2001 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 Complaints

MY DAD WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND WE HAD JUST COME TO A STOP AT AN INTERSECTION. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN, HE ACCELERATED AND JUST AS WE CROSSED THE INTERSECTION, THE BRAKES LOCKED UP. I THOUGHT MY DAD HAD SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES, BUT HE HAD HIS FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL. IT WAS AS IF THE CAR HAD A MIND OF ITS OWN AND STARTED TO BRAKE ON ITS OWN VOLITION---EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN'T WANT IT TO. THERE WAS A LOUD SCREECHING SOUND AND A FEW SECONDS LATER YOU CAN SMELL THE STENCH OF BURNING RUBBER. THANKFULLY, THE CAR BEHIND US WAS NOT TAILGATING OR THAT PERSON WOULD HAVE RUN STRAIGHT INTO US! MY FATHER THEN LET GO OF THE GAS PEDAL AND STEPPED ON THE BRAKE TO DECELERATE UNTIL THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. WE THEN SAW THAT TWO INDICATORS WERE LIT ON THE DASHBOARD: A YELLOW TRIANGLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION MARK AND A YELLOW SQUARE WITH THE LETTERS BAS/ESP IN IT. HE THEN SHIFTED TO "PARK" AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. WE WAITED FOR ABOUT FIVE SECONDS BEFORE STARTING UP THE CAR AGAIN. BOTH OF THE INDICATORS (YELLOW TRIANGLE AND THE BAS/ESP SQUARE) WERE NO LONGER LIT AND MY FATHER SLOWLY ACCELERATED THE CAR (ABOUT 10-15 MPH). THE BRAKES DID NOT LOCK UP AND WE CAUTIOUSLY DROVE HOME. WE'LL BE TAKING THIS CAR TO THE MECHANIC TODAY AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN FIND THE ROOT OF THIS PROBLEM. NONETHELESS, I FEEL THE NEED TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE I SINCERELY DO NOT BELIEVE THAT A CAR CAN BRAKE ON ITS OWN WHILE SOMEONE IS DRIVING IT. I WOULD BE MORE UNDERSTANDING IF THIS WAS GOOGLE'S AUTONOMOUS CAR, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS NOT THE CASE. THERE IS SOMETHING INHERENTLY AND FLAGRANTLY WRONG WITH A CAR THAT CAN BRAKE WITHOUT THE DRIVER TELLING IT TO. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES ML320. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE ESP AND BAS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THEN THE ABS AND THE TRACTION LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKES ENGAGED INDEPENDENTLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE CONTACT STATED HE BELIEVED IT IS A FAULTY YAW RATE SENSOR. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND A DIAGNOSIS WAS PENDING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND AN INVESTIGATION WAS PENDING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,970 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

ON OR ABOUT MAY 14, 2012, WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT FULL FREEWAY SPEED, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SELF-INITIATED A CONTINUOUS BRAKE ACTIVATION WITHOUT ME PRESSING ON THE BRAKES OR TAKING ANY OTHER ACTION. THE VEHICLE'S SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED AND SUSTAINED BRAKING ACTION RESULTED IN A NEAR-COLLISION WITH A SEMI-TRUCK TRAVELING BEHIND ME WHICH THE TRUCK-DRIVER WAS FORTUNATELY JUST ABLE TO PREVENT. I STEERED THE VEHICLE TO THE FREEWAY SHOULDER AS THE UN-COMMANDED BRAKING ACTION BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. THE INCIDENT WAS EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING FOR ME, AND IT WAS ONLY SHEER LUCK THAT I WAS NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. AFTER I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MERCEDES BENZ OF LAGUNA NIGUEL, THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAM (?ESP?) CONTROL MODULE AND YAW RATE SENSOR HAD FAILED AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE IS PRESENTLY IN AN INOPERABLE CONDITION. REVIEWING THE NHTSA WEBSITE, THIS APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO NHTSA (CAMPAIGN # PE07007). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING 40-45 MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES BEGAN TO VIBRATE ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT ENGAGED THE BRAKES. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT LATER THAT DAY, THE BRAKES FAILED WHILE BEING DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

REFERENCE ODI 10457817 I HAVE SINCE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM MERCEDES CORP. STATING THE FUEL PUMP FIRE IS DUE TO AGE AND NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. I ASKED HOW A FIRE INSIDE A FUEL TANK CAN BE NORMAL FOR ANY REASON. THEY WOULD ONLY REPEAT THAT IT WAS NORMAL FOR THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE. I CANNOT GET RID OF THE VEHICLE RIGHT NOW FOR FINANCIAL REASONS . HOWEVER I DON'T HAVE TO LET MY FAMILY RIDE IN IT. PLEASE HELP BECAUSE THIS IS NOT RIGHT. I HAVE THE LETTER FROM MB STATING THE ABOVE. *TR

MY ML320 VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN FOR APPROXIMATELY FIVE HOURS ROUND TRIP THEN PARKED FOR THE EVENING. I ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE THE FOLLOWING MORNING AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. AFTER DOING AN EXHAUSTIVE DIAGNOSTIC ON THE VEHICLE. I REMOVED THE FUEL PUMP FROM INSIDE THE FUEL TANK. I SAW THAT THE WIRING HARNESS/CONNECTOR FOR THE HOT LEAD WAS BLACK AND BROWN IN COLOR AND THE PLASTIC AROUND THE HARNESS HAD MELTED. I TOOK PICTURES AND STORED THE PUMP. I EMAILED MERCEDES AND ASKED THEM TO GET BACK WITH ME SINCE MY WIFE AND CHILDREN HAD BEEN IN THE VEHICLE AND THIS IS THE FAMILY VEHICLE. I ALSO READ SEVERAL FORUMS AND COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET REFERENCE MERCEDES FUEL PUMPS INCLUDING MY SPECIFIC MODEL. I READ HOW THEY HAVE CAUGHT ON FIRE. I ALSO SAW A PICTURE OF A FUEL PUMP OUT OF A ML 320 IN 2006 THAT HAD CAUGHT FIRE AND ALMOST LOOKED IDENTICAL TO MY FUEL PUMP I HAD REMOVED. I HAVE LOOKED FOR RECALLS AND STILL HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM MERCEDES. I AM AT A LOSS ON WHAT TO DO OR IF THERE IS ANYTHING I CAN DO. I WAS TOLD THAT MERCEDES KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BUT THAT HEY ARE UNLIKELY TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE OF THE COST. I WANT TO REPORT THIS IN CASE SOMETHING DOES HAPPEN TO ME AND MY FAMILY. IT WILL BE ON RECORD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ ML320. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE BRAKES UNEXPECTEDLY ENGAGED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY COAST TO A STOP, WHEN HE SMELLED A BURNING ODOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE HAD SINCE RECURRED ONCE MORE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN BACK TO BE EXAMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ ML320. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE STARTED FROM UNDER THE DASHBOARD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT APPEARED ON THE SCENE AFTER THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. THE VEHICLE WAS EXAMINED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND TOWED TO A DEALER. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE WAS DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND AN INSURANCE COMPANY WAS NOTIFIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

MY ML320 HAS 101,260 MILES ON IT AND I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE CENTER SUPPORT BEARING 4 TIMES FOR THIS VEHICLE. I KEEP IT GARAGED, SERVICE IT REGULARLY, AND DRIVE BETWEEN 10K AND 12K A YEAR. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND AN ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS. *TR

AT ABOUT 10 TO 25 MILES PER HOURS MY CAR SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY BRAKES AND CHANGES DIRECTION BY ITSELF WITHOUT PRESSING ANY PEDAL. *TR