2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK230 Brakes Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, THE ESC WARNING INDICATOR SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED AND THE ESC ACTIVATED. AS A RESULT, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE SUDDENLY ACTIVATED AND THE VEHICLE TURNED TO THE RIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000.

NHTSA ID

11241028

Incident

Jul 31, 2019

Mileage

105,000 mi

THE CAR ENGAGES THE BRAKES ON IT'S OWN WHEN I'M DRIVING AT SPEEDS ABOVE 30MPH.

NHTSA ID

11208370

Incident

May 17, 2019

Mileage

60,000 mi

THE MERCEDES BENZ SLK 230 2001 MODEL BRAKES RANDOMLY WITH THE FRONT TIRES LEFT OR RIGHT OR BOTH, ENGINE PERFORMANCE GOES DOWN TO SUPER SLOW FOR A FRACTION OF A SECOND. THE CAR TURNS TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT AND SLOWS DOWN ABRUPTLY AND ONLY DUE TO MY FAST REACTION I AM ABLE TO AVOID TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS ! THIS CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME AND ANY SPEED AND ANY PLACE. THE LAST TIME AT ABOUT 1MPH ON A PARKING LOT, BEFORE AT ABOUT 75MPH ON THE INTERSTATE !

NHTSA ID

11065704

Incident

Jan 29, 2018

Mileage

101,375 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ SLK230. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH THAT THE REAR WHEELS WERE LOCKED AND THE ESP WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MERGE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE BRAKE SWITCH LIGHT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,600. UPDATED 10/16/12*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEFECT WAS IN THE YAW SENSOR. UPDATED 10/23/2012 *JS

NHTSA ID

10475087

Incident

Sep 10, 2012

Mileage

65,600 mi

FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, ESP/BAS LIGHT WILL COM ON WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY, AND BRAKES ARE APPLIED INVOLUNTARILY INTERMITTENTLY, CREATING A SAFETY HAZARD. ON OCCASION IS ALSO HAPPENED AT LOW SPEED IN CITY TRAFFIC. CONTACTED THE MERCEDES BENZ DEALER, THEY IMMEDIATELY BLAMED YAW RATE SENSOR, OR ACCELERATOR SENSOR MODULE REPLACEMENT RANGING BETWEEN $300-700.00 IN REPAIR COST IN ADDITION TO ANOTHER RELATED PROBLEM WITH STOP LIGHT SWITCH, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE AWARE OF THE FAULTY PARTS, NO RECALLS ARE MADE, AND NHTSA ALSO IS AWARE, BUT HAVE CLOSED THE INVESTIGATION. THE CAR SUDDENLY BRAKES LAST TIME TO AN SCREECHING HALT IN MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. AFTER SEARCHING MB FORUMS IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH A BATCH OF SENSORS, AND SWITCHES FITTED ON 2001 MODELS, OF M, E, CLK, AND SLK'S. I AM PROVIDING A LINK TO THE SITE OF OWNERS COMPLAINING OF THE SAME FAULT FOR YOUR REVIEW AT: HTTP://WWW.BENZWORLD.ORG/FORUMS/R170-SLK-CLASS/1407460-SUDDEN-BRAKE.HTML I ALSO CONTACTED THE DEALER TO MEET WITH MB USA REPRESENTATIVE ON WARRANTY REPAIR, BUT NEVER HEARD FROM THEM, OR MBUSA, REGARDING THIS KNOWN FAULT BOTH TO THEM AND NHTSA. *TR

NHTSA ID

10250062

Incident

Nov 8, 2008

Mileage

92,296 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY IN WET CONDITIONS (RAINING ON AND OFF), MY CAR SUDDENLY JERKED TO THE RIGHT; IT FELT AS IF MY RIGHT REAR WHEEL BRAKES HAD APPLIED FOR A SECOND OR SO. I NOTICED THAT THE YELLOW TRIANGLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DASH BOARD THAT ALERTS ME TO THE APPLICATION OF THE ESC WAS BLINKING (AND CONTINUED TO BLINK UNTIL I STOPPED THE CAR AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE). AS I RECALL, MY CAR WENT INTO THE LANE TO MY RIGHT BEFORE I REGAINED CONTROL. I HAD BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL AT THE TIME. BECAUSE OF THE WET CONDITIONS, I ASSUMED I MAY HAVE SKIDDED WITHOUT MY REALIZING IT, CAUSING THE ESC TO KICK IN. WHEN I GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY AT THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY, I TURNED OFF THE MOTOR AND GOT OUT. UPON RESTARTING THE CAR, THE ESC LIGHT HAD GONE OUT, AND I ASSUMED EVERYTHING WAS OKAY. BUT THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN BEFORE I GOT TO MY DESTINATION (PITTSBURGH). I CALLED A LOCAL DEALER, WHO ADVISED ME IT MIGHT BE A DEFECTIVE SENSOR AND THAT IT SHOULD BE OKAY TO MAKE THE RETURN DRIVE TO NO. VIRGINIA BEFORE GETTING THE VEHICLE FIXED. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM A FEW TIMES ON THE RETURN TRIP AND THEN BROUGHT THE CAR INTO MY DEALER. THE DEALER SERVICE FORM IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS "NECESSARY TO REPLACE THE YAW RATE SENSOR." THE REPAIR CHARGE WAS $807.85. *TR

NHTSA ID

10223735

Incident

Oct 19, 2007

Mileage

52,150 mi

I HAVE LESS THAN 50K MILES AND HAD TO REPLACE THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR TWICE AND NOW CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AGAIN FOR THE SAME SERVICE NEEDED. I HAVE PAID OUT OF POCKET NOT TO MENTION THE INCONVENIENCE OF HAVING IT IN THE SHOP SO MANY TIMES ALSO HAVE HAD TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION SENSORS AND TAIL LIGHT, WHICH MERCEDES DID NOT REIMBURSE FOR ORIGINAL CHARGE, JUST RE- REPLACED. NOW PROBLEMS HAPPENING WITH REAR MIRROR. THIS IS RIDICULOUS MERCEDES SHOULD STAND BY THERE PRODUCT THAT IS SUPPOSED TO LAST FOREVER AND I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10207936

Incident

Jun 27, 2007

Mileage

34,000 mi

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT ON THE VEHICLE HAD NOT WORKED PROPERLY SINCE SHE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. FOR 2 YEARS THE BRAKE LIGHT KEPT GOING OUT. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MECHANIC WHO KEPT ON REPLACING TWO TO THREE BULBS AT A TIME. SHE RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FROM MERCEDES BENZ INDICATING THAT ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAILURE OF ONE OF THE SIDE BRAKE LIGHTS COULD OCCUR. THE BASE OF THE SOCKET COULD BE SUBJECT TO THERMAL DEFORMATION. SHE WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE LETTER FOR THEM TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY REFUSED TO REPAIR IT WITHOUT HER PAYING FOR IT. THE RECALL LETTER INDICATED THE RECALL WAS NOT IN NEFFECT UNTIL SPRING 2007. RECALL CAMPAIGN# 2006-080005. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 80000. *AK

NHTSA ID

10182713

Incident

Nov 28, 2006

Mileage

80,000 mi

MERCEDES BENZ 2001 SLK 230 LEFT TAIL LIGHT BURNED OUT. ATTEMPTS TO REPLACE THE BULB WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE TAIL LIGHT FITTING MELTED AND IT WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE. MERCEDES REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR AND I HAD TO PAY TO REPLACE THE COMPLETE ASSEMBLY. THE DEALER SUGGESTED RE[PLACING THE RIGHT ASSEMBLY ALSO SINCE HE SAID THAT THAT WOULD ALSO MELT. *NM

NHTSA ID

10174350

Incident

Oct 19, 2006

Mileage

43,000 mi

2001 SLK 230 COVERED UNDER TAIL/BRAKE LIGHT RECALL. MBUSA STATES THEY HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE VIN NUMBERS ON THE 2001-04 MODELS. THEY WILL NOT REPLACE DEFECTIVE PARTS. MY BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE MELTED AGAIN. 8JB

NHTSA ID

10173154

Incident

Nov 8, 2006

Mileage

61,640 mi

I WAS INFORMED BY A REPAIR SHOP AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT A BRAKE LIGHT ISSUE ON 2001 MERCEDES BENZ SLK230 THAT A RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED CAMPAIGN ID 05V505000 ON MY MAKE/MODEL FOR THIS PROBLEM. I SCHEDULED A APPOINTMENT WITH LOCAL DEALER TO GET THE SOCKET REPLACED. I WAS TOLD BY THE MERCEDES DEALER THAT MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. MY MAKE/MODEL IS A PART OF THE RECALL BASED UPON INFORMATION VIEWED ON YOUR WEBSITE. WHY WOULD THE DEALER NOT REPLACE IT? ARE THEY NOT REQUIRED BY LAW TO PERFORM THE RECALLED WORK. *NM

NHTSA ID

10173116

Incident

Nov 10, 2006

Mileage

61,000 mi

CONSUMER COMPLAINT CONCERNING 2001 BENZ SLK230 SAFETY RECALL #2006-08005. *TS THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED HIS VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *JB

NHTSA ID

10174306

Incident

Jan 1, 1901

YOU NEED TO INCLUDE MODEL YEAR 2001 IN YOUR INVESTIGATION OF THE BRAKE LIGHT ISSUE NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE05051. BOTH THE TAIL LAMP ASSEMBLIES HAD TO BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY IN SEPT 02, WHEN THE CAR WAS OWNED BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER DUE TO THIS FAILURE. I NOW HAVE ISSUES WITH THE RIGHT REAR BRAKE LAMP BULB SOCKET FAILING TO RELEASE, SO I BELIEVE THE SAME THING IS OCCURRING AGAIN. THIS INVESTIGATION SHOULD REALLY COVER ALL MERCEDES R170 THROUGH 2004. *JB

NHTSA ID

10137927

Incident

Sep 5, 2002

Mileage

37,000 mi