2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

NEW BRAKES WERE INSTALLED ON VEHICLE , AND THEY FAILED WHILE IT WAS GOING ABOUT 70 MPH. VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN, BUT THE BRAKES DID NOT GRAB COMPLETELY, EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS GOING ABOUT 10 MPH. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND INFORMED THEM OF THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THEY WOULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. *AK SEE VOQ 10083022, 10086185. *DSY

TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. MERCEDES BENZ 2003 E500.....I HAD JUST STARTED THE CAR, PUT IT INTO DRIVE AND WITHIN 20 FEET, I RECEIVED A WARNING DISPLAY TO STOP VEHICLE, BRAKES INOPERATIVE. I WAS ABLE TO STOP CAR WITH PARKING BRAKE. THIS CAR'S BRAKING SYSTEM IS A "BRAKE BY WIRE" TYPE. *JB

PLEASE SEE PREVIOUSLY FILED REPORT #10083022. ON MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2004, THE BRAKE FAILURE DESCRIBED IN THE ABOVE-MENTIONED REPORT OCCURRED AGAIN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, HOLDING THE CAR AT THE STOP. IT FELT LIKE THE CAR HAD BEEN TAPPED FROM BEHIND, BUT THERE WAS NO VEHICLE BEHIND ME. THE DASH WARNING CAME ON AGAIN SHOWING THE SAME TWO MALFUNCTIONS PREVIOUSLY LISTED AND THE WARNING BEEP SOUNDED. THIS TIME THERE WAS SOME BRAKE ACTION REMAINING IN THE PEDAL. THE CAR BEGAN TO IDLE VERY ROUGHLY, BUT BECAUSE THERE WERE SOME BRAKES LEFT, I DROVE THE CAR FOUR BLOCKS HOME. THE DEALER IS PICKING THE CAR UP...AGAIN. SEE VOQ 10033232 ALSO. *DSY. *AK

MERCEDES BENZ E CLASS AND SL CLASS 2003 2004 MODELS WITH ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC BRAKE SYSTEMS ARE EXPERIENCING BRAKE FAILURES, SOMETIMES WITHIN 1000 MILES OF PURCHASE. ELECTRICAL FAILURES CAN LEAVE THE VEHICLE WITH NO REAR BRAKES AND LIMITED USE OF THE FRONT BRAKES! SOME OF THE BRAKE LINES ARE RUBBER AND ATTACHED WITH HOSE CLAMPS! I HAVE WORKED ON CARS FOR FIFTEEN YEARS AND HAD NOT SEEN A BRAKE FAILURE, BUT HAVE NOW SEEN THREE IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS. WHEN THESE VEHICLES AGE, COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURES MAY BE POSSIBLE.*AK

DEFECTIVE BRAKES. *JB