2000 Mercedes-Benz ML430 Owner Complaints

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

The contact owned a 2000 Mercedes Benz ML430. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph the ABS light had illuminated and smoke was present coming from the steering column. Moments later flames were present coming from under the hood and the subframe of the vehicle. The driver exited the vehicle and the local fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed and later towed away. A police report was filed at the scene. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 135,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11418728

Incident

May 26, 2021

Mileage

135,000 mi

SRS LIGHT ON

NHTSA ID

11319264

Incident

Aug 1, 2019

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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES-BENZ ML430. THE CONTACT STATED THAT VARIOUS WARNING INDICATORS FLASHED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER (BOBBY RAHAL MOTORCAR COMPANY, 10701 PERRY HWY, WEXFORD, PA 15090, (724) 935-9300) WHO WAS UNABLE TO REPLICATE AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE WITH THE DTC PRESENT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER'S MECHANIC(S). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE TO DETERMINE IF THEY COULD PROVIDE A TECHNICIAN AND A SOLUTION TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 172,000. UPDATED 10/26/17*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED PROBLEMS WITH VAN CONTROL, ABS LIGHT ON, BALL JOINT LIGHT ON, TRANSMISSION, BAS MALFUNCTION, ETS MALFUNCTION, AND TRANSMISSION IN LOW RANGE. *TR

NHTSA ID

11014717

Incident

Jul 28, 2017

Mileage

172,000 mi

MY VEHICLE WAS UNDER RECALL AND WAS SERVICED ON FEB 9TH 2015 FOR BRAKE SWITCH DEALING WITH CRUISE CONTROL AND POWER STEERING LOW PRESSURE HOSE ON 3/11/2017 THE SAME PROBELMS OCCURED AND IT IS A MANUFACTOR ISSUE AND NOT GETTING JUSTICE FOR GETTING MY VEHICLE REPAIRED FOR SAME ISSUE VEHICLE AS I WAS DRIVING CAR IT WAS FIXED BY MERCEDES-BENZ OF WAPPINGERS FALLS ON FEB 9TH 2015 BUT SAME ISSUE RETURNED.

NHTSA ID

10965771

Incident

Mar 11, 2017

Mileage

199,205 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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML430. WHILE COMING TO A STOP, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND IT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

NHTSA ID

10694449

Incident

Mar 14, 2015

Mileage

100,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML430. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN AND THE ESP FAULT WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED, AN ABNORMAL NOISE EMITTED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 174,000.

NHTSA ID

10664283

Incident

May 8, 2014

Mileage

174,000 mi

NO IDEA

NHTSA ID

10532891

Incident

Jul 31, 2013

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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML430. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG AND THE SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINING SYSTEM WARNING LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC AND LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE AIR BAG SENSOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

NHTSA ID

10478630

Incident

Jan 1, 2010

Mileage

101,000 mi

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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML430. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING AT 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO THREE OTHER VEHICLES. THE CONTACT WAS DEPRESSING THE BRAKE BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED CAUSING INJURIES TO THE CONTACT'S CHEST, ARMS AND HEAD. THE CONTACT WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AND THE POLICE WERE NOTIFIED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 121,000.

NHTSA ID

10463425

Incident

Jun 27, 2012

Mileage

121,000 mi

CAR WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND POWER STEERING FLUID HOSES FELL OFF AND POWER STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY. I WAS ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD AND REATTACH THE HOSES THE BEST I COULD. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR THE POWER STEERING HOSE CLAMP RECALL AND MB PERFORMED THE REPLACEMENT. THIS YEAR, THE CLAMPS CAME OFF AGAIN AND THE RACK ITSELF WAS DAMAGED AND PROFUSELY LEAKS FLUID NOW. THE NEW HOSE CLAMPS HAVE NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM AND HAVE CAUSED FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE STEERING SYSTEM AS A WHOLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10459627

Incident

Apr 1, 2010

Mileage

134,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML430. THE CONTACT STATED THAT POWER STEERING FLUID WAS LEAKING, RESULTING IN POWER STEERING FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V465000 (STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS), BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED AFTER REPAIRS. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIR TO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

NHTSA ID

10446000

Incident

Jan 25, 2010

Mileage

75,000 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. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS STUCK AND WOULD NOT DECELERATE. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A POLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILE AND SHE SUSTAINED A CONCUSSION AND MINOR BRUISING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL SHOP WHO WAS NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

NHTSA ID

10414030

Incident

Jul 4, 2011

Mileage

200,000 mi

I OWN A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML 430, ON 07/12/10, 07/15/10, 07/23/10, 07/25/10, 07/28/10 AND 07/29/10 WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH THE VEHICLE CAME TO AN ABRUPT AND COMPLETE STOP WITHOUT PRESSURE BEING APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHCILE WOULD BRAKE-SKID-BRAKE-SKID THIS LASTED FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE; THEN THE BAS/ESP AND EST LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE ON MY DASHBOARD, THE VEHICLE WOULD THEN BE DRIVEABLE WHILE THESE LIGHTS WERE ON, ONCE THESE LIGHTS WENT OFF THE VEHICLE WOULD START BRAKING & SKIDDING AGAIN. I REPORTED THIS TO NHTSA ON 07/30/10 UNDER CASE #10346283. ON OR ABOUT 08/20/10, MERCEDES BENZ OF USA TOOK RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MALFUNCTION & ASKED THAT THE VEHICLE BE TAKEN TO MERCEDES BENZ OF MIAMI. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED ON 08/24/2010. SINCE THAT TIME, THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN BACK TO MERCEDES BENZ OF MIAMI APPROXIMATELY 4 OR 5 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO MALFUNCTION WHILE BEING DRIVEN AND HAS COME CLOSE TO CAUSING MANY ACCIDENTS. RECENTLY, THE VEHICLE WAS AGAIN TAKEN TO MERCEDES BENZ OF MIAMI FOR THE SAME PROBLEM ON 01/28/11 AND WASNT ABLE TO BE REPAIRED UNTIL 02/23/11 BECAUSE THE VEHICLE KEPT MALFUNCTIONING EVEN WHEN THEY WOULD REPLACE THE PART THEY SAID NEEDED REPLACING. THE BRAKING SYSTEM ON THIS VEHICLE IS DEFECTIVE AND WILL CAUSE GREAT BOLDILY HARM AND/OR DEATH AT ONE POINT. THE VEHICLE IS DESIGNED WITH A PART THAT CAUSES THE VEHICLE, WHILE BEING OPERATED, TO SUDDENLY,WITHOUT ANY WARNING, COME TO A COMPLETE STOP WHENEVER THAT PART MALFUNCTIONS. I WAS ALMOST INVOLVED IN NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS. TWO INDEPENDENT MECHANICS WERE ALSO ALMOST INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS ONE RESULTED IN ANOTHER DRIVER HAVING TO SWERVE TO AVOID HITTING MY VEHICLE AND THAT DRIVER ENDED UP IN A DITCH. ON THE LASTEST VISIT TO MERCEDES BENZ OF MIAMI ONE OF THEIR OWN MECHANIC'S EXPERIENCED THIS MALFUNCTION AND HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SEVERAL TIMES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10384392

Incident

Jan 28, 2011

Mileage

123,000 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

MY 2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML430 HAS A SEVERE POWER STEERING LEAKAGE. TWO RECALLS BY THE NHTSA HAVE BEEN ISSUED. THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THAT MY LEAKAGE IS DUE TO SEVERE LEAKAGE AT THE POWER STEERING RACK SEALS AND RESERVOIR. I WANT TO NOTIFY THE NHTSA THAT THERE ARE MECHANICAL FAILURES RELATED TO THE POWER STEERING LEAKAGE THAT MAY BE IN ADDITION TO THE SPECIFIC RECALL ISSUES AND THE DEALERSHIP/MB DECLINES TO ADDRESS WITHOUT COMPENSATION. MY VEHICLE HAS 88,900 MILES I HAVE LOST POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH AND MUST CHECK THE FLUID LEVELS CONSTANTLY. I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED A MAJOR ACCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10310059

Incident

Aug 18, 2009

Mileage

86,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML430. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A POWER STEERING RECALL RELATED TO THE HOSE AND THE CLAMP ON THE RACK AND PINION. THE CONTACT HAS EXPERIENCED POWER STEERING FAILURE. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THEY ARE ONLY REQUIRED TO MAKE THE REPAIRS ACCORDING TO RECALL#03V121000, STEERING, HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.

NHTSA ID

10303918

Incident

Nov 3, 2009

Mileage

83,000 mi