2014 Mercedes-Benz C250 Brakes Problems

I was coming off the freeway on 9/25/25, and when I pressed on the breaks they completely locked up and would not break at all. The car turned off, no warning lights nothing, and I continued to hit the break and the car would not stop, then all of a sudden it came to a stop almost colliding within inches of hitting the Semi-Truck in front of me. This is the second time in one year that this has happened to me, I have had the car checked out the first time last year immediately, and even paid to diagnose it, nothing, I had the brakes and rotors replaced last June of 2024 when this happened. Since then the car has only been in the dealership to get the car Fully checked out mutltiple times within 2024, 2025 and repaired by Mercedes dealership. On 9/25/25 this happened to me and it was a traumatic experiance when I pressed the break and the break got super hard and in a Locked position and would not come to a stop, there was no warning lights, no engine lights, nothing. (increased braking effort, and potentially I was inches of collision risk. I had the car towed to the nearest shop and was told this is a collapsed break booster Vacuum pump, and possibly the hose and lines and possibly further problems but they would need to replace the Vacuum pump first. After I looked to see if there was a recall on the vacuum pumps in that model on google and it says the following; Google- 2014 Mercedes c250 recall on Vacuum pump A-Premium Vacuum Pump Compatible With Select Mercedes ...Yes, there was a recall on certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including some 2014 C250 models, related to a defective brake booster vacuum hose. The recall involves hoses that may delaminate over time, leading to a loss of vacuum, increased braking effort, and potentially a collision risk. To check if your specific 2014 C250 is affected by this recall, you should contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer or visit the Mercedes-Benz USA website to check for open recalls for your vehicle's VIN.

NHTSA ID

11690125

Incident

Sep 25, 2025

With no prior warning indicator on braking issues with my 2014 C250, I travelled from Ormond Beach FL to Savannah GA, on I-95 with one stop in Kingsland GA. I still had no warning indicator on breaking issues as I took the off-ramp to Savannah. A failure occurred with the braking system as I exited I-95, with no vehicle warning indicator shown before or after I came to a stop. I had to exert maximum pressure on the brake to stop, requiring an expansion clear length of off-ramp to do so. An elderly, weaker person or even my wife wouldn’t have had the strength to stop over the distance I stopped it in. Luckily there was no vehicles stopping in front of me, otherwise I would have hit them at high speed. At Savannah Mercedes they found a Faulty Vacuum Pump, & like me were perplexed that no prior warning indicator showed up on my vehicle. This issue has obviously caused me great concern & indicates an inherent dangerous & life-threatening condition with my, & I assume other 2014 C-250’s, if not other years and models. If this dangerous failure had occurred on I-95 as traffic slowed to a stop, I would have run into the vehicle in front of me & my wife & could have been killed. More menacingly, it would most probably have been reported that I wasn’t paying attention & it was my fault rather that a catastrophic dangerous manufacturer failure with my vehicle. It sadly seems to me that this scenario may actually have happened with some MB vehicles and the driver/s are not around to say.

NHTSA ID

11495900

Incident

Sep 5, 2022

The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz C250. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 - 80 MPH, the brakes failed, and the brake pedal was stiff while depressed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with brake vacuum pump failure. The brake vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The brake vacuum pump was previously replaced by an independent mechanic for the recurring failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,535. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ID

11448024

Incident

Jan 18, 2022

Mileage

85,535 mi

Driving on the freeway I-5 Southbound in Orange County, California when my brakes failed. 1) There was no warning in advance of this episode, no squeaky brakes, no leaking of oil or fluid. 2) Car had been routinely repaired and maintained by the mercedes dealership. 3)An independent Mercedes mechanic

NHTSA ID

11447924

Incident

Jan 18, 2022

The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz C250. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at various speeds, she depressed the brake pedal but it hesitated to respond. As a result, excessive force was applied to the brake pedal in order to slow down the vehicle. Due to the failure, the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the barrier wall and the metal fence. No air bags were deployed. The contact's daughter sustained a fractured nose, lip laceration, and other unknown facial injuries due to the driver hitting the steering wheel during the impact. No medical attention was contacted yet but will be in the future. A police report was filed. The police transferred the vehicle from the crash site to a tow yard where the police are awaiting the insurance adjustor. Damages were to the front end. The manufacturer nor the dealer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximate 60,000

NHTSA ID

11425686

Incident

Jul 19, 2021

Mileage

60,000 mi

WHILE SLOWING TO APPROACH A PARKING SPACE, THE CAR SPED FORWARD AND JUMP THE CURVE CRASHING INTO A STOREFRONT. NO ONE INJURED. STEPPING ON THE BRAKES DID NOT STOP OR EVEN SLOW DOWN THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

11081778

Incident

Oct 11, 2017

Mileage

14,000 mi

TAKATA RECALL HEADLIGHT, MODULES COMPONENT CONTROLLING THE HEADLIGHT, AND THE SEAL. MOIST GETS IN THE HEADLIGHT AND DAMAGES THE LIGHT. HAD TO PLACE ON BOTH HEADLIGHTS AND THE MODULES UNITS IN THE BACK OF HEADLIGHTS THAT CONTROLS ALL LIGHTS. WAS IN MOTION BOTH TIMES. DASHBOARD INDICATED CHECK ALL LIGHTS; IT WAS CORRECT. BOTH NEEDED SERVICED

NHTSA ID

11064246

Incident

Sep 13, 2017

Mileage

77,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING ON I-10 EASTBOUND AT APPROXIMATELY MILE MARKER 180 TO 182, WHEN I MADE A LANE CHANGE TO LET A FASTER MOVING VEHICLE PASS ME. I WENT FROM THE LEFT TO RIGHT LANE WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 70 OR 75 MPH, (SPEED LIMIT ON I-10 IS 75 MPH). UPON ENTERING THE RIGHT LANE I SAW A TRACTOR TRAILER BRAKE LIGHTS, AND I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKE IN MY C 250, AND IT CAUSED THE CAR WHEELS TO LOCKED UP, WHICH ALSO CAUSED THE CAR TO SKID, AND SWERVE THE BACK END. THE C 250 DID SLOW DOWN SOME, BUT CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AFTER THE C 250 IMPACTED THE REAR BUMPER OF THE TRAILER ATTACHED ON THE TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK. THE C 250 SLIDE APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET, THERE WERE TIRE TRACKS ON THE PAVEMENT, WHICH SHOWS THE TIRES LOCKED UP. THE REAR ENDED OF THE CAR ALSO SWERVED, AND IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE THE C 250 WAS SLOWING DOWN, ONCE THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THERE WAS ALSO SOME SKIPPING OF THE TIRES. THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED BUT WAS LATE, AND CAUSED ME TO IMPACT THE WINDSHIELD WITH MY HEAD. THERE IS ALSO A HOLE IN THE AIRBAG THAT IS BIGGER THEN A SILVER DOLLAR, WHICH SHOWS SIGN OF TEARING AND FRAYING. THE SEAT-BELT DETACHED AT IMPACT WHICH FORCED ME FORWARD AND DIDN'T RESTRAIN ME FROM ME HITTING THE STEERING WHEEL AND WINDSHIELD. *TR

NHTSA ID

10706262

Incident

Mar 24, 2015

Mileage

2,240 mi

THIS PROBLEM FIRST STARTED 2 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE OF THIS BRAND NEW 2014 MERCEDES C CLASS. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON AND ALARM STARTS DINGING EVEN THOUGH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE HAS NEVER BEEN APPLIED. THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE IT STOP IS TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE RELEASE LEVER. THIS HAS OCCURRED DURING INITIAL START-UP AND WHILE DRIVING. THE PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEIR TECHNICIANS RESPONSE IS " THE C CLASS DOES THAT". AFTER TAKING THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER THE TECHNICIANS SAID SINCE THEY COULDN'T RECREATE THE PROBLEM, NOTHING MUST BE WRONG. ONCE I DROVE 30 MILES TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT ON AND ALARM DINGING SO THEY COULD WITNESS IT. THE MANAGER AND TECHNICIAN MET ME IN THE GARAGE AND HAD ME PULL THE LEVER; THE PEDAL ACTUALLY MOVED BY ABOUT AN INCH. THE MANAGER AND TECH PRACTICALLY ACCUSED ME OF PARTIALLY APPLYING THE BRAKE (WHICH I TOLD THEM I HAVE NEVER PULLED SINCE OWNING THE CAR). I TOLD THEM THIS MAKES THE SITUATION EVEN MORE SERIOUS BECAUSE THE BRAKE MAY ACTUALLY AUTO-APPLY WHILE DRIVING. STILL, NO CONCERN ABOUT SAFETY, OR RESOLVING THE PROBLEM. THEIR RESOLUTION WAS FOR ME TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN TO TRADE FOR A USED 2013 OR USED 2014 OR PAY TO MOVE INTO THE E CLASS WHICH THEY SAY DOESN'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10586131

Incident

Jan 2, 2014

Mileage

30 mi