2001 MERCEDES BENZ ML430 Service Brakes, Hydraulic Problems

2001 MERCEDES BENZ ML 430. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE BRAKE PEDAL ISSUES. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKE PEDAL LOST PRESSURE DUE TO THE FUEL TUBE COMING IN CONTACT WITH THE BRAKE LINE. THE BRAKE LINE WAS LEAKING FLUID.*JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ ML430. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20-25 MPH, THE ABS AND TRACTION WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WHEN THE BRAKES INDEPENDENTLY ENGAGED AND THE VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP UNEXPECTEDLY. THE CONTACT ACCELERATED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED WITH THE BAS AND ESP WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE THEN DROVE AS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THAT THE YAW RATE SENSOR WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 136,190 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 136,590.

Mileage: 136,190

SAFETY CONCERN - YESTERDAY WHILE TRAVELING AT 65MPH LOCKED ON CRUISE CONTROL, THE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO DISENGAGE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PRESSED. INSTEAD, UPON RELEASING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE BEGAN ACCELERATING BACK TO 65MPH AND ALMOST CAUSED ME TO RAN INTO THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES TO BRING THE CAR TO A STOP TO AVOID REAR ENDING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, AT WHICH TIME THE BAS/ESP LIGHT CAME ON. AGAIN, THE CRUISE FAILED TO DISENGAGE SINCE I COULD FEEL THE CAR DRAGGING WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PUSHED DOWN. I MANUALLY TURNED OFF THE CRUISE, AND THE BAS/ESP LIGHT REMAINED ON. LATER, WITH THE ESP/BAS LIGHT ON, I REENGAGE THE CRUISE TO SEE IF IT WOULD RESET, BUT AGAIN IT FAILED TO DISENGAGE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PRESSED, AND I HAD TO MANUALLY TURN OFF THE CRUISE. WHEN I PARKED THE VEHICLE AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, LET IT SIT FOR ABOUT 20 MIN, AND THEN RESTARTED, BAS/ESP STAYED ON AND GEAR SHIFT LOCKED UP IN PARK. *TR

Mileage: 86,000

I PURCHASED A MERCEDES ML 430 2001 IN MAY 2001. SINCE THEN A PART CALLED A STOP LIGHT SWITCH HAS GONE OUT 6 TIMES. THE FOLLOWING ARE DATES AND MILEAGE ON VEHICLE: 5/10/05 40,561 MILES, 9/28/06 47,767 MILES, 8/14/07 51,801 MILES, 4/10/08 55,151 MILES, 3/17/09 61,105 MILES, AND 1/28/10 65,465 MILES. ON AUGUST 14, 2007 WITH THIS STOP LIGHT SWITCH GOING OUT I COULD NOT DISENGAGE THE VEHICLE OUT OF CRUISE CONTROL. BY THE GRACE OF GOD I WAS ABLE TO PUMP THE BRAKES UNTIL IT DISENGAGED BEFORE ALMOST RUNNING INTO A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AT 60 MPH. THIS PART IS DEFECTIVE AND WILL ONE DAY KILL OR SERIOUSLY INJURE PEOPLE. *TR

Mileage: 51,801

WHENEVER IT RAINS OR IT IS THE LEAST BIT WET, THE BRAKES SLIP WHEN DEPRESSED AND ALL THREE YELLOW LIGHTS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DASH LIGHT UP - I.E., ABS, ESP AND I CAN'T RECALL THE OTHER ONE. USUALLY THE LIGHTS GO OFF BY THEMSELVES AFTER A FEW MILES OF DRIVING OR IF THE CAR IS TURNED OFF. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED, I DROVE STRAIGHT TO THE MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THE FAULT CODES INDICATED THAT THE PRESSURE WAS HIGH IN THE ABS. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE CODES COULD BE RESET BUT THE BRAKES WERE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. IN FACT, THEY WERE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY BECAUSE THEY SLIPPED INSTEAD OF STOPPED WHEN I APPLIED BRAKE PRESSURE WHEN THE STREET WAS WET. THE BRAKES HAVE SLIPPED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS WHEN STOPPING ON WET SURFACES THOUGH THEY DO STOP THE CAR. *TR

Mileage: 146,000

AFTER DRIVING 2001 ML430 FOR APPROX. 30 MIN. THERE IS UNCOMMANDED BRAKE APPLICATION AND IT WILL BRING YOU TO A COMPLETE STOP. IT WILL NOT TAKE GAS AND IT IS HARD TO CONTROL VEHICLE BECAUSE YOU CAN FEEL BRAKE BEING APPLIED TO LEFT AND RIGHT WHEELS PULLING YOU LEFT AND RIGHT AT THIS TIME. VERY DANGEROUS. THIS HAPPENS EVERY DAY THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN ABOUT 30 MIN. IN TO DRIVE TIME. AS THIS IS HAPPENING THE BAS/ESP LIGHT COMES ON DURING BRAKING AND REMAINS ON. AFTER YOU HAVE COME TO COMPLETE STOP AND START TO DRIVE AGAIN OVER 10 MILES PER HOUR BRAKES ARE APPLIED AGAIN AND IT STOPS YOU. MERCEDES SERVICE DEPT HAS NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM. THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF THIS ON DIFFERENT WEB SITES AND CUSTOMERS SAY THEY HAVE SPENT ALOT AF TIME AND MONEY ON DIFFERENT PARTS WITH MERCEDES SERVICE DEPT. AND VEHICLE STILL HAS SAME PROBLEM. I AM NOT FEELING CONFIDENT IN THIS PROBLEM BEING PROPERLY DIAGNOSED AND THE VEHICLE HAS BECOME HAZARDOUS. *TR

Mileage: 75,000

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ ML430. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH AND APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW DOWN. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A BRIDGE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED DAMAGES AND THE OCCUPANTS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE POLICE WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE AND A REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAS NOT DETERMINED IF THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 90,000. VEHICLE VIN [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

Mileage: 90,000

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ ML430. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, BUT THE VEHICLE FISHTAILED, SLID SIDEWAYS, AND NEARLY ROLLED OVER. HE WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ENTIRE BRAKE LINE SHOULD BE REPLACED AT THE CONTACT'S EXPENSE BECAUSE IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LINE AND THE FUEL LINE CROSSED ONE ANOTHER, CAUSING BOTH TO FAIL OVER TIME. BOTH LINES ALSO CROSSED OVER THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, WHICH COULD POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE FIRE. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 82,686.

Mileage: 82,686

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, A WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH AND THE BRAKES LOCKED WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. WHEN IT WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED, THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DETERMINED A YAW SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

Mileage: 72,000

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, A WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH AND THE BRAKES LOCKED WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. WHEN IT WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED, THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DETERMINED A YAW SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

Mileage: 72,000

THE BRAKES WOULD MAKE A SQUEALING NOISE WHEN THE CONSUMER APPLIED THEM. THE VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH A BRAKE PAD WARNING INDICATOR, WHICH FAILED TO INDICATE A PROBLEM. *JB

Mileage: 47,000

VEHICLE'S BRAKES MAKES AN EXTREMELY LOUD NOISE. THIS OCCURS WHEN BRAKES ARE DEPRESSED IN COLD TEMPERATURE WHILE IN REVERSE. THIS HAS RESULTED IN BRAKE FAILURE. AS A RESULT CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND WENT ON THE SIDE WALK. THE DEALERSHIP HAS REPLACED THE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM TWICE, BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *NLM

Mileage: 11,000