2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ Driver assistance Problems

While making a left turn at low speed, I applied the brakes, but the vehicle did not respond as expected and instead appeared to drift, surge, or accelerate forward. The vehicle struck a fire hydrant and a bus stop pole before crashing into a tree. Airbags deployed and both occupants sustained injuries. I suspect a possible malfunction involving braking, propulsion, electrical, or speed control systems. No final cause has been determined. The vehicle should still be available for inspection. Mercedes-Benz USA has opened a case regarding this incident.

NHTSA ID

11731921

Incident

Apr 7, 2026

The contact leases a 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS450. While driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly stopped with no other vehicle or object nearby. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact was informed that it was a common failure and that other vehicle owners had sustained injuries due to the failure. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 10-15 MPH and approaching a red traffic light, the failure recurred, almost causing the vehicle to be rear-ended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

NHTSA ID

11716672

Incident

Feb 9, 2024

Mileage

8,000 mi

This afternoon, while I was driving on freeway at a normal speed (75 miles/hour) with an ample distance (30 feet) from the car in front of me , I suddenly felt a huge impact. It was so violent that I immediately thought my car was hit by the car behind me. I stopped the car on freeway and called 911. But from the back mirror, I did not see any damage on the car behind me. I got out to inspect my car but did not see any collision damage. According to my online search, this model - Mercedes-Benz EQS - has a frequently reported issue of "Phantom Braking" from the Forward Collision Avoidance System. It was very startling and dangerous experience for me. Now 5 hours later I still feel the pain in my neck and back from the impact. Please address this issue to save lives.

NHTSA ID

11702392

Incident

Dec 1, 2025

2023 Mercedes EQS 450 Normal Recuperation driving around 40 mph suddenly the brakes were applied and seat belts engaged with no apparent reason or obstacle. It was for a second and released so no damage except the scare and jolt of the brake. The internet is full of discussions about this Phantom Braking with electric and non-electric vehicles of all brands. This is the first incident in the 3 months that we have owned this sedan and we will be taking it to the Mercedes dealership soon. This car is always giving warning lights and sounds with so many safety features.

NHTSA ID

11616685

Incident

Sep 25, 2024

I was stopped at a stop sign and when the light turn green I pressed the accelerator to move forward unfortunately, the vehicle hard braked for no reason. At first, I thought someone hit me from behind since there was no one in front of me but that was not the case. The braking was so violent that it caused my neck to snap back and forth, which caused the back of my head to hit the seat head support. I was going no faster then 10 mph but not slower then 5mph. In turn, the vehicle is available for inspection. My safety was at risk because I had no control or indicator that the braking was going to automatically brake on its own. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer or independent service center because the incident happened today (Sunday) therefore, I plan on making an appointment as soon as possible to see if they can identify any defects. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others since I plan on taking it to the Mercedes dealer where I purchased the vehicle. There were NO warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to failure.

NHTSA ID

11588360

Incident

May 12, 2024

The vehicle pre collision automatically stops the car completely five times with no car or any objects in the front. I took the car to Mercedes dealership to see if they can find the issues, but they can’t. On 04/07/2024 I had my wife record while I’m driving and we got video of the car just completely hard breaking on its own with no cars in the front. I am worry that another vehicle will rear end me at higher speed when it does happen again.

NHTSA ID

11581634

Incident

Apr 7, 2024

I drove the EQS without issue for six months. Then, about a month ago while I was in reverse backing out of my garage, the car slammed on brakes and the seat belt forcefully engaged. It felt as if I hit a brick wall. There was nothing behind me--nothing in the driveway. Then last Sunday, October 29, 2023, I was at a stop light and began accelerating down an off ramp. Nothing was in front of me; however, the car slammed on brakes again--with the selt belt forcefully engaging, and I came dangerously close to getting rear ended. My husband turned off the automatic emergency breaking system, and we got an appointment with the Mercedes dealership. They had the car all day on Tuesday and Wednesday (Oct. 31 and Nov. 1), and basically, the dealership is saying they cannot make any repairs because they cannot replicate the issue.

NHTSA ID

11553160

Incident

Sep 29, 2023

While driving the Brakes locked in the middle of the Freeway and Street it happen 3 Times already and the only thing that the Service department from Mercedes Benz saids is that they cant duplicate the malfunction a return the car It Dangerous because it just stops the brakes lock and the car stops completly in the middle of the road

NHTSA ID

11533687

Incident

Jul 20, 2023

On 05Jun23, EQS 450+ suddenly reduced the speed to 30mph on the SRT highway while I was driving with cruise control set to 70mph. This creates sudden deceleration in the car and slow down as well as on the left lane traffic where there was a following car behind me with high speed. This happens multiple times when I was driving on the different highways in Texas as well as in FM roads. Car’s Behavior while Cruise control is SET to 70+mph and Intelligent Recuperation is ON. Highway Speed Sign is 70mph. 🔴 Sudden, unexpected deceleration 🔴 Wrong speed sign pops up on the dashboard 🔴 Confusing warning sound 🔴 Speed sign Indicator acts like inconsistent or confused by changing from 30mph to 45mph or vice versa.

NHTSA ID

11528510

Incident

Jun 5, 2023

On June 1 2023 at 6:24 pm, driving at around 40 mph, the car suddenly braked hard and lurched to the left. There were no cars or other obstructions in front of the car. This braking and lurching to the left lasted a few seconds, but almost came to a complete stop. After a few seconds it resumed normal operation.

NHTSA ID

11525091

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

Around 5:48 pm Pacific time today, May 8, 2023, traveling westbound on Sunset Blvd (near the Drummond street intersection), the brakes suddenly engaged hard for a few seconds and then released and continued. Speed was around 35 mph and there were no obstructions around. This is the second incident of phantom braking that has occurred in 2 months. Luckily there was no car behind that could have collided into us from the sudden phantom braking.

NHTSA ID

11521077

Incident

May 8, 2023

We were driving locally, and the car stopped abruptly for no reason. There was no one and nothing in front of it, no animal around, and no reason for the stop. Had there been someone behind us, we would have had a big problem. We called the salesperson at the dealership only to learn that he had moved to Germany. We were told that another representative would return my call in about six minutes. No one called. A week later, we were on the highway and, also for no reason, the car slowed abruptly, and then resumed its speed. It happened a third time on a local street. We called the dealer and alerted the corporate headquarters but they did not respond. They do not seem to care.

NHTSA ID

11519767

Incident

Mar 1, 2023

I experienced a phantom braking incident yesterday in my 2023 EQS450+ SUV at 3:11 pm PST. Traveling at around 30 mph, no cars within 20 feet ahead or behind us, the car suddenly engaged the automatic brakes very hard with a loud beep but this condition lasted only a couple of seconds. The impact was hard enough to jolt all passengers in the car. The sound was as if something hit us from behind. Cruise control was not being used at that time. The car then continued to operate normally after that. I have set up a service appointment for this Friday, April 14 at the WI Simonson dealership in Los Angeles, CA. I have reported this to MErcedes Benz using their "contact me" feature on their website. From my research, it sounds like phantom braking is prevalent somewhat widely in the EQS cars but nothing seems to have been done about it so far.

NHTSA ID

11516386

Incident

Apr 9, 2023

Experienced phantom braking on car. Date: 2/28/23. No car's in front. Sunny day. I have video dash cam proof but it is 70 mb. I can give it to you guys if needed for proof.

NHTSA ID

11509612

Incident

Feb 28, 2023

On two occasions I was driving on city streets, 35-45 miles per hour without any vehicles nearby and all of a sudden the vehicle applied a hard brake, as if the vehicle had sensed a pending collision or something, but nothing was around. I purchased the vehicle new in October of 2022. The first time this occurred was a couple of weeks after I had bought the vehicle. I had changed the recuperation mode setting, so when it occurred the first time I thought that might have affected it. This occurred on a clear, dry, sunny day. The second time it occurred it happened for no reason at all. I had thought perhaps because my collision avoidance settings were set to the max sensitivity levels that perhaps it's seeing things that aren't there. It was very scary, it was so violent I thought I had hit something in the road, but it was a clear, dry, sunny day with no road hazards, obstacles or anything else that would have caused it. The problem has not been reported to the dealer, but I feel that when it happens again I will take the vehicle in to see if they are aware of what could be causing this problem. Nothing has been reported to the manufacturer, police, insurance or others. There were no warnings prior to the hard braking that I can recall. It just happened unexpectedly and immediately. I get a little nervous now every time I get behind the wheel because I wonder if/when the next occurrence will be.

NHTSA ID

11507339

Incident

Oct 25, 2022

The contact owns a 2023 Mercedes Benz EQS580. The contact stated while his wife was driving 40 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking without another vehicle nearby. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to continue driving to her destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.

NHTSA ID

11506074

Incident

Feb 7, 2023

Mileage

4,000 mi

At approximately 10:30 p.m. on January 8, 2023 I, and three passengers (my wife, and another couple), were completing a one hour drive returning from an event in southern California. We traveled on the freeways as we headed home. The speeds on those freeways average between 65 and 75 miles per hour with the flow of traffic. I exited the freeway and pulled up to a traffic light. I made a right turn at the light, then traveled up the road. The weather was clear and dry, and there were no cars either behind, in front of, or beside me as I drove up a cleanly paved and level road at a speed of approximately 35 – 40 MPH. During the drive up the road, the car inexplicably and suddenly stopped, hard, as though I had run into a dense hill of sand. It was a violent and sudden jolting stop, and all four passengers’ seatbelts activated, firmly tightening and restraining us in our seats. My wife’s head whipped back and forth, resulting in an enduring headache for her through the rest of the evening. No one knew what had happened, or why, as there was absolutely no obstruction in the road and no traffic around us. We pulled over and inspected the car and it was in pristine perfect condition with no evidence of any contact of any kind. We looked in the road and it was clear, paved and level. No animals; no objects; no obstruction. When I arrived home I searched online to determine if this had ever before been reported, and it turned up several “hits,” apparently filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) on this very issue, apparently involving both the 2021 and 2022 EQS. My model year is 2023. The discussions I have read point to a possible defect in the Autonomous Emergency Braking System (EBS). It might be the car is sensing something that is not there, and reacting as though it were. At 70 MPH on a freeway, this could be fatal, should the EBS activate suddenly, with no cause to do so, with an ensuing rear-end collision. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS.

NHTSA ID

11501082

Incident

Jan 8, 2023