2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK320 Brakes Problems

* Brake system has failed by brakes applying randomly; research indicates due to faulty YAW sensor and Lateral Movement sensor per mechanic who retrieved the codes. Per Mercedes Benz, these sensors are no longer available and they're no longer making them. There are no aftermarket parts available. * Brakes have applied randomly at various speeds and causes a loss of control of the vehicle. This has been happening over the last few months and poses a very deadly situation. * Independent MB Specialist Master Mechanic pulled codes and confirmed problem. He advised there are no parts available. * No lamps indicated problem was imminent.

NHTSA ID

11465574

Incident

May 19, 2022

ON THREE OCCASIONS THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED BY THE STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM WITHOUT DRIVER INTERVENTION. IN THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE THIS ACTION PLACED THE DRIVER AND OTHER MOTORIST IN THE VICINITY OF THE CAR IN EXTREME DANGER. TRAVELING EAST BOUND ON HIGHWAY 80 THROUGH FAIRFIELD CALIFORNIA IN THE LEFT LANE AT APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, THE BRAKES WERE ABRUPTLY ACTIVATED BY THE STABILITY SYSTEM CAUSING THE CAR TO YAW TO THE RIGHT AND THEN SUDDENLY TO THE LEFT. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS ENOUGH DISTANCE BETWEEN OTHER MOTORIST THAT THERE WAS NOT A COLLISION. THE CAR DID HOWEVER ALMOST COLLIDE WITH THE CENTER BARRIER. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

NHTSA ID

11344210

Incident

Jul 25, 2020

Mileage

135,000 mi

I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THIS IS INVOLVING, BUT FROM WHAT I HAVE READ IT MAY BE A SENSOR AND EVERYBODY THAT HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM COULD NOT EASILY GET A MECHANIC THAT UNDERSTOOD WHAT TO DO. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE. THIS HAS HAPPENED NOW THREE TIMES AND I CANNOT DRIVE THE CAR NOW. I HAVE LOW MILEAGE ON THIS CAR. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 55 MILES AND HOUR AND SUDDENLY MY CAR BRAKED, MADE A SCRAPING NOISE & SWERVED TO THE RIGHT. THIS LASTED 20 SECONDS. IT SCARED ME SINCE SOMEONE WAS BEHIND ME AND ABOUT RAN INTO MY REAR END, NOT TO MENTION OTHER CARS AROUND ME. MY MECHANIC CHECKED MY CAR WITH THE BENZ COMPUTER SYSTEM AND DID NOT FIND ANYTHING AND TOLD ME SOMETIMES THIS HAPPENS AND IT NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN. TONIGHT IT HAPPENED TWO MORE TIMES ON THE FREEWAY AND WHILE DRIVING OVER THE CANYON WHERE MANY CARS GO OFF THE CANYON ROAD OVER CLIFFS. IT LASTED A GOOD 20 SECONDS DOING THE SAME THING AND IT WAS A CROWDED FREEWAY. THIS TIME I FOUND THAT MY BAS/ESP LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE I FIND THAT YOUR COMPANY DROPPED THE RECALL ISSUE ON THIS CAR WHEN THIS IS AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS PROBLEM. MOST MECHANICS CANNOT FIX THIS PROBLEM AND I SEE THAT MERCEDES KNOWS ABOUT THIS & THAT THERE WAS A POTENTIAL RECALL ISSUE. DOES SOMEBODY NEED TO DIE TO FIX THIS WITH A RECALL? VERY FRIGHTENING THAT THIS ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN CARE. AS SAID MANY MECHANICS DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS AND CARS STILL HAVE THE SAME SERIOUS PROBLEM. HOW CAN THIS ISSUE BE TAKEN LIGHTLY??

NHTSA ID

11058422

Incident

Jan 3, 2018

Mileage

79,861 mi

VEHICLE APPLIED BRAKES ON IT'S OWN AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND NO DRIVER APPLICATION. THE BAS/ESP ALARM LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO BE OK UNTIL IT WAS TURNED OFF. THE ALARM CLEARED WHEN RESTARTED BUT THE VEHICLE APPLIED BRAKES AGAIN ON IT'S OWN AND THE INDICATORS CAME BACK ON. THE REPAIR SHOP COULD NOT GET A CODE BECAUSE IT WAS NOT ON WHEN THEY CHECKED IT. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 10-12 TIMES BUT ONLY DURING HOURS WHEN THE BUSINESS IS CLOSED. I LET MY LOCAL MECHANIC DRIVE IT FOR A WEEK AND IT NEVER HAPPENED WITH HIM. THIS IS VERY SPORADIC BUT DANGEROUS SITUATION. I'VE SEEN NUMEROUS ENTRIES ON SLK FORUMS WITH OWNERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

10984883

Incident

Apr 15, 2017

Mileage

49,500 mi

MY BRAKE LIGHTS ARE DEFECTIVE; THEY HAVE BEEN REPAIRED SEVERAL TIMES BUT AFTER A FEW MONTHS, THEY STOP WORKING. I HAVE THIS CAR SINCE 2006 AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS WAS A RECALL ISSUE. BUT WHEN I WENT TO AUTOBAHN MOTORS IN BELMONT, CA, THEY REFUSED TO REPAIR THEM. I WAS TOLD BY ANOTHER MB DEALER THAT THE RECALL WAS FINISHED AND BY ANOTHER THAT THEY HAD BEEN REPAIRED AT SOME POINT (?); I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NOT THE BRAKE LIGHTS THEMSELVES BUT SOME MECHANISM THAT WAS FAULTY AND THAT HAS TO BE REPLACED. I CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE THEM REPAIRED EVERY 3 OR 4 MONTHS AND FEEL MB SHOULD DO IT SINCE IT WAS A RECALL AND THE LIGHTING MECHANISM SHOULD STAY FIXED.

NHTSA ID

10876361

Incident

Jan 30, 2014

WHILE DRIVING IT, THE CAR WILL ACT LIKE I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND THE BAS/ESP LIGHT WILL COME ON. I AM NOT HITTING THE BRAKES WHEN THIS HAPPENS, I AM JUST DRIVING ALONG. *JS INITIALLY, THESE EVENTS HAPPENED AT LOW SPEEDS, MORE RECENTLY IT HAPPENED AT 50MPH IN THE RAIN. THERE SEEMS TO BE NO CONNECTION TO SPEED, ACCELERATION, TURNING, OR ANYTHING OTHER THAN RANDOM FAULTS. DEALER READ AN ESP CODE C1120-004, 016 ESP YAW SENSOR PLAUSIBILITY OCCURRED 1 TIME AND ERASED CODE. THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE CONDITION IN A SHORT TEST DRIVE. NEVERTHELESS, IT HAPPENED AGAIN AT FREEWAY SPEED ON THE WAY HOME, AND AGAIN THE FOLLOWING DAY AT SLOW SPEED.

NHTSA ID

10681952

Incident

Feb 6, 2015

Mileage

40,900 mi

REAR BREAK LIGHTS WERE REPALCED IN 2006 RECALL (05V05000). SAME PROBLEM IN JAN OF 2015. NO CHANCE OF DEALER STANDING BEHIND THE RECALL AGAIN. NOW I HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET THE COST TO FIX THE LIGHTS THAT WERE RECALLED PRIOR. OVER $600. WHEN THEY JUST REPLACED THE RECALL WITH THE SAME FAULTY LIGHTS. TURNS OUT THEIR C-CLASS IS NOW HAVING THE SAME RECALL PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

10670551

Incident

Jan 6, 2015

Mileage

88,000 mi

DRIVING AT LOWER SPEED, CAR RUMBLES ,ESP WARNING LIGHT COMES ON AS WELL AS BAS/ESP. CARS SKIDS TO STOP. DRY ROADS, DRIVING NORMALLY. HAS HAPPENED TWICE SINCE. VERY SCARY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10669916

Incident

Nov 22, 2013

Mileage

19,472 mi

THERE IS A DEADLY ISSUE WITH THE 2001 SLK320 AND SIMILAR MODELS/YEARS, IN REGARDS TO THE LATERAL SPEED SENSOR AND THE YAW SENSOR. WHEN THESE SENSORS GO FAULTY, THEY ENGAGE THE BRAKES ON THE CAR WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION. THE LATERAL SPEED SENSOR TRIGGERS THE BRAKES WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT FORWARD, AND THE YAW SENSOR TRIGGERS THE BRAKES WHEN MAKING A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, AS THE CAR IS STOPPED WHILE IT IS IN MOTION, REGARDLESS OF SPEED. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME OVER A HANDFUL OF TIMES FROM DECEMBER 2013 WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR, UP UNTIL YESTERDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014. THIS IS ALSO A KNOWN ISSUE ACROSS MERCEDES CAR FORUMS, SO IT IS EXTREMELY UNSETTLING THAT THE ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED. IN REGARDS TO MY EXPERIENCE: WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE IS SPORADICALLY ENGAGED DUE TO THE LATERAL SPEED SENSOR. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME AT VARIOUS SPEED LIMITS, AND IT IS VERY SCARY AS THERE IS NO WARNING. WHEN THE BRAKE ENGAGES, THE CAR SKIDS TO THE RIGHT AS A RESULT OF THE BRAKE LOCKING. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED TO ME I WAS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY IN THE RAIN AND ALMOST SKIDDED INTO OTHER CARS. YESTERDAY, THE BRAKES ENGAGING ALMOST CAUSED ME TO DRIVE UP A CURB AND INTO A FENCE. THIS HAS EVEN OCCURRED WHILE I HAVE BEEN DRIVING UP TO 60MPH, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS. AS PREVIOUSLY STATED, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OTHER DRIVERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME SAFETY ISSUE. THE LATERAL SPEED SENSOR COSTS SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS TO REPLACE, WHILE THE YAW SENSOR COSTS ALMOST $1,000 TO REPLACE. CONSUMERS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO COME OUT OF POCKET TO PAY FOR A POORLY PRODUCED PRODUCT, BUT WITH THE ISSUE BEING POTENTIALLY FATAL, OWNERS HAVE HAD NO CHOICE. I ADAMANTLY BELIEVE THAT MERCEDES NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, AND RECALL THESE SENSORS. LIVES ARE LITERALLY AT STAKE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10638360

Incident

Sep 22, 2014

CAR DRIVEN NORMALLY ON COLD, CLEAR NIGHT. ROAD CONDITION WAS FAIR (DRY FROM CENTERLINE TO TRAVEL LANE MIDPOINT W/ HARD-PACKED SNOW FROM THERE TO SHOULDER). EXPERIENCED A VIBRATION, SQUEALING NOISE & SLIGHT PULL TO RIGHT. STOPPED TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBILITY OF BLOWN TIRE. FOUND NOTHING WRONG AFTER VISUAL INSPECTION, SO RESUMED DRIVING. APPROX. 15S LATER, SQUEALING, VIBRATION & SENSATION OF PULLING TO RIGHT RETURNED, THEN CAR WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THROTTLE INPUTS & SLOWED FROM 40 TO 25MPH. CAR THEN SHUDDERED VIOLENTLY W/ LOUD SCREECHING NOISE, SNAPPED TO RIGHT & LOST CONTROL. ATTEMPTS TO COUNTER STEER WERE INEFFECTIVE AS CAR SLID ON HARD-PACKED SNOW FOR APPROX. 100' & STRUCK SNOWBANK AT 20MPH. FORTUNATELY SNOW WAS VERY LIGHT, DRY AND FLUFFY & DECELERATION WAS REASONABLY GENTLE. NO MAJOR DAMAGE OCCURRED & AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. AFTER EXTRICATING, CAR COULD NOT BE DRIVEN. AN OBSERVER STANDING OUTSIDE THE CAR NOTED FRONT RIGHT WHEEL WOULD ROLL FOR A FEW FEET, THEN LOCK UP. SHUT ENGINE OFF & RESTARTED (ATTEMPTING TO RESET SYSTEMS). AT THIS POINT BOTH 'BAS ESP' AND 'ABS' WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED (THEY WERE NOT LIT PREVIOUSLY). CAR STILL COULD NOT BE DRIVEN - FRONT RIGHT WHEEL WOULD LOCK UP AFTER A FEW FEET OF TRAVEL & HAD TO BE TOWED AWAY. LATER DETERMINED INCIDENT CAUSED BY YAW SENSOR FAILURE. FRONT RIGHT WHEEL HAD BEEN LOCKING & SLIDING ON HARD PACKED SNOW THEN SUDDENLY REGAINED TRACTION WHEN IT CROSSED A DRY PATCH OF PAVEMENT, CAUSING THE RAPID DIRECTIONAL CHANGE & LOSS OF CONTROL. VERY DANGEROUS. IF CAR HAD HIT A TREE, PARKED CAR, ETC. INSTEAD OF SOFT SNOWBANK THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS CRASH LIKELY W/ INJURY. UNACCEPTABLE & UNSAFE! PLEASE REOPEN INVESTIGATION! THIS IS A POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS SYSTEM! SENSORS SHOULD CONTINUOUSLY SELF-CHECK & SHUT SYSTEM OFF COMPLETELY IF FAILED. THIS WILL KILL SOMEONE EVENTUALLY IF NOTHING IS DONE! *TR

NHTSA ID

10558761

Incident

Jan 3, 2014

Mileage

122,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH ALONG A STRAIGHT PAVED ROAD UNDER CLEAR CONDITIONS, THE RIGHT REAR TIRE SUDDENLY LOCKED. THERE WAS A LOUD SCREECH FROM THE TIRE. THE CAR IMMEDIATELY FISHTAILED AND SWUNG THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE INTO THE ONCOMING LANE AND DIRECTED THE CAR TOWARDS THE SIDEWALK WHERE PEDESTRIANS WERE WALKING. THANKFULLY, I WAS NOT TRAVELING FAST! AFTER SOME RESEARCH, THIS SEEMS TO BE AN VERY DANGEROUS, YET RELATIVELY COMMON, ISSUE WITH MERCEDES. DESPITE THE COMPLAINTS, A NHTSA INVESTIGATION INTO THE FAULTY YAW SENSOR (TURN RATE SENSOR) WAS ABANDONED. PLEASE REOPEN THE CASE AS THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE! *TR

NHTSA ID

10519700

Incident

Jun 12, 2013

Mileage

98,000 mi

THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE CAME ON FOR A FEW SECONDS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10458158

Incident

Jan 12, 2011

Mileage

105,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT, SMOOTH PAVED ROAD, THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE SUDDENLY LOCKED HARD ENOUGH TO CAUSE THE CAR TO SUDDENLY JERK TO THE RIGHT AND CAUSED THE TIRE TO SKID. I DID NOT HAVE MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AT ALL. IMMEDIATELY THE VEHICLE'S ESV DASH LIGHT CAME ON. HAD I NOT HAD A FIRM GRIP ON THE STEERING WHEEL TO HOLD THE CAR IN THE ROAD, THE CAR WOULD HAVE LEFT THE ROADWAY. THIS IS A VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS DEFECT. WHILE READING POSTS IN ONLINE FORUMS, SEVERAL PEOPLE WITH THESE CARS ARE HAVING SIMILAR EXPERIENCES. BELOW IS A LINK TO ONE SUCH SIGHT FOR YOU TO RESEARCH. HTTP://WWW.SLKWORLD.COM/SLK-R170-GENERAL-DISCUSSION/10071-2001-SLK-320-SUDDENLY-BRAKES-BAS-ESP-LIGHT-COMES.HTML I ASK YOU TO PLEASE RECONSIDER AND RE-EVALUATE THE DEFECTIVE SENSOR(S) FAILURE CAUSING THE SPORADIC UNINTENTIONAL BRAKING. *JS

NHTSA ID

10457096

Incident

May 1, 2012

Mileage

110,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED WITH WEATHER CONDITIONS CLEAR. THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL LOCKED UP FOR A SPLIT SECOND CAUSING CAR TO SEVERELY PULL TO THE RIGHT INTO OTHER LANE, LUCKILY NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE AROUND AND ESP/BAS LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON UNTIL RESTART. PROBLEM THEN REAPPEARED AGAIN AT SPEED AND WEATHER CLEAR TRIGGERING ON AND OFF MAKING VEHICLE UNDRIVABLE AGAIN LUCKILY NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS AS IT IS NOT JUST HAPPENING ON THIS MODEL VEHICLE OF MERCEDES BENZ. I HAVE SEARCH ONLINE(ESP/BAS PROBLEMS) AT BENZWORLD.COM AND ALSO AT SLKWORLD.COM AND FOUND NUMEROUS PEOPLE LOOKING INTO THIS ONGOING PROBLEM. MERCEDES MORE THAN LIKELY HAS THE REPAIR RECORDS TO SUPPORT THIS IF THEY ARE WILLING TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND FIX THIS SEVER SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10436485

Incident

Oct 11, 2011

Mileage

45,000 mi