKES WEREN'T WORKING AND I WAS UNABLE TO STOP OR SLOW THE CAR DOWN. I ATTEMPTED TO PUSH THE BREAK PEDAL DOWN AND IT WOULDN'T NUDGE EVEN THOUGH I APPLIED ALL OF MY WEIGHT TO IT, THE SPEED DID NOT DIMINISH AT ALL, I THEN TRIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND THAT ALSO FAILED TO SLOW ME DOWN, MY FRIEND SUGGESTED THAT I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND THEN TRY THE BRAKE, FORTUNATELY THAT WORKED AND WAS FINALLY ABLE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. IT WAS ONE OF THE SCARIEST EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE. YOUR PRODUCT PUT MY FRIEND'S AND MY LIFE IN JEOPARDY. I HAD THE BAS/ESP LIGHT COME ON IN THE PASS AND HAVE BROUGHT IT IN FOR REPAIRS 3 TIMES ALREADY: 07/27/2005, 12/01/2009 AND IN 10/19/2010. I AM STUNNED THAT A COMPANY WHO HAS SUCH A GREAT REPUTATION AND SEEMS TO THRIVE ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION DROPPED THE BALL. AT NO POINT IN TIME DID ANY OF THE TECHNICIANS WHO PERFORMED THE REPAIRS ON MY CAR ADVISE ME OF THE POTENTIAL DANGER. *TR

AFTER BEING ON FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER OVERHEATED RESULTING IN A STRONG BURNING SMELL, BURN MARK ON THE CAR SEAT AND A RED BURN MARK ON MY BOTTOM. THE SEAT CONTINUED TO BE VERY HOT EVEN WHEN TURNED OFF. *TR

ML 320 GOT IN FIRE ITSELF SUDDENLY START AT THE LEFT FRONT SIDE OF THE ENGINE,I WAS DRIVING MY CAR FOR 5 MIN ON FWY, WHEN A CAR NEXT LINE HONK ON ME AND YELLED ME MY CAR HAS FIRE UNDER THE ENGINE AFTER THAT TRY TO STOP AND THE BRAKE PEDAL DID NOT WORK I HAVE TO STOP THE CAR WITH THE PARKING BRAKE AND RUN AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE. *TR

THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOSES ACCELERATION CAUSING IT TO SLOW DOWN ON FREEWAY WHEN MERGING,GOING UP HILLS OR IN FAST TRAFFIC. IF YOU PUSH GAS PEDAL TO FLOOR VEHICLE DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY RESPOND THEN SUDDENLY RE ACCELERATES. MECHANIC REPLACED ELECTRICAL PART CALLED THROTTLE PEDAL SENSOR WHICH IS IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THIS PART ELECTRONICALLY SENDS SIGNAL TO ENGINE TO ACCELERATE OR NOT. WHEN IT FAILS THE ACCELERATION IS ERRATIC. CAN CAUSE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OR LOSS OF IT. SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED WITH CO WORKER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ ML320. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATE SPEEDS OF 60MPH, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED TO SPEEDS OF 70 MPH WITHOUT DRIVER INTENT. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKES BUT TO NO AVAIL. SHE THEN APPLIED ABRUPT PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL USING BOTH FEET AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOWLY DECREASE IN SPEED. SHE WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY ENGAGING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE SHE WAS AWAITING DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 88,000.

2002 ML 320 FRONT BRAKES LOCKED UP BY THEMSELVES NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. BURNING SMELL DETECTED FROM FRONT WHEELS. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER WHO CLAIMED SENSORS HAD FAILED AND THAT THIS WAS A RARE PROBLEM; CONSUMER CHARGED TO REPLACE SENSORS. LESS THAN ONE MONTH LATER THE SAME THING OCCURRED, DEALER NOW STATES IT IS A PRESSURE ISSUE BUT WANTS TO KEEP VEHICLE OVERNIGHT TO DUPLICATE STATED PROBLEM. OWNER INITIALLY NOTICED THIS PROBLEM OVER 1 YEAR AGO, TAKING IT TO THE DEALER THINKING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS STICKING, CAUSING THE BURNING SMELL AND SLUGGISHNESS. DURING THAT VISIT THE DEALER STATED IT FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. OWNER PAID TO HAVE ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS REPLACED DUE TO PITTING AND GROVING CAUSED BY THE FRONT BRAKES SELF-ENGAGING; THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AND THE DEALER IS CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING A PRESSURE ISSUE. VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 24K MILES ON IT AND WAS PURCHASED FROM THE DEALER BRAND NEW. *TR

[MERCEDES BENZ ML 320 2002] WHILE DRIVING EAST ON ROUTE 80 AT 65 MPH AND APPROACHING THE TOLL BOOTHS OF THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE, I TAPPED MY BRAKES TO DISENGAGE MY SPEED CONTROL. THE SPEED CONTROL DID NOT SHUT DOWN. I HIT THE BRAKE PEDAL SEVERAL MORE TIMES HARDER AND HARDER, BUT THE SPEED CONTROL STAYED IN CONTROL. I PUSHED DOWN VERY HARD ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH BOTH FEET AND ALTHOUGH THE CAR SLOWED A LITTLE, THE SPEED CONTROL DRAMATICALLY SPEEDED UP THE ENGINE WITH THE TACHOMETER GOING ALMOST FULL SCALE. I WAS ABLE TO REDUCE THE CAR'S SPEED FROM ABOUT 65 TO UNDER 50 MPH, BUT WAS STILL PRETTY SCARED. THIS WAS A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE AND AS AN ENGINEER I REALIZED MY OPTIONS AND TIME TO REACT WERE VERY LIMITED! I FIGURED MY CHOICES WERE FEW: 1) BRAKE UNTIL THE CAR EITHER STOPPED OR I HAD HIT THE STOPPED CARS AT THE TOLL BOOTHS (MAYBE DAMAGE THE TRANSMISSION FURTHER), 2) SHIFT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL HOPING THAT EITHER THE SPEED CONTROL WOULD DISENGAGE OR AT LEAST I COULD STOP THE CAR (ENGINE RPMS MIGHT RUN AWAY AND DESTROY THE ENGINE), OR 3) TRY TO SHUT OFF THE SPEED CONTROL WITH THE CONTROL STALK ON THE LEFT OF THE STEERING COLUMN (WHICH I OBVIOUSLY COULD NOT READ CLOSELY TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE STOP MIGHT BE). FORTUNATELY, WITH SEVERAL TRIES I WAS ABLE TO FIND THE STOP POSITION ON THE SPEED CONTROL STALK AND DISENGAGE THE CONTROL. I BRAKED VERY HARD TO STOP SHORT OF A COLLISION..... AND GOT HARSH WORDS AND LOOKS FROM THE ADJACENT TOLL COLLECTORS. I SUSPECTED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WAS NOT WORKING AND THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY MY MECHANIC (EDDIE RODRIGUEZ OF EDDY'S TOTAL AUTO CARE). THE MECHANIC ALSO HAS TO REPLACE THE BRAKE PRESSURE SENSOR. MY WIFE IS INSISTING THAT I GET RID OF THE CAR IMMEDIATELY AND BUY A NEW CAR. I LOVE MY ML 320..... BUT I LOVE MY WIFE TOO! *TR

2002 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320. CONSUMER IS HAVING SOME WARRANTY REPAIR PROBLEMS WITH MERCEDES-BENZ. HE ALSO STATES THAT MERCEDES-BENZ IS REFUSING TO PAY FOR ANY RECALL REPAIRS. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED NOISES AND LACK OF POWER FROM THE VEHICLE WERE REPORTED TO THE DEALER. AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP FOUND DIRTY SOLID METAL RESIDUE IN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, THERE WERE MISSING PARTS IN THE PLANETARY GEAR. THE CAUSE OF DAMAGE WAS FAULTY ASSEMBLY OF THE PINS/PLUGS IN THE GEARS, WHICH RESULTED IN THE PARTS BECOMING LOOSE AND BREAKING THE TEETH, WHICH CAUSED EXCESSIVE NOISE AND LOSS OF POWER, ULTIMATELY THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. THE POWER STEERING WAS LEAKING, THE BRAKE AND ENGINE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED SEVERAL TIMES, THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS REPLACED, THE DOOR LOCKS HAD TO BE REPAIRED, THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED AND THE SWAY BAR LINK BUSHING WERE REPLACED AS WELL. *JB UPDATED 06/01/10.*JB UPDATED 06/04/10.*JB UPDATED 10/18/10*JB UPDATED 10/29/10*JB