2000 Mercedes-Benz ML430 Brakes Problems

Problem is with the BAS/ABS. The problem was confirmed by two (2) separate drivers of the vehicle in question. The problem occurred on 4 or 5 separate occasions, all within the last 120 days. The BAS/ABS light on the dashboard indicated random conditions (off when first starting the engine, then on after approximately 1 to 2 minutes). Regardless of the BAS/ABS light status the vehicle appeared to be operating normally. Then suddenly without warning the brakes jammed on pulling hard to the right, then to the left. The problem occurs randomly at various speeds. Speeds as lows 3 to 5 MPH. Other times at highway speeds often in heavy traffic. On each occasion, cars following behind, and on each side had to take evasive action to prevent a collision. The vehicle has yet to be inspected by the dealer or independent service center. I'm afraid to drive the car and don't want to pay for towing.

NHTSA ID

11516125

Incident

Mar 28, 2023

I have 2000 ML 430. When I drive my car once a while brakes will engage without the warning, no matter how fast or slow I go. It is a very scarry situation.. The shop I went to replaced the ABS module and the problem went away for about 6 months. After that I have experienced one more hard braking but again everything went to "normal". I do take good care of mine old ML 430 and the car is in in excellent condition,, so lack of proper maintenance is not an issue here. No matter what it is, I drive my car with both hands on the steering wheel since. I have posted a thread about this in Facebook and other Mercedes Benz Forums and asked how many others have experienced this brakes locking issue, and it is not a good outlook. There are so many instances where people have had near collisions and rear-endings. Some people have been in collisions because of this. The problem exists in older and newer cars as well. Too many instances for my liking. I'm not sure there are some instances that caused death we don't even know about. This is alarming issue. I thought I was the only one having this problem but apparently a lot of MB owners are dealing with that. Why Mercedes Benz does not have a recall? Why they are ignoring this? I do not feel safe driving the car and do not let any members of my family use the car anymore. Since this happened to me on several occasions I am the only one who kind of "knows" how to handle the car when it happens. Scarry and outrages. I hope you can investigate the issue and help us resolving this dangerous situation. Thank you.

NHTSA ID

11443511

Incident

May 12, 2021

WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MILES PER HOUR ON EXPRESSWAY, CAR SUDDENLY BRAKED ON ONLY THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL. BRAKING WAS A SEVERE PUMPING THAT LASTED ABOUT 2 SECONDS. WAS ABLE TO MOVE OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ONTO AN EXIT RAMP WITHOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. FORTUNATELY TRAFFIC WAS NOT HEAVY AND CARS BEHIND ME WERE ABLE TO AVOID HITTING ME AS THE CAR BUCKED AND I MOVED TO THE SIDE OF TH ROAD ONTO AN EXIT RAMP. I STOPPED TO SEE WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED. NOTING NOTHING RELATED TO THE LEFT RONT WHEEL, I EXITED THE EXIT RAMP AND PROCEEDED DOWN A SIDE STREET AT AB OUT 35 MPH WHEN SUDDENLY THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL BRAKED AGAIN. I TURNED OFF THE ESP ELECTRONIC STABILITY FUNCTION AND PROCEEDED SLOWLY DOWN THE ROAD. NOTING NO FURTHER INCIDENT, I EVENTUALLY GOT BACK ON THE EXPRESSWAY AND PROCEEDED HOME WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT.

NHTSA ID

11046947

Incident

Nov 16, 2017

Mileage

187,300 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES-BENZ ML430. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE POWER STEERING, EST, AND ABS WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF PITTSBURGH (4709 BAUM BLVD, PITTSBURGH, PA 15213) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED, BUT NO CODES WERE POPULATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 172,000. UPDATED 11/03/17*LJ THE CONSUMER PROVIDED CODES C114214 AND C114209 UPDATED 12/1/2017*JS

NHTSA ID

11022735

Incident

Aug 11, 2017

Mileage

172,000 mi

ON 3 SEPERATE OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING MERCEDES BENZ ML430, AT EITHER SLOW SPEED OR 50+ MPH, BRAKES AUTOMATICALLY STOP THE CAR AND SKID THE TIRES. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT BY 5 CARS AT ONE TIME BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO MOVE. TODAY, 8/15/16, WHILE TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF 25 MPH, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. ITS A VERY SCARY SITUATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE A BABY IN YOUR BACK SEAT. THE CHANCES OF GETTING REAR ENDED OR HIT BY TRAFFIC IS A HUGE CONCERN. WHY HAS THERE NOT BEEN A RECALL ON THIS?!?! I HAVE DONE MY RESEARCH AND THERE HAVE BEEN HUNDREDS UPON HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME EXACT THING. IT IS GOING TO COST OVER 1,000$ TO HAVE THIS ISSUE FIXED, WHEN, IF IT KEEPS HAPPENING TO OTHERS, WHY SHOULD IT BE MY RESPONSIBILITY?!?! RECALL THIS ALREADY!! BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS SEVERLY INJURED, OR, GOD FORBID, A DEATH OCCURS!! COME ON, GET YA'LLS ACTS TOGETHER. THE ROADS ARE DANGEROUS ENOUGH!!!

NHTSA ID

10896063

Incident

Aug 15, 2016

Mileage

137,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES-BENZ ML430. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ABS ENGAGED WITHOUT WARNING AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SLIDE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL FAILED TO FUNCTION WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE O-SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,000.

NHTSA ID

10896050

Incident

Aug 8, 2016

Mileage

137,000 mi

2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML-430. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO BRAKE MALFUNCTION WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE. *SMD THE CONSUMER DISCOVERED THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE BRAKES AND HAD THE ISSUE ADDRESSED. HOWEVER, SHE FELT THERE WAS STILL A PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER STATED ABS, SRS, BAS, ESP AND ETS LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD, AND THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND THE SHE HAD NO CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE. SOME OF THE LIGHTS WENT OUT, WHILE SOME HAVE REMAINED ON.

NHTSA ID

10498921

Incident

Feb 1, 2013

ON FRIDAY (09-28-2012 02:35 PM), I WAS DRIVING AND ABOUT 30 MILES NE OF DALLAS, TX, I WAS TRAVELING ON SOUTH BOUND HIGHWAY 75. I WAS IN THE CENTER LANE OF A THREE LANE HWY 75 SOUTH BOUND AND I HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 65 MPH. ALL THE SUDDEN, MY SUV STARTED BRAKING AND I SAW THE SPEEDOMETER DROP FROM 65 DOWN AND I COULD HEAR MY TIRES CATCHING AS IT WAS BRAKING BUT I DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH MY VEHICLE. I TRIED THE GAS PEDAL TWICE BUT NO RESPONSE AND I SWITCHED ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS. LUCKILY THE MINIVAN BEHIND ME WAS ABLE TO REDUCE SPEED AND AS I WATCHED THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE DROP BELOW 20 MPH, MY SUV QUIT BREAKING. I WAS ABLE TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE (PER USUAL) AND EXITED OFF THE FIRST CHANCE I GOT. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND CALLED MY MERCEDES MECHANIC ASKING IF HE KNEW WHAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM I JUST EXPERIENCED. I MENTIONED THAT THE DRIVERS INSTRUMENT PANEL SHOWED THE BAS/ESP INDICATOR LIGHT. MY MECHANIC ASKED IF MY SUV WAS WORKING OKAY AND IF SO, HE RECOMMENDED I TURN AROUND AND HEAD BACK TO TULSA. I GOT BACK WITH NO SUDDEN BREAKING PROBLEMS AND TOOK MY SUV INTO THE SHOP ON MONDAY (10-01-2012 08:00 AM). I GOT IT BACK LATER THAT AFTERNOON AND THEY NOTED THE REPAIR REASON WAS THEY HAD REINITIALIZED THE YAW SENSOR. I DID A GOOGLE SEARCH AND FOUND YOUR WEBSITE DESCRIBING MY EXPERIENCE EXACTLY AND I CAN SAY MY SUDDEN BREAKING EXPERIENCE WAS MORE THAN .03 SECONDS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10478258

Incident

Sep 28, 2012

Mileage

140,950 mi

THIS CAR HAS ALMOST WRECKED ME OVER 6 TIMES. THE BRAKES WOULD COME ON AND STOP THE CAR AND YOU COULD NOT GO FORWARD UNTIL YOU TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTART. THIS EVEN HAPPENED ON THE INTERSTATE ONCE. EACH TIME THE BAS/ESP LIGHT WOULD COME . THE DEALER SAID IT WAS THE YAW SENSOR AND WOULD COST AROUND $1,000 TO REPLACE. THE MERCEDES DEALER ACTED LIKE THEY DIDN'T KNOW OF OTHER CARS LOCKING UP WHILE DRIVING BUT WHEN I SEARCHED THE INTERNET THERE WERE MANY STORIES OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE ON THE INTERSTATE. HOW CAN MERCEDES GET AWAY WITH THIS DEFECT. IF A SENSOR FAILS IT SHOULD NOT LOCK THE BRAKES UP AND GET YOU WRECKED OR START A CHAIN REACTION WRECK ON THE INTERSTATE. ON THE WAY TO THE DEALER ON A TWO LANE ROAD THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND WENT OFF THE ROAD LUCKY NO YOU WAS HURT. *KB

NHTSA ID

10429573

Incident

Aug 13, 2011

Mileage

112,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML430. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40-50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STOPPED ABRUPTLY WITHOUT APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. IMMEDIATELY, THE "BRAKE ASSISTANCE SYSTEM ELECTRONIC STABILITY" AND "ELECTRONIC SYSTEM PROGRAM" WARNING LIGHT INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE WARNING INDICATORS REMAINED ILLUMINATED UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE A PROBLEM. THE IDENTICAL FAILURE OCCURRED ON A SEPARATE OCCASION. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 116,885. UPDATED 10/13/10*BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE BAS/ESP AND EST LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WOULD BRAKE AND THEN SKID. UPDATED 10/19/10*JB UPDATED 12/02/10. *LJ

NHTSA ID

10346283

Incident

Jul 12, 2010

Mileage

116,885 mi

NO MATTER WHAT REPAIR IS DONE TO FRONT & REAR BRAKES THEY WILL NOT STOP SQUEAKING. *JB

NHTSA ID

10175534

Incident

Nov 30, 2006

Mileage

95,000 mi

CONSUMER STATED WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES VEHICLE WOULD VIBRATE. DEALER HAD REPLACED BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS EVERY 5000 MILES, AND SAME PROBLEM RECURRING. *AK

NHTSA ID

10033819

Incident

Aug 13, 2003