2004 Mercedes-Benz E500 Electrical Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MERCEDES BENZ E500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATE 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED BUT CONTINUED TO ROLL WITHOUT STOPPING, THE BRAKE PEDAL FAILED, AND THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILED TO COME OUT OF PARK. IN ADDITION, ALL THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000.

NHTSA ID

10837458

Incident

Dec 20, 2015

Mileage

86,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MERCEDES BENZ E500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. ADDITIONALLY, THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ENGAGED IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT THEN SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.

NHTSA ID

10730195

Incident

Jun 17, 2015

Mileage

125,000 mi

BENZ E500 2004 (54K MILES) SAFETY ISSUE1: NOV 2008(36K MILES), THE CAR USED TO LOSE POWER AND SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING WITH ALL THE LIGHTS BLINKING ON THE DASH BOARD. BUT I WAS ABLE TO BREAK ANSDSTOP . SOMETIMES IT STARTED BACK ON AND SOMETIMES IT DID NOT.DEALER REPLACED THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR AND THE SENDER UNIT. HAD TO PAY THE BILL OF $600 PLUS TOWING. THEY DID NOT INSPECT OTHER SAFETY ISSUES LIKE THE SBC PUMP OR LET ME KNOW ABOUT THE 10 YEAR WARRANTY. NEITHER DID THEY TELL ME IF SBC PUMP FAILURE OR ITS MALFUNCTION HAS ANY IMPACT ON OTHER PARTS OF THE CAR. SAFETY ISSUE 2: JAN 6TH 2015.(REFER TO COMPLAINT #10676289)SBC PUMP FAILED DURING A LONG ROAD TRIP AND THINKING IT WAS JUST BRAKE PADS, COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. DEALER/MB REFUSED ANY ASSISTANCE IN REPAIRS. COST US $2200. WHEN THE DEALER REFUSED TO LOOK AT THE SBC PUMP BEFORE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AND THEY KNOW IT IS GOING TO FAIL, CUSTOMER IS IN A VERY UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION WITH SAFETY ASPECT, HUGE REPAIR COSTS INVOLVED AND POSSIBLE IMPACT ON OTHER PARTS AND SITUATIONS. THEY DESIGNED A WARRANTY ON THIS PROGRAMMABLE UNIT THAT IS PROGRAMMED TO LEND CERTAIN CYCLES OR SERVICE. MERCEDES BENZ HAS TURNED THIS MAJOR DEFECT INTO A MONEY MAKING OPPORTUNITY LATELY. THEY ARE INSTALLING REMAN UNITS WITH A HIGH REPAIR COST OF $2000-3000. SOMETIMES, MORE THAN THE WORTH OF THE CAR. REGULATORS SHOULD REVISIT THE CASE AND HAVE THEM PROVIDE LIFE TIME WARRANTY ON THIS MAJOR FLAW AND MAYBE MORE. WHEN THERE WERE TWO RECALLS JUST A YEAR AFTER IT WAS BOUGHT, HOW CAN THEY GET AWAY WITH A 10 YEAR WARRANTY AND A HUGE REPAIR COST. SINCE THEY HAVE MORE LAWYERS THAN ANY COMMON MAN, ONLY REGULATORS CAN HELP THE CITIZENS AND PROTECT THEIR INTERESTS AND SAFETY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10676537

Incident

Oct 26, 2009

Mileage

36,003 mi

WHILE TRAVELING NORTH ON I-5, AT APPROX. 65 MPH, DISPLAY SHOWED RED LETTERING "VEHICLE TOO LOW STOP CAR". MADE MY WAY OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD WHEN MESSAGE DISAPPEARED. PROCEEDED WITH TRIP. AFTER A COUPLE OF MILES, MESSAGE APPEARED AGAIN. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN CAR HANDLING OR PERFORMANCE FELT. MESSAGE AGAIN, DISAPPEARED. THIS CONTINUED UNTIL ARRIVAL AT HOME. THOUGHT FAULTY RELAY OR SOME ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. ONCE HOME, I GOT OUT OF CAR AND HEARD A SOUND AS IF AIR WAS ESCAPING FROM A BALLOON. NOTICED LEFT FRONT HAD DROPPED ALMOST ON TIRE. CAR NOT DRIVABLE. TOWED TO SHOP. BLADDER BURST. *TR

NHTSA ID

10534472

Incident

Aug 7, 2013

Mileage

85,000 mi

MY CAR BATTERY KEPT DYEING AND ALL OF THE SPEAKERS ON THE RIGHT SIDE WAS NOT WORKING. IN FACT WHEN THE CAR WAS OFF THOSE SPEAKERS WOULD MAKE STATIC NOISES. I HAD AN ELECTRONIC AUTO STORE LOOK AT THE CAR AND THEY TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM, BUT WHEN THEY POSED THE QUESTION TO THEIR ONLINE SITE, THE ANSWER CAME BACK AS THE "AUDIO GATEWAY" BEING DEFECTIVE. THEY WERE OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME CAR WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT AND THIS WAS THE PROBLEM. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE MERCEDES DEALER, TOLD THEM OF THE BATTERY DYEING PROBLEM AND THEIR DIAGNOSIS WAS THE SAME, "AUDIO GATEWAY". I PAID THE DEALER TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND THEY STATED THAT REPLACED THE PART. THE TOTAL COST WAS APPROX. $1,258.00, WHICH INCLUDED LABOR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10249917

Incident

Sep 1, 2008

Mileage

61,000 mi

I OWN A MERCEDES-BENZ E500 BOUGHT NEW IN 2004. 3 DAYS AGO I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT ABOUT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND CAR STALLED AND CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WITH NO WARNING. I COULD NOT START THE ENGINE BACK FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES. LUCKILY THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES BEHIND ME, WHICH WOULD HAVE HIT ME FROM BEHIND. I LATER TOWED THE CAR TO THE MERCEDES SERVICE STATION. THEY REPORTED IT AS AN ELECTIRCAL FAILURE DUE TO FAILING OF THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. THEY HAVE REPLACED THE FAULTY SENSOR AND THE CAR IS RUNNING OK NOW. I AM STILL WONDERING WHY DID THE CAR COME TO AN ABRUPT STOP AND DID NOT ALLOW ME TO COAST THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE BACKUP SAFETY MECHANISM IN A FAILURE LIKE THIS TO AVOID A MAJOR ACCIDENT. I AM WORRIED WHETHER THERE IS A DESIGN FAULT IN THIS VEHICLE THAT DID NOT ALLOW THAT BACK UP MECHANISM TO KICK-IN. MY SERVICE ADVISOR SAYS THIS FAULT IS UNLIKELY TO RECUR. I FEEL THAT THE SENSORS CAN FAIL AT ANY TIME AND THE VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE A SAFETY MECHANISM TO AVOID ABRRUPT STOPS LIKE THIS. IF I WAS ON A FREE WAY THIS WOULD HAVE CREATED A MAJOR ACCIDENT WITH SO MANY VEHICLES PILED UP ON TOP OF ME! MY CAR HAS DONE ONLY 40,000 MILES WITHIN THE LAST 4 YEARS. IT HAS NEW TIRES, A NEW BATTERY AND NEW BRAKES -ALL TAKEN CARE OF BY THE MERCEDES DEALER AT MY LAST SERVICE ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO.

NHTSA ID

10232543

Incident

Jun 25, 2008

Mileage

40,000 mi

6 DISC CHANGER DOOR WILL NOT OPEN. RIGHT AFTER BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY WAS OVER, DEALER SAID THEY HAD REPLACED MANY OF THEM THAT WEEK, BUT REFUSED TO FIX IT AND IT WAS ONLY 1,000 MILES PAST WARRANTY. BEFORE WARRANTY WAS UP, THE DEALER SAID THE FIXED GAS HOSE RECALL BUT STILL SMELL GAS AFTER FILLING THE VEHICLE. THEY WILL NOT LOOK AT IT ANYMORE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10228665

Incident

Mar 1, 2008

Mileage

49,500 mi

ELECTRONIC INTERFERENCE FROM AIRCRAFT CAUSED LIGHTS TO COME ON WHEN PARKED AT AIRPORT AND DRAINED BATTERY. CAR PARKED MORNING OF 9/4/04. SINGLE INCIDENT OF CAR ALARM REPORTED EVENING OF 9/6/04. RETURNED TO CAR 9/11/04 AND FOUND LIGHTS IN OFF POSITION AND BATTERY DRAINED. *AK

NHTSA ID

10091345

Incident

Sep 6, 2004

Mileage

11,400 mi