223 of the
1,516 complaints filed about the Mercedes Benz E320
are about the braking system —
15% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2003.
There has not been an incident report, however, my brakes failed while driving and I pulled over. This is the fault the SBC System which has an Extended 25 year warranty. I brought it into Mercedes prior to complete failure, but they only replace the Pressure Reservoir. It must be returned to Mercedes for the SBC UNIT replacement.
NHTSA complaint #11643797 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SBC braking system stated as covered under 25 year/unlimited miles warranty. SBC system failed on 2/1/25. Vehicle towed to local dealer service facility on 2/3/25. Tow was authorized at no charge by MB Roadside Assistance at no charge plus $100.00 credit toward diagnostic. Was told by phone on 2/3/25 that upon confirmation that SBC did in fact fail, the SBC replacement would be performed at no charge due to warranty through 2028. As of 2/10/25 service facility did confirm that the SBC system had failed. Currently, MB USA has a HOLD pending for authorization of repairs, with no reason given as to why as of 2/13/25.
NHTSA complaint #11642524 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
i got abs warning on the dash board, anti lock brake warning, sbc warnings, brake shop warnings...messages, brake pedal travels to the floor,. not stopping the car at the least.
NHTSA complaint #11639783 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
MB USA is not honoring Recall 2005110001 for 25 years per NHTSA Bulletin. The Mercedes Benz Representative said that the recall is closed for a 2003 car, but which should not be closed until 2028 for my car. The Mercedes Benz Representative agreed that she does see the car matches the 2003-2006 E class with chassis of A336226 falling between A0- and A7- for the recall. The Mercedes Benz Representative gave no explanation as to why the 25 year recall has closed prior to 2031. The faulty SBC has caused numerous problems. If the recall is not honored, I plan to file a lawsuit against Mercedes. A formal complaint is being filed with the NHTSA for MB USA's lack of adhering to the recall for the full 25 years.
NHTSA complaint #11602318 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-320. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the braking system became inoperable. The contact stated that the ABS warning light was illuminated after the failure. The contact stated that the failure was related to TSB: 2005110001. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the failure was due to the sensotronic brake control (SBC) braking system. The manufacturer was contacted and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11602322 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
A warning in Red came up on the dashboard which said something like "catastrophic break failure" ..I was going slow about to stop at the Red light and the brakes did not work and I hit a mini van
NHTSA complaint #11555325 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
car break looses 70% of its pressure and only left with 30% break. It happened 3-4 times already. break booster malfunction sign comes up. When i restart the car, malfunction sign goes away and it run ok for few days till it happen again. I am not driving it right now. it can cause serious accident at high speed
NHTSA complaint #11541370 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Break booster malfunction sign popped up 3-4 time while driving and I lost 70% of the break. Luckily it happened on local road at speed under 30mph. It is very dangerous and can result in an accident
NHTSA complaint #11539618 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving in highway, SBC brake failure warning and failure. Fortunate to be able to come to a stop without crashing into a car ahead since had plenty of time and distance to slowly come to a stop even with reduced braking power. If traveling in rush hour would likely have rear ended a stopped car in front and potentially causing serious injury and damage! This is a known issue with Mercedes, and there is an extended 25 year warranty on the vehicle but for some reason, my vehicle was not included in the recall: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 04V296000 2005 Mercedes e320 automatic sedan. I had the dealer replace parts of the the SBA brake unit once, but it has since reappeared on an intermittent basis usually during cold start and then it goes away in a few seconds while pulling out of a driveway, but this time it occurred after having driven for awhile on a freeway Please investigate to include additionally affected vehicles!!!
NHTSA complaint #11521089 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
October 26, 2022 my 2004 Mercedes model E320 W211 VIN # [XXX] dash pop out warning " Brake Wearing visit workshop" October 27, 2022 I had the brake pads and wear sensors both replaced and test drive verified car running normal for 30 minutes then dash pop out RED warning "Brake malfunction stop vehicle" plus transmission shifter stick to parking port can not be shift to other position, so can not drive and car being forced to stop on the road, I managed to press the lock off so can shift out of parking but there has no brake function when driving, I called MB USA and being advised that my car qualified to 25 years extended warranty for SBC hydraulic pump repair, 2005070007 2005110001 but when I tow my car to Mercedes dealer they said it only repair the Recall: 2020040011 - Sliding Roof Bonding - Phase 2, but the SBC Hydraulic pump may be at additional service charges, Please help investigate why Mercedes USA said it is under 25 years extended warranty while dealer said it might not qualify? car can not drive because of the SBC hydraulic pump problem and defected the driving safety? Best Regards/[XXX] email: [XXX] tel: [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA complaint #11491955 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Total brake failure Had to cross the over to the other side of the road to turn around. Was almost hit by an oncoming big rig truck . I've looked it up and this is a common occurrence on these vehicles,! They have a SBC unit that has caused numerous incidents exactly like mine . Someone could easily be killed because of this defect. I've read that they extended the warranty for 25 years . But I haven't been notified. They notified me about a recall of the sun roof but not this!!
NHTSA complaint #11478601 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle will flood after being exposed to rain which has caused all sorts of electrical issues. I have read online where several others have filed lawsuits regarding E class Mercedes for similar issues. The car’s interior will take on water and since there’s several electrical components running along the floor board of the car they will become damaged and cause the car’s computers and electrical system to go crazy. I picked up my car from having the oil changed at a local service shop a few days after it was repaired and I was driving back home after the service pick up and the car completely lost power. I got out of the car and opened the trunk in which I had to do so by using the key inside of the key fob. When I opened the trunk, I noticed that there was a little bit of water in the trunk which led me to open the back door and to my surprise there was standing water behind the driver seat. I checked the driver floor and it was soaked as well. I had the car towed back to the shop where I had the oil changed and the owner did not have the available equipment to test the car. I dried the car out over the next several days and drove to a local Mercedes dealership where they told me to do a full diagnostic on the car it would cost upwards of $19k. Are you kidding me? Now I know from reading others stories that this isn’t an unknown issue. So, what do I do now…file an insurance claim? I guess that would be the next step but they’ll turn around and get the money right back out of me by raising my policy rates. This is terrible. My car is a 2004 E320 with just under 65k miles on it.
NHTSA complaint #11427255 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle had a blow out on highway. Pull onto right shoulder doing about 60mph. Pressed the brakes and would not stop. Kept pressing brake and pumping the brakes and would not stop. was going around 50mph on the shoulder. After 15 seconds of pressing the brakes, car decided to brake. Checked brake lines, brake fluid and everything was correct and not leaking and drove the car back home slowly with spare on. ESP and ABS error came on. No other warning came on.
NHTSA complaint #11418001 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ON 12/16/2020 WHILE DRIVING THE BRAKES ON MY VEHICLE FAILED. A RED WARNING TRIANGLE APPEARED ON THE VEHICLE MESSAGE BOARD STATING THE CARS BRAKING ABILITY WAS SEVERELY REDUCED AND TO STOP DRIVING IMMEDIATELY. I WAS ABLE TO DRIFT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT INCIDENT AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MY MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC COULD FIND NO MECHANICAL REASON FOR THE BRAKE FAILURE. THE RED WARNING LIGHT WAS GONE AND THE BRAKES WERE FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. ONLINE RESEARCH REVEALED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY/RECALL FOR THE YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL OF THE CAR RELATED TO BRAKE FAILURE. MERCEDES WILL REPLACE THE SENSORTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE (SBC) FREE PROVIDED THE CORRECT CODES ARE EVIDENT WHEN THEY DIAGNOSE THE CAR.(SAFETY RECALL #2005110001 I BELIEVE) MY MECHANIC SAID THAT THERE ARE NO CODES SHOWING FOR THE BRAKES AND THE BRAKES ARE NOW FUNCTIONING. MY ONLINE RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT THIS CAN BE AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM AND THE DEALERSHIPS ARE RELUCTANT OR WILL NOT REPLACE THE SBC IF THERE ARE NO CODES. AFTER CONTACTING MERCEDES THE CAR IS BEING TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AS I TYPE THIS. I AM HOPEFUL THAT MERCEDES WILL DO THE CORRECT THING AND REPLACE THEIR ADMITTEDLY FLAWED BRAKE MODULE BUT IT ISN'T LOOKING GOOD AS THEY SAID IF THE CORRECT CODES DO NOT APPEAR THEY WILL NOT REPLACE. THE INSANE IDEA THAT I AM EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE UNTIL THE BRAKES FAIL AGAIN IN ORDER TO GET THEM REPLACED IS UNACCEPTABLE. I'M IN A NO WIN SITUATION.
NHTSA complaint #11386386 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.