2002 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ ML320. WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 70 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE LOCKED UP AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SWERVE INTO A MEDIAN. THE ABS WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AT THE SAME TIME THE BRAKES LOCKED. THE CONTACT NEVER DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL NOR THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FOR THE BRAKES TO LOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE YAW RATE SENSOR FAILED. THE REPAIRS WERE SCHEDULED UNDER WARRANTY. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 63,000. UPDATED 02/05/09 *BF THE BAS/ESP LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS CRACKED AND THE TRANSMISSION ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WAS LEAKING.. UPDATED 02/06/09.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ ML320. FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, THE CONTACT HAS TAKEN HER VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH REPAIRED. WHEN THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILED, THE ESP AND ABS INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WOULD STOP AND THE GEAR WOULD HAVE TO BE PLACED INTO PARK TO MANUALLY OVERRIDE THE WARNINGS. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED INTO PARK, IT WOULD NOT MOVE. THE BRAKES LIGHTS DO NOT ILLUMINATE, WHICH IS A HAZARD TO THE VEHICLES IN THE REAR OF THE CONTACT. THE SWITCH HAS BEEN CHANGED AT LEAST EIGHT TIMES, BUT THE FAILURE STILL OCCURS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY SENT AN EMAIL TO THE MERCEDES BENZ MANUFACTURER AT LEAST TWICE, BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE REGIONAL MANAGER WOULD INSPECT THE VEHICLE, BUT THIS HAS NOT YET TAKEN PLACE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000.

VEHICLE'S DRIVE AUTHORIZATION SYSTEM FAILS TO RECOGNIZE KEY RESULTING IN A 'START ERROR' DISPLAYING ON DASH AND VEHICLE WILL NOT START. THIS ITEM CAN ONLY BE REPLACED BY THE DEALER AND IS A KNOWN DEFECT BY MERCEDES BENZ. THE DASH CONTROL UNIT IS PART # A163 545 28 32 AND IS REPLACED BY A MODIFIED VERSION A163 545 07 06. MERCEDES REQUIRES OWNERS TO BEAR FULL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS REPAIR, EVEN THOUGH IT IS A KNOWN DEFECT WHICH CAN RESULT IN STALLS AND NO START SITUATION, POTENTIALLY PUTTING THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS IN DANGER. THE COST OF THIS REPAIR IS APPROX. $800 TO $1000. A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN WAS ISSUED BY MERCEDES BENZ AND THAT BULLETIN IS T-B-80.57/32 AND WAS ISSUED ON FEBRUARY 7, 2005. IT COVERS ALL M CLASS MODELS FROM 2000 TO 2005 MODEL YEAR. *TR

WAS DRIVING VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY AT 75 MPH SET SPEED IN CRUISE CONTROL AND STEPPED ON BRAKE AS I APPROACHED TRAFFIC CONGESTION. VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP AND CONTINUED TO MAINTAIN SET SPEED REGARDLESS HOW HARD I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE. EVENTUALLY, I DECIDED TO TRY SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL AND THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED BACK UNDER CONTROL OF THE FOOTBRAKE. THANKFULLY, THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWED DOWN WITHOUT INCIDENT BUT IT WAS A VERY SCARY MOMENT. NOTICED, AT THIS TIME, THE BAS/ESP MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP WAS DISPLAYED ON THE DASHBOARD. DROVE VEHICLE DIRECTLY TO A MERCEDES DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. DEALER ADVISED STOP LAMP SWITCH SHORTED. REPLACED LAMP SWITCH. ALTHOUGH, THIS WAS THE FIRST INCIDENT WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL THE VEHICLE DID HAVE SIMILAR PAST PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM (IE-BRAKE SWITCH AND SHIFTER CONTROL MODULE WERE REPLACED) THAT PREVENTED SHIFTING OUT OF PARK INTO ANY OTHER POSITION. VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE SAFETY DEVICE TO OVERRIDE "CRUISE CONTROL" OR PREVENT "CRUISE CONTROL" OPERATION WITH ANY MALFUNCTION IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM OR ACTIVATION OF THE BRAKING INDICATOR LAMP. WHAT ASSURANCES ARE THERE TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN? *TR

ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2008, WHILE DRIVING TO WORK MY STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. WHEN I LEFT WORK, I NOTICED THAT MOST OF THE STEERING FLUID HAD LEAKED OUT OF MY VEHICLE. THEN ON THURSDAY, A CO WORKER CONTACTED ME AND TOLD ME THAT SHE SAW A RECALL ON THE NEWS ABOUT THE STEERING ON MERCEDES SUV. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE LOCAL DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE A RECALL IN THEIR SYSTEM FOR MY AUTO AND IT WOULD COST ME $110 TO HAVE THEM DIAGNOSIS MY VEHICLE. I CONTACTED THE 800# THAT WAS ON THE NEWS AND WAS TOLD THAT SOMEONE WILL GET BACK WITH ME. IN THE MEANTIME, I AM A RECENT SINGLE PARENT WITH A 14 YEAR CHILD THAT I TRANSPORT IN A VEHICLE THAT I HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME TO STEER. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ ML320. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE BRAKE PEDAL EXTENDED TO THE FLOOR WHEN DEPRESSED. THE DEALER STATED THAT A BLOWN FUSE CAUSED THE FAILURE AND THEY MADE THE REPLACEMENT. THE FAILURE RECURRED APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK LATER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER BLOWN FUSE AND MADE THE REPLACEMENT AGAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALER HAS INSPECTED THE VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 27 TIMES FOR THE SAME FAILURE, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. AS OF AUGUST 4, 2008, THE DEALER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 56,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ ML320. A MONTH AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED DASHBOARD FAILURE. THE HAZARD LIGHTS BEGAN FLASHING ON AND OFF. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY DISCOVERED A DEFECT IN THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENT. THEY REPLACED A FUSE, WHICH CORRECTED THE FAILURE FOR APPROXIMATELY A MONTH, BUT THE FAILURE EVENTUALLY RECURRED. WHEN ALL OF THE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AGAIN, THEY REMAINED LIT AND LOCKED THE GEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN AND EVEN STALLED WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH. THE CONTACT HAS TAKEN THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AT LEAST ONCE PER MONTH AND THEY REPLACED THE FUSE EACH TIME, OR ATTEMPTED TO REPROGRAM THE SYSTEM; HOWEVER, THE REMEDY WAS NEVER PERMANENT. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,500 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 56,000.

THIS CAR HAS BEEN INTO SERVICE OV 27 TIME IN THE LAST 2 1/2 YEARS REGARDING THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM/ ALL OF THE LIGHT ON THE DASH BOARD TURN ON. MY LASTEST ISSUE WAS ON THE HIGHWAY MY CAR JUST COMPLETELY TURN OFF ON ME WILL ON THE EXPRESSWAY WHEN I TURNED THE KEY AGAIN THE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THIS CAR HAS BEEN FIX NUMEROUS TIMES BUT THE PROBLEM COMES BACK. *TR

THE EXTERIOR HEADLIGHTS ON OUR MERCEDES ML 320E HAVE BECOME VERY CLOUDY AND ROUGH TO THE TOUCH. THIS IS NOW A PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY DO NOT EMIT ENOUGH LIGHT TO SAFELY DRIVE AT NIGHT. *TR

LOWER POWER STEERING HOSE CLAMP HAD RELEASED AND ALLOWED THE POWER STEERING FLUID TO DISCHARGE TO THE GROUND. THIS LOSS OF FLUID DISABLED THE POWER STEERING RENDERING THE CAR ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL WITHOUT STRONG STEERING INPUT. MY WIFE HAD TO CALL FOR ME TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME. THE HOSE FAILED UPON STARTUP, THUS PREVENTING AN ACCIDENT. THE UNIT WAS REPAIRED AT NO COST UNDER BULLETIN #T-B.46.30/13A. THIS BULLETIN EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 100,000 MILES FOR THIS PART. HOWEVER, THIS TYPE OF FAILURE MODE COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND A CRASH. *TR