2003 Mercedes-Benz E500 Suspension Problems

Air suspension in the rear suddenly failed making it impossible to drive, also triggered a red warning of "stop, car too low"

NHTSA ID

11584280

Incident

Apr 2, 2024

The contact owns a 2003 Mercedes-Benz E500. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the air bag suspension detached from the subframe which caused the shock to lean into the tire. The rear driver’s side wheel ceased turning. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.

NHTSA ID

11425968

Incident

Jul 5, 2021

Mileage

139,000 mi

AIR SUSPENSION LOWER CAUSED CAR STOPPED WHILE DRIVING. THIS AIR SUSPENSION HAS SERIOUS PROBLEM NEEDS RECALL DUE TO DEFECTIVE DESIGN. SPRINGS HAVE BEEN REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM WILL CAUSE ACCIDENTS WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

11187185

Incident

Nov 3, 2018

Mileage

90,378 mi

AIR SUSPENSION - THE ENTIRE VEHICLE HAS FALLEN ALMOST TO THE GROUND DUE TO DEFECTIVE AIR SUSPENSION(FRONT AND REAR). THIS STARTED WITHIN A YEAR AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM A MERCEDEZ BENZ DEALERSHIP BUT DID NOT REALIZE HOW SERIOUS THE PROBLEM WAS UNTIL THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. AS OF TODAY, THE AIR DOES NOT PUMP INTO THE CAR AND THEREFORE IT'S LOW TO THE GROUND.

NHTSA ID

11054945

Incident

Jun 1, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E500. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE "STOP DRIVING" AND "VEHICLE DRIVING LOW" WARNING MESSAGES DISPLAYED. WHILE SITTING IN THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEEMED LOW. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT AIR SUSPENSION NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 140,000.

NHTSA ID

10983275

Incident

Sep 28, 2016

Mileage

140,000 mi

DRIVING A CAR IN VEHICLE WENT DOWN SAYING IS TOO LOW

NHTSA ID

10925314

Incident

Sep 22, 2016

WHILE DRIVING, THE WARNING LIGHT CAR TO LOW. STOP DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

10915509

Incident

Oct 9, 2016

MY CAR HAS DROPPED DOWN VERY LOW ON TOP OF MY TIRES WHEN I STARTED MY CAR UP ON THE DASH WAS A RED WARNING LIGHT SAYING STOP CAR IS TOO LOW. MY CAR DROVE FINE THE DAY BEFORE THE NEXT MORNING WHILE SITTING UNDER MY CARPORT IT WAS VERY LOW.

NHTSA ID

10811250

Incident

Dec 19, 2015

Mileage

119,340 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES BENZ E500. WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THE STOP CAR WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE FRONT SUSPENSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER TO BE INSPECTED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT BOTH FRONT AIRMATIC SUSPENSIONS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

NHTSA ID

10807470

Incident

Nov 24, 2015

Mileage

100,000 mi

CAR DISPLAY PANEL SHOWED "STOP, CAR TOO LOW". THE FRONT LEFT PORTION OF THE CAR WAS LOW AND THE TIRE ALMOST TOUCHED THE TIRE FENDER. TRIED TO DRIVE THE CAR TO SHOP BUT CAN HEAR THE TIRE SCRATCHED THE FENDER WHEN MADE TURNS. TOWED THE CAR TO SHOP NEXT DAY. SHOP TOLD ME THE AIR SUSPENSION WAS BAD AND NEEDED TO REPLACE STRUT AND RECOMMENDED TO REPLACE BOTH FRONT TWO STRUTS. THIS COULD BE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION IF IT HAPPENED ON FREEWAY. CAR COULD LOOSE BALANCE AT HIGH SPEED. TIRE COULD BUST AT HIGH SPEED. CHECKED ONLINE AND SAW MANY PEOPLE HAD SAME PROBLEMS. NOW I REMEMBER THAT A FRIEND IN TAIWAN HAS COLLECTED MORE THAN 500 MERCEDES STRUTS IN HIS SHOP. HE TOLD ME THAT THIS HAD BEEN A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM FOR MERCEDES 500 SERIES. WHY MERCEDES DID NOT RECALL CARS FOR REPAIR??? TOO EXPENSIVE AND CAN NOT AFFORD TO DO IT FOR MERCEDES?? IT COST ME $2,850 TO REPLACE THE FRONT TWO STRUTS. NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE IT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10689740

Incident

Feb 12, 2015

Mileage

85,656 mi

MY 2003 MB E500 SPORT IS EQUIPPED WITH THE AIRMATIC SUSPENSION. WITHOUT WARNING THE REAR SUSPENSION COMPLETELY FAILED AND DROPPED THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FRAME 2 INCHES FROM THE ASPHALT. MY SMALL CHILD WAS IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME AND WOULD HAVE BOUNCED UP TO THE CEILING IF HE HAD NOT BEEN SECURED IN HIS CARSEAT. THE CAR IS NOT OPERATIONAL AT THIS TIME AND REPAIR ESTIMATES EXCEED $3,000.00. *TR

NHTSA ID

10660587

Incident

Nov 19, 2014

Mileage

76,358 mi

FRONT AND REAR END SUSPENSION ARE DOWN TO THE GROUND ,,AND A ERROR CODE ON DASH: STOP CAR TO LOW, CAR IS NOT DRIVE-ABLEA. *TR

NHTSA ID

10519397

Incident

Jun 10, 2013

Mileage

190,000 mi

BOTH FRONT AND REAR AIR SHOCKS WENT WITHIN 2000 MILES OF EACH OTHER 64000 AND 66000 MILES. THESE SHOCKS ARE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND ARE A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS. THEY WERE NOT ENGINEERED PROPERLY OR THEY SHOULD HAVE LASTED MUCH LONGER. MERCEDES WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT..

NHTSA ID

10381948

Incident

Jan 29, 2011

Mileage

66,002 mi

AIRMATIC SUSPENSION LEAK CAUSED CALL TO PULL TO ONE SIDE. COULD HAVE PULLED ME LEFT OF CENTER, LUCKILY, ON A SIDE STREET AT FAILURE POINT. NO WARNING AT ALL. CAR DEPICTED "STOP, VEHICLE TOO LOW" AS WARNING IN DASH AFTER THE FAILURE. CAR REQUIRED TOWING. VEHICLE HAS 61000 MILES ON IT. FRIENDS AT WORK HAVE SIMILAR CAR AND MOST HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10354597

Incident

Sep 9, 2010

Mileage

61,300 mi

I WAS TRAVELING ON I-65 FROM LAFAYETTE TO INDIANAPOLIS IN MY 2003 E-500 MERCEDES- BENZ. DRIVING AT HIGHWAY'S POSTED 70 MPH SPEED THE CAR SUDDENLY PULLED FROM THE FAST, LEFT LINE THAT I WAS TRAVELING INTO THE RIGHT LINE CASING THE OTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING ON THE RIGHT LINE TO TURN INTO AN EMERGENCY SHOULDER AND CONSEQUENTLY IN TO THE DITCH IN COLLISION AVOIDANCE MANEUVER. THE REASON FOR MY VEHICLE'S SUDDEN CHANGE IN STEERING AND HANDLING CHARACTERISTIC WAS AN UNEXPECTED, INSTANTANEOUS FAILURE OF AN AIR STRUT ON THE FRONT/RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. MY ON BOARD COMPUTER NEVER INDICATED ANY MALFUNCTIONS UNTIL THE MOMENT OF AN ACTUAL INCIDENT. MY CAR IS WELL, DEALER MAINTAINED 2003 MERCEDES E-500 WITH ONLY 36,000 ORIGINAL MILES. THE M-B DEALER NEVER INDICATED A NEED TO REPLACE AIR SHOCKS FOR ANY REASONS. AFTER THE NEAR COLLISION EXPERIENCE I HAVE RESEARCHED AN INTERNET AND LEARNED THAT THE PREMATURE AIR SHOCKS FAILURE IS A VERY FREQUENT OCCURRENCE AMONG THE OWNERS OF MB VEHICLES WITH AIR SUSPENSION. I'M AN ORIGINAL OWNER OF E-500 AND AFTER THIS TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE I HAVE LOST A CONFIDENCE IN SAFETY OF THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE BECAUSE THE OTHER SHOCKS/STRUTS COULD SUDDENLY FAIL THE SAME WAY THE FIRST ONE DID. ARE THE AIR STRUTS ARE HAVING A DESIGN/MANUFACTURING DEFECT? THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND LOCAL DEALER IS ASKING OVER $ 1800 TO REPLACE A STRUT. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID

10351139

Incident

Aug 20, 2010

Mileage

36,000 mi

2003 E500 WITH 64000MLS, MY FRONT AIR SUSPENSION STRUT BOTTOMED OUT FAILED WILE DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED.TOOK THE CAR TO MERCEDES AND IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY; WE REPLACED THE 2 FRONT SHOCKS AND COMPRESSOR BUT 3 WEEKS LATER MY BACK SHOCKS FAILED TO. TOTAL COST O REPAIRS $3500 AND STILL NOT DRIVING ALRIGHT HARSH DRIVING AND LOTS OF VIBRATION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10269057

Incident

Dec 7, 2008

Mileage

62,000 mi

DRIVING ON CITY SURFACE STREET. CAME TO FOUR WAY STOP. HEARD A POP LIKE THAT OF A TIRE OR BALLOON. CAR STARED TO MAKE WHISTLING NOISE. PULLED OVER AND SAW LEFT FRONT AIR SUSPENSION STRUT BOTTOMED OUT. TOWED TO DEALER AND ADVISED THAT LEFT FRONT AIRMATIC HYDROPNEMATIC STRUCT HAD FAILED. THAT AIR BLADDER HAD BLOWN. FURTHER THAT AIRMATIC COMPRESSOR WAS BURNED OUT. I HAD DRIVEN A TOTAL OF 50 YARDS FROM BLOW OUT. TOTAL PARTS AND LABOR OVER $2,500.00 FROM MERCEDES BENZ OF WALNUT CREEK. *TR

NHTSA ID

10267294

Incident

Apr 27, 2009

Mileage

67,055 mi

MY CAR (2003 MERCEDES E500) HAS HAD 3 OF THE 4 AIRMATIC SHOCKS FAIL IN 50K MILES. EACH TIME, THE CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE AND MUST BE TOWED. TWO OF THE FAILURES OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING. THE FRONT WHEELS CANNOT BE TURNED WHEN THIS OCCURS WITHOUT DAMAGE TO THE FENDER A DANGEROUS SITUATION. 1 OF THE REPAIRS WAS PERFORMED UNDER WARRANTY. THE OTHER TWO REPAIRS COST $3000. CALLS TO THE DEALER AND MERCEDES BENZ OF NORTH AMERICA TO REQUEST A WARRANTY REPAIR WERE REFUSED. REVIEW OF ONLINE FORUMS FOR MB OWNERS INDICATES MANY OWNERS EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10239469

Incident

Jul 23, 2008

Mileage

42,879 mi

MERCEDES BENZ E500 AIRMATIC STRUT COLLAPSE. LOW MILEAGE: 43000 AT TIME OF FAILURE. DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHEN STRUT FAILED. CAR LEANED TO RIGHT & MADE AN EMERGENCY STOP. MERCEDES BENZ CHARGED $1100 FOR REPLACEMENT PART, I INSTALLED. IT APPEARS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW: PROTECTIVE BELLOWS FAILS & CONTAMINATES AIR BAG. *TR

NHTSA ID

10236606

Incident

Jun 16, 2008

Mileage

43,000 mi