general problems of the 2004 Mercedes Benz E320

Sbc braking system stated as covered under 25 year/unlimited miles warranty. Sbc system failed on 2/1/25. Vehicle towed to local dealer service facility on 2/3/25. Tow was authorized at no charge by mb roadside assistance at no charge plus $100. 00 credit toward diagnostic. Was told by phone on 2/3/25 that upon confirmation that sbc did in fact fail, the sbc replacement would be performed at no charge due to warranty through 2028. As of 2/10/25 service facility did confirm that the sbc system had failed. Currently, mb USA has a hold pending for authorization of repairs, with no reason given as to why as of 2/13/25.

October 26, 2022 my 2004 mercedes model E320 w211 VIN # [xxx] dash pop out warning " brake wearing visit workshop" October 27, 2022 I had the brake pads and wear sensors both replaced and test drive verified car running normal for 30 minutes then dash pop out red warning "brake malfunction stop vehicle" plus transmission shifter stick to parking port can not be shift to other position, so can not drive and car being forced to stop on the road, I managed to press the lock off so can shift out of parking but there has no brake function when driving, I called mb USA and being advised that my car qualified to 25 years extended warranty for sbc hydraulic pump repair, 2005070007 2005110001 but when I tow my car to mercedes dealer they said it only repair the recall: 2020040011 - sliding roof bonding - phase 2, but the sbc hydraulic pump may be at additional service charges, please help investigate why mercedes USA said it is under 25 years extended warranty while dealer said it might not qualify? car can not drive because of the sbc hydraulic pump problem and defected the driving safety? best regards/[xxx] email: [xxx] tel: [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Total brake failure had to cross the over to the other side of the road to turn around. Was almost hit by an oncoming big rig truck . I've looked it up and this is a common occurrence on these vehicles,! they have a sbc unit that has caused numerous incidents exactly like mine . Someone could easily be killed because of this defect. I've read that they extended the warranty for 25 years . But I haven't been notified. They notified me about a recall of the sun roof but not this!!.

The vehicle will flood after being exposed to rain which has caused all sorts of electrical issues. I have read online where several others have filed lawsuits regarding e class mercedes for similar issues. The car’s interior will take on water and since there’s several electrical components running along the floor board of the car they will become damaged and cause the car’s computers and electrical system to go crazy. I picked up my car from having the oil changed at a local service shop a few days after it was repaired and I was driving back home after the service pick up and the car completely lost power. I got out of the car and opened the trunk in which I had to do so by using the key inside of the key fob. When I opened the trunk, I noticed that there was a little bit of water in the trunk which led me to open the back door and to my surprise there was standing water behind the driver seat. I checked the driver floor and it was soaked as well. I had the car towed back to the shop where I had the oil changed and the owner did not have the available equipment to test the car. I dried the car out over the next several days and drove to a local mercedes dealership where they told me to do a full diagnostic on the car it would cost upwards of $19k. Are you kidding me? now I know from reading others stories that this isn’t an unknown issue. So, what do I do now…file an insurance claim? I guess that would be the next step but they’ll turn around and get the money right back out of me by raising my policy rates. This is terrible. My car is a 2004 E320 with just under 65k miles on it.

The contact owns a 2004 mercedes-benz e 320. The contact called on behalf of his wife. The contact stated while the vehicle was at stand still, the driver was unable to start the vehicle. A message on the instrument panel showed brake malfunction stop vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed the battery was drained. The vehicle was jump started and driven to the residence. The contact called an independent mechanic who provided a diagnosis over the phone. The contact was informed that the sensotronic brake control (sbc) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 05v133000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was informed of failure. The failure mileage was 127,000.

Tl the contact owns a 2004 mercedes-benz E320. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to skyland automotive mercedes-benz (255 smokey park highway, asheville, nc 28806, (828)667-5213) to be repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 05v133000 (service brakes, hydraulic). After the repair, while driving 35 mph, the brake indicator illuminated and the brake pedal became stuck to the floorboard. The contact was able to coast the vehicle onto the road shoulder. The vehicle was towed back to the same dealer. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 144,015.

This vehicle is equipped with sensotronic brake control that has a service threshold. When this threshold is reached the brake system defaults to non power assisted hydraulic mode to the front wheels only. This occurs without any prior warning and results in increased stopping distance. I have sent a copy of the mercedes service bulletin s142. 46-p-0012a which addresses this issue. Mercedes stopped installing this system in 2006. At the very least, mercedes should issue a mandatory recall to interrogate these vehicles with star das to determine how close to the service threshold the sbc unit is and replace them at the dealer's expense. This is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed.

I was driving down a paved road, went to make a left hand turn and my esp came on, vehicle shut off and almost ran me into another vehicle, which then caused me to run into the ditch. Now I'm finding out that there is a recall on the sbc unit, which is what's wrong with my car, but the recall is not showing up for my VIN number. I am very, very disappointed/frustrated by mercedes. This is a very expensive part to replace. I should not have to pay out of pocket to fix my car, which is now sitting due to it not starting, especially if other same year vehicles were affected and theirs is covered under the recall. I think the entire situation is ridiculous! I will never own another mercedes!!!.

I am an owner of a 2004 Mercedes Benz E320 that I have bought 3 years ago in November. When I purchased the vehicle I elected to also buy a 3 year 36k warranty. Over the past 3 year I have had no to very little trouble with the vehicle and have maintained a very positive and optimistic attitude towards the vehicle never having to utilize the warranty. Well until last week. . . I was driving the vehicle on the interstate when suddenly I lost all braking power out of nowhere. I was petrified and very scared for myself and everyone in the vehicle, only getting a "reduced braking power" notice on the dash after brake loss. Recollecting that if this occurred in heavier traffic we could have been seriously injured and or killed in an accident due to the reaction of the sbc unit that failed in the vehicle. Come to find out my vehicle had a recall for this specific failed unit and Mercedes Benz offered a 10 year 150k mile warranty to fix this issue in the vehicle. Unfortunately by the time that I had purchased the vehicle, had I know this was an issue, I would have only had a short period of time for the unit to fail before I could have taken advantage of this "warranty". . But I was unaware of this issue and honestly would have not purchased the vehicle if I would have known. I commuted with this vehicle 60 miles a day for the last year and even drove it to California over the summer as a family trip, with no negative thoughts or malfunctions. I cannot say that I can drive this vehicle in confidence any longer with the knowledge that I have now of the sbc braking units. My vehicle warranty is no longer valid because my vehicle exceeded mileage. . This issue should be covered by mercedes I should not be held liable for correcting this issue. This is a major saftey issue and is not being address appropriately.

While driving on the freeway at around 60 mph my instrument message display suddenly turned red, started beeping continuously, and displayed the message "stop break defective stop vehicle". The car had zero breaks, pumping them did no good, and I had to immediately put on my hazards, downshift to slow the car, and pull off the freeway and park using the emergency break to avoid a potentially life threatening accident. While waiting for help I turned the car back on after 15 minutes and everything appeared to be working fine. My car is serviced regularly and very well maintained and it gave no indication of any break problems prior to this failure. It had a full break job at the Mercedes Benz dealer less then 30k miles ago and was serviced for another issue in the last 1. 5 years. At no time were my breaks mentioned as needing maintenance. Mercedes benz is aware of this issue, see "2004 Mercedes Benz e class brake foundation components TSB (bulletin sb-090930)" where it is mentioned. This is a serious life threatening issue that because of the design of the break system is completely unpredictable. My car is not within the 10 year warranty covered in the TSB referenced above. This sbc breaking system should have never been permitted on the road. Mercedes benz realized the mistake and discontinued the use of it after 3 years due to all of the issues. Any car with this system is a ticking time bomb that could put any number of lives at risk with absolutely no warning. At least with a standard break system you have some chance of stopping the car.

The contact owns a 2004 mercedes-benz E320. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed and traveled close to the floorboard. The contact stated that the brake pedal required excessive force to stop the vehicle. In addition, the ?brake longer distance visit workshop? warning message appeared in red on the instrument panel. The contact was concerned that the failure could result in a fatal crash. The failure occurred every time the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the sbc hydraulic unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer offered to cover ten percent of the cost, but the offer was declined. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign numbers: 05v133000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and 04v296000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The contact stated that a recall remedy could not be performed unless the vehicle received a service not related to a recall, which was why the manufacturer's recall remedy for the fuel tank was not performed. The contact felt that the failure occurred due to high mileage. The manufacturer stated that there was an extended warranty related to the failure that expired. The failure mileage was 197,000. The VIN was not available.

Berberian stockton dealer wants $2,400 to fix the sbc (sensotronic brake control) $740 to fix front brakes. The rep ralph carrasco said the dealership cannot comply with the remedy for recalls as the time period for recalls has expired. Really? repair of faulty brakes expire? I was waiting for the light to turn green when the bright red message "stop! brakes unsafe stop the car immediately" [ can't recall exact verbatim]. To stop the car because the brakes had become unsafe to drive . The car froze up, restarts but will not shift gear to drive. Why does mb sell outageously expensive but defective cars? what about consumer protection law? NHTSA (national highway traffic safety) published on 4/05/2005 this sbc issue as mercedes-benz recall no. 2004 050014. The recall began on October 21, 2004. Owners should contact mercedes-benz at 1-800-367-6372. Nhtsa summarized the recall on certain vehicles, the electronic monitoring system of the sensotronic brake control (sbc) is designed to monitor the pressure gradient within the high pressure line of the brake system. If an unacceptable pressure gradient is detected, the system will switch, as it is designed to do, into the hydraulic function mode. Hazard: if vehicles are not routinely serviced and have extremely high mileage combined with a high number of brake actuations, or frequency, the pump motor of the sbc may run out of permissible tolerances, thereby triggering the hydraulic function mode. . Read more...

The sbs sytem has gone out when there was a recall on the item. Sbs sytem is not good. Now I'a out to 2000 for a recall part this is not fair.

Recall was performed in 2004 on sbc hydraulic system and has gone out again, 12/08/2015, and the dealer said the recall "expired" in 2013. Vehicle was diagnosed at autohaus in royal, oak, mi.

While driving on the highway, the (sbc) systems failed with a red stop sign on the dash board. I managed to bring the car to a complete stop by pushing the pedal all the way to the floor with no resistance and applying the emergency brake with my left foot simultaneously. It was a scary experience as it was a stormy late night with 10% visibility due to the rain. I managed to park/towed the car to my house and it has been in my drive way ever since the incident. This vehicle is equipped with sensotronic brake control (sbc) that has a service threshold. When this threshold is reached the brake system defaults to non power assisted hydraulic mode to the front wheels only. This occurs without any prior warning and results in increased stopping distance. I have sent a copy of the mercedes service bulletin s142. 46-p-0012a which addresses this issue. Mercedes stopped installing this system in 2006. At the very least, mercedes should issue a mandatory recall to interrogate these vehicles with star das to determine how close to the service threshold the sbc unit is and replace them at the dealer's expense. This is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed.

This vehicle is equipped with sensotronic brake control that has a service threshold. When this threshold is reached the brake system defaults to non power assisted hydraulic mode to the front wheels only. This occurs without any prior warning and results in increased stopping distance. Look for mercedes service bulletin s142. 46-p-0012a which addresses this issue. Mercedes stopped installing this system in 2006. At the very least, mercedes should issue a mandatory recall to interrogate these vehicles with star das to determine how close to the service threshold the sbc unit is and replace them at the dealer's expense. This is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed.

This was one of 4 accidents or fender benders I've been in in the last 14 months due to brake malfunction. I have changed my brakes 2 in 14 months and its not the brakes its a malfunction the brakes loose pressure the brake pedal goes completely down but do not actually brake with this I have hit 4 vehicles from behind. . I contacted mcb coral gables and they said they do not have any recalls therefore can only service it if I pay. I feel like I will likely get into a terrible accident , something needs to be done I am in danger. . I do not have means of other transportation.

Sbc system failed 4 months after warranty expired. Multiple posts on line regarding issue which should be a recall not an extended warranty. This is a safety hazard regarding a part that appears to have a much higher failure rate.

After refueling, the car has a strong gasoline odor inside and outside the car. The air brakes make a roaring noise when pressed. The air bag is deactivated.

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Mercedes Benz E320. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to stop and all the warning lights on the instrument panel illuminated. In addition, an error message displayed informing the contact to immediately stop the vehicle. The brake pedal was floored but failed to respond. As a result, the contact crashed into the curb causing the vehicle to stop. The vehicle was towed. A police report was not filed. The contact had not received any injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the computer system related to the brakes was reprogrammed. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the sbc system failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

Oem brakes.

Contact stated when stepping on the accelerator pedal the vehicle will not accelerate. This caused a safety concern because while merging into traffic the vehicle failed to accelerate. This only occurred when the vehicle is stopped or was close to stopping. The majority of the time it happened when the vehicle was started up. There was no indication as to when this will occur. It happened approximately 30 times. The service dealer attempted to repair the vehicle once, but because it happened periodically they could not duplicate the problem. The manufacturer refused to service the vehicle. Consumer felt the problem with the vehicle could be the drive- by -wire or computer system. The right rear brake locked up while the consumer was making a right turn. This occurred after the brake had been reprogrammed. On cold morning the gps did not work properly. The leather on the driver's side air bag was peeling. The tire pressure monitoring system had to be reprogrammed. The front wheel bearing had play in it. The rear alignment was off slightly which caused the vehicle to shimmy while driving above 62 mph. On August 22, 2005 while driving a loaner Mercedes Benz e350 from the dealer the consumer experienced the same intermittent hesitation on acceleration as he had with his own 2004 e350. The consumer believes this hesitation problem is not isolated to vehicle.