2003 Mercedes Benz E Class

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED TWO RECALL LETTERS WERE RECEIVED REGARDING THE BRAKES, #05V133000 AND #04V296000. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION AND IT WAS DETERMINED THE REPAIR WORK DID NOT NEED TO BE COMPLETED. THE CONTACT THEN ALERTED THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE WORK WAS NOT DONE, AND THE MANUFACTURER DETERMINED IT WAS AT THE DEALERSHIPS DISCRETION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE WORK NEEDED TO BE PERFORMED.

I WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR-END COLLISION IN 9-04 WHERE MY 2003 MERCEDES (MB) WAS UNABLE TO STOP IN TIME. MY CAR WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP IN TIME EVEN THOUGH IT WAS TRAVELING ONLY ABOUT 20 MPH AND THAT I APPLIED QUICK, MAXIMUM PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES. THERE WAS ONE OTHER "CLOSE-CALL" A FEW WEEKS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. WHEN I CALLED THE MERCEDES CUSTOMER SERVICE 800 # AND THE MERCEDES DEALER, BOTH OF THEM DENIED THAT THERE WERE ANY REPORTS OR RECALLS OF BRAKE FAILURE. THEREFORE I WAS DEEMED TO BE AT FAULT FOR THE ACCIDENT AT THAT TIME. WHEN I TOOK MY MB FOR ROUTINE SERVICE IN 2-05, THE TECH INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A BRAKE RECALL AND PROCEEDED TO MAKE THE REPAIR. NOW IN 2-06, I RECEIVED YET ANOTHER BRAKE RECALL (CAMPAIGN # 2005-110001). ONE STATEMENT IN THE RECALL WAS "THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL WILL BE NOTICEABLY LONGER WHICH COULD LEAD TO A VEHICLE CRASH." MY PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS AT CONTACTING MB RESULTED IN THEIR REPEATED DENIAL THAT THEY WERE AT FAULT FOR THE BRAKE FAILURE AND THE ACCIDENT. WITH THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED AND THE REPEATED NATURE OF THE BRAKE RECALLS, I FEEL THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE AND SHOULD REIMBURSE MYSELF AND OTHERS LIKE ME FOR THE INCREASES IN THE INSURANCE PREMIUM AS WELL AS THE INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE. IT IS A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR THE INTEGRITY OF A RENOWNED CAR COMPANY. *JB

I OWN A MERCEDES E 500 ,YEAR 2004.I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE RECALL FOR THE BRAKE PROBLEM AFTER I ALMOST KILL MYSELF WHEN THE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED YESTERDAY. THE MERCEDES FAILED TO INFORM THE CONSUMER ESP. THIS KIND OF DEFECT. I FOUND OUT THAT THIS RECALL WAS SINCE MAY AND HAD TO EXPERIENCE MYSELF BEFORE RECEIVING THE RECALL LETTER. THIS IS NOT A GOOD BUSSINESS PRACTICE AND IN FACT A NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF THE COMPANY. THIS CAN CAUSE MY LIFE AND MAY OTHERS WHO OWN THE SAME MODEL OF CAR IN WHOM I KNOW A FEW AND THEY HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RECALL LETTER.

100% BRAKE FAILURE/LOST I LEFT MY OFFICE AT 02:30 AM. 3.5 MILES FROM HOME, AS I'M DRIVING UP HILL APPROXIMATE SPEED OF 55 MILES PER HR TEMP. OF 75 DEGREES DRY ROAD CONDITIONS. I APPROACH ONE OF THE INTERSECTIONS AS I PRESS ON THE BRAKE THERE IS 100% BRAKE FAILURE THE PEDAL FEELS NORMAL NOT HARD NOT SOFT NORMAL, THE WARNING SYSTEM ACTIVATES A RED LETTERING DISPLAY ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL STOP! VEHICLE BRAKE (SOMETHING) I CANT REMEMBER THE INSTRUCTIONS OTHER THAN STOP VEHICLE BUT I COULD NOT STOP AT ALL. I PROCEEDED TO DOWNSHIFT AND FLICKERING MY HI/LOW BEAMS TO MAKE THE RED LIGHT TURN GREEN WITH SUCCESS IT TURNS GREEN AS I REACHED THE INTERSECTION, SINCE MY CAR WAS GOING UPHILL IT MADE IT EASIER TO COME TO A STOP. THERE IS NO PHYSICAL CONSEQUENCE, PROBABLY DUE TO THE HR. OF THE DAY IT WAS BUT IT MAKES ME THINK ABOUT WHAT IF I WAS ON MY WAY DOWN TO WORK @ 8:00 AM. I COULD HAVE KILLED MY SELF MY 3 KIDS OR SOMEONE ELSES FAMILY OR YOURS FOR THAT MATTER. MY VEHICLE IS AT THE DEALERS NOW THE LAST REPORT FROM THE ASST. MANAGER IS THAT THE THERE WAS AN ENGINEER BEING SENT FROM MERCEDES BENZ TO INSPECT VEHICLE. *JB

PLEASE SEE PREVIOUSLY FILED REPORT #10083022. ON MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2004, THE BRAKE FAILURE DESCRIBED IN THE ABOVE-MENTIONED REPORT OCCURRED AGAIN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, HOLDING THE CAR AT THE STOP. IT FELT LIKE THE CAR HAD BEEN TAPPED FROM BEHIND, BUT THERE WAS NO VEHICLE BEHIND ME. THE DASH WARNING CAME ON AGAIN SHOWING THE SAME TWO MALFUNCTIONS PREVIOUSLY LISTED AND THE WARNING BEEP SOUNDED. THIS TIME THERE WAS SOME BRAKE ACTION REMAINING IN THE PEDAL. THE CAR BEGAN TO IDLE VERY ROUGHLY, BUT BECAUSE THERE WERE SOME BRAKES LEFT, I DROVE THE CAR FOUR BLOCKS HOME. THE DEALER IS PICKING THE CAR UP...AGAIN. SEE VOQ 10033232 ALSO. *DSY. *AK

1- VEHICLE (2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E55) WAS TRAVELING AT 65-70 MPH ON GARDEN STATE PARKWAY (NJ). I WAS APPROACHING EXIT 109 WHEN A CAR ENTERING FROM THE RIGHT DECIDED TO CROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC, CUTTING ME OFF. *AK 10086185 2- WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE GAS QUICKLY, THE DASH LIT UP RED, A WARNING BEEP CAME ON AND A MALFUNCTION MESSAGE TOLD ME "BRAKE MALFUNCTION-STOP VEHICLE" (A BIT IRONIC, HUH?). THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS SOFT TO THE FLOOR. I DOWNSHIFTED TWO GEARS AND TRIED PUMPING THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT FINALLY HAD TO STOP THE CAR BY DOWNSHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION AGAIN AND APPLYING THE PARKING BRAKE. I PULLED THE CAR ONTO THE SHOULDER. THE DASH SHOWED TWO MALFUNCTIONS, BRAKES AND ESP (TRACTION CONTROL), AND THE WARNING BEEP CONTINUED UNTIL I REMOVED THE KEY. I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES AS INSTRUCTED BY THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, UNTIL FINALLY THE DASH ADVISED "NO MALFUNCTIONS," AND THE PEDAL REGAINED ITS NORMAL FEEL, AT WHICH POINT I DROVE SLOWLY HOME. ABOUT 1/4 MILE FROM MY HOUSE THE FAILURE REPEATED ITSELF. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND TRIED TO SLOW THE CAR FROM A WALKING PACE USING ONLY THE BRAKE PEDAL. WITH BOTH FEET ON THE PEDAL AND CONSIDERABLE FORCE APPLIED, THE BRAKES COULD BARELY STOP THE CAR FROM EVEN THAT SPEED. I STOPPED THE CAR AGAIN USING THE PARKING BRAKE AND REPEATED THE TURN IT ON/TURN IT OFF SEQUENCE UNTIL GETTING THE "NO MALFUNCTION" SCREEN AGAIN AND DROVE THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. UPON ENTERING MY DRIVEWAY, I GOT THE FAILURE MESSAGE AGAIN, SLOWED THE CAR IN THE SAME MANNER AS BEFORE AND PARKED IT. 3- THE DEALER PICKED UP THE CAR ON A FLATBED AND BROUGHT IT IN FOR SERVICE. I ALSO CONTACTED THE NHTSA PRIOR TO ALLOWING THE CAR TO BE TOWED AWAY IN CASE ANY INVESTIGATION NEEDED TO BE PERFORMED. ULTIMATELY, THE ABS/ESP CPU WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AND THE CAR WAS RETURNED ON JULY 27, 2004. COPIES OF THE REPAIR ORDER HAVE BEEN FAXED TO SCOTT YON AT NHTSA FOR REVIEW. THE CAR HAS PERFORMED PROPERLY SINCE THE REPAIR.

NEW BRAKES WERE INSTALLED ON VEHICLE , AND THEY FAILED WHILE IT WAS GOING ABOUT 70 MPH. VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN, BUT THE BRAKES DID NOT GRAB COMPLETELY, EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS GOING ABOUT 10 MPH. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND INFORMED THEM OF THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THEY WOULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. *AK SEE VOQ 10083022, 10086185. *DSY