2001 Mercedes Benz ML320
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Mercedes Benz › ML320 › 2001
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
The failed component is the YAW rate sensor, original part number A1635426340 (ATE part number 10.0980-0454.2), manufactured by ATE. I have experienced multiple incidents of sudden, unintended braking at highway speeds. These events occurred without warning and created an immediate and significant risk of a serious collision, endangering not only myself and my family but also other motorists sharing the roadway. While the defect has not been reproduced or confirmed by either a Mercedes-Benz dealer or an independent repair facility, the absence of a successful diagnosis does not diminish the seriousness of the safety hazard. In fact, your agency opened an investigation into this issue in 2007, yet no corrective action was ultimately taken despite reports indicating that more than 100,000 vehicles may have been affected. According to publicly available information, Mercedes-Benz inspected and evaluated the YAW rate sensor in May 2007 as part of its review of this issue. The continued occurrence of sudden, unintended braking events raises concerns that the underlying defect may not have been fully addressed. Most concerning is that there were no warning lamps, fault messages, or other observable symptoms prior to the braking events. The vehicle operated normally until the moment the unintended braking occurred, leaving the driver with no opportunity to anticipate or prevent a potentially catastrophic situation.
The contact owns a 2001 Mercedes-Benz ML320. The contact stated that the front passenger’s door failed to open more than 6 inches. The contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2001 Mercedes Benz ML320. The contact stated that when they entered their vehicle and turned it on, the vehicle's passenger front door air bag made a sudden boom sound and then deployed. The contact stated that there were no warning lights. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 132,000.
Air bag off, pedal control sistem IS in recall from march 31 2011, smoke pass belong to nissan mendoza auto group sold this car in ca car in recall don't pass smoke, they said yes...pass, please investigation
Ecm IS malfunctioning and not controlling fuel injection and giving random misfire on cylinders 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Causing check engine light to come on . Codes 0300, 0302,0303,0304,0305,0306.
My cat brake would stop car roll over
The front brake system on mercedes benz ml320 locks up while driving.
TL* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes-benz ml320. On two occasions, while driving approximately 45 mph and 60 mph, the vehicle slowed down independently and came to an abrupt stop. There was no crash. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the yaw rate sensor was defective. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified via email. The dealer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 220,000.
Steering fluid leeks.there IS a hole in the tank.the steering IS very hard.
While driving on highway the car brakes come on automatically without touching the brakes, it happened few times, the car has to come to stop, very dangerous situation
This IS the 4TH or 5TH time this has happened to me in the last two years. The first time (jan 2017) happened on a highway outside of washington dc. Luckily I was in the right lane and was able to pull off the road. But before doing so I almost got rear ended by another vehicle that was directly behind me. I sat on side of the road for 15 minutes with car off. When I started up the car, I was able to finish my drive home to south carolina but stayed in the right lane all the way home. 2ND time was in april of 2017 while driving on highway from south carolina to georgia. Pulled over and let it set for awhile. Finished ride to atlanta airport. Week later I drive home from atlanta and it happens again. I bring it to the mechanic and he cant find anything diagnostically. 3RD time while driving home from myrtle beach. I brought it to mechanic and he keeps it for a week. here IS the description of my last occurence; I am driving to work on route 327 and this time it IS the worse occurence yet; doing 45 mph and brakes lock up like as if I had slammed them on. Car behind me swerves around me and gives me the 'one finger' hello.....thank god he was paying attention and not texting. car IS now at the mechanic and he IS looking at replacing a $800 sensor. Even then I will not let my family in this vehicle with me ever again. somebody IS going to get rearended (killed) eventually if you dont get mercedes to fix this problem I was driving approximately 40 mph when the right front brake locked up for approximately 3 seconds, it released for about 3 seconds then locked up again for about 3 seconds. The esp light (exclamation light on the console lights up as well) I never touched the brakes!! The SUV left skid marks on the street. I proceeded on and the same thing happened again. I never touched the brakes! The brake lights do not come on when it happens.
TL* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes-benz ml320. The contact stated that while driving at about 40 mph, the accelerator pedal felt as ID the brake pedal was being depressed. In addition, the 'bas esp" (brake assist system and electronic stability program) warning lights illuminated. The dealer was not contacted and the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
While driving wheel will lock up release and lock up again.the bas/esp light came on.
TL* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes-benz ml320. On several occasions, while driving, the vehicle stopped without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the failure recurred. The contact stated that all of the warning indicators on the instrument panel illuminated, and the air conditioning unit and heat became inoperable. The contact's brother inspected the vehicle and stated that the failure was electrical related. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 210.
TL* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes-benz ml320. While driving various speeds, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart after a few minutes. All of the warning indicators were illuminated on the instrument panel. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.
On more than one occasion, my 2001 merc benz ml320 came to a complete stop and dramatically pulled to the right while I was driving at various speeds. The first time happened as I was making a right turn from a stand still. The second time happened as I was traveling at approximately 35-40 mph. Finally, the last two times occurred while I was on the highway traveling at approximately 65-70 mph. In all instances, the front brakes absolutely locked and my vehicle came to an approximately complete stop while pulling the steering to the right. Each event was a very frightening episode. Although I kept trying to accelerate, the brakes would not allow it. I had just enough momentum so that I could veer to the safety of the safety lane. The events all happened within a two (2) week period...far, far too frequent for comfort. In all occasions, I was fortunate to not get rammed by the vehicles traveling behind me. Now that I have done a little research I am really disappointed that mercedes seems to be aware of the issue but has not taken this issue more seriously as it seems to not have been an isolated issue but rather one that has been consistent among fellow ML 320 vehicle owners. Lastly, I've only owned this truck for a two week period, and it has terrified me in this short time.
While driving at 40 mph unintended brake application causing loss of control. This has happened numerous times under different speeds and condition. It has happened on curves and straight road conditions. This has been happening since may 2016 at least 15 to 20 times.
Vehicle came to a dead stop when brakes suddenly applied automatically while driving in a straight line at 40mph in heavy freeway traffic. very difficult to get vehicle off road onto shoulder. esp/bas light came and remained on until ignition turned off. now no warning light nor diagnostic code detected. brake pedal sensor replaced by mb dealer on month ago. an extremely dangerous situation.
During braking the bas/esp will come on causing no acceleration with the vehicle. This has happened 7 times in the last 3 days. Almost resulting in 2 accidents. Only tuning off and the the vehicle will temporally fix the issue.
While driving at 50 mph, vehicle lights started flashing (warning for esp and ABS) and the vehicle slowed dramatically and pulled to the right... I got to the side of the road and assumed I had a blow out... But all tires were fine and no issues... Turned off vehicle and drove about 13 miles then turned vehicle off for 10 -15 minutes came out and got in vehicle... When I started to go... Orange triangle was still on and if I even touched brakes they all locked up and would even squeal when even touching brake petal. it was 79 degrees, dry on a highway that was a smooth road, in traffic and was almost hit. updated 05/11/16*lj
TL* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes-benz ml320. While driving 5 mph, the brakes applied independently and the ABS light illuminated. The failure occurred randomly. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000. updated 05/11/16*lj *tr
TL* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes-benz ml320. While driving approximately 35 mph, the brakes seized and the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 165,000. updated 04/06/16*lj updated 04/12/16.*jb
While driving today at approx 20-25 mph brakes suddenly applied on their own and my vehicle swerved and came to a halt. waited several minutes and restarted the vehicle. Drove on the 101 and 405 freeways without further incident. Drove later on the same day, and the same thing happened again. This IS extremely dangerous. What if I had been driving on the freeway? I refuse to drive this vehicle again. IS there a recall on this? I have seen a lot of similar incidents online.
TL* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes benz ml320. While driving at approximately 65 mph, the brakes failed without warning and caused the vehicle to come to an abrupt stop. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000. The vin was not available.
She was traveling about 45 mph when all of a sudden the brakes locked up and she burned rubber on the road before she was able to stop, however she was in the other lane. I was just thanking god another car was not coming the other way. I won't let her drive it and ordered a yaw sensor for it because when I went online to read way this would happen it seems like it happens a lot to the 2001 and it turned out to be the yaw sensor. when we get it in we will try to drive it in and get the codes but I can't believe you have not done a recall on this part. I almost lost my daughter because of this. please look into this, it's and easy fix but the part IS expense. thank you [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6).' *jb
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
ODI opened the investigation based on reports that the subject vehicle brake lamp switch (switch) failure caused 1) inoperative brake lamps (stay on or fail to illuminate), and/or 2) shift interlock failure (shifter locked in park), and/or 3) the cruise control to fail to cancel with brake application.Consumers also reported the illumination of a warning lamp on the instrument panel.The switch contains three sets of electrical contacts and a (normally extended) spring loaded plunger that actuates the contacts as it moves.As installed in the vehicle, the plunger contacts the brake pedal arm and is pushed into the switch; as the driver applies the pedal the plunger extends.One set of contacts (BLS) operates the stop lamps, a second set (EWM) controls the shift interlock system, and a third set (BS) is used by an on-board diagnostic (OBD) system to monitor switch operation.The cruise control monitors the BLS signal to determine when the brake is applied, the primary way the system is disabled when set.The relative timing of contact actuation in response to plunger movement allows the OBD system to detect a switch fault.When a fault is detected a malfunction indication lamp (MIL) is illuminated (driver alert), a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) is stored (for the service technician), and cruise control operation is inhibited (as a failsafe).In its response to ODI's January 2011 information request letter, MB explained its assessment of switch failures which was based primarily on evaluation of field return failures.MB identified both 1) electrical contact and 2) mechanical switch failure mechanisms.According to MB's analysis, electrical contact failure is the predominate failure type and the failure consequence depends on which contact fails.For instance MB claims that BLS contact failures are momentary in nature and do not affect brake light operation but are nonetheless detected by the OBD system, resulting in a DTC and subsequent replacement.Electrical contact failures of the BS and EWM contacts result in a DTC also, and EWM contact failures result in the shifter being stuck in the park (which can be overridden by the consumer).Accordingly MB maintains that electrical contact failures of the switch have no safety consequence since the brake lamps remain operational and the cruise control is always disabled.MB determined that mechanical failures of the switch, which are rare in their assessment, can result from internal wear and/or increased switch operating temperatures.High temperatures occur due to overheating of the BLS contacts and can cause the internal plastic components to melt.In one scenario overheated BLS contacts may melt to the extended plunger and are damaged when the brake pedal is released resulting in the brake lights staying on.In another scenario the increased temperatures and/or internal wear can cause the plunger to stick in the fully depressed position.In this case the cruise may not cancel when the brake is applied and the driver may have to use high brake pedal forces or other means (shifting to neutral or using the cruise master switch) to disengage the cruise.Additionally the vacuum assist can be depleted if the driver pumps the brakes resulting in reduced braking effectiveness and even higher pedal forces.In its March 31, 2011 defect notification, MB stated that to remediate the potential need for excessive brake force it would conduct a safety recall (11V-208) to replace the switch with a more robustly designed component.The recall includes 136,751 model year 2000 - 2002 M-Class and model year 2000 - 2004 M-Class AMG vehicles.Owner notification letters will be mailed
Odi opened pe07-007 after receiving 4 complaints within a 6 week period alleging incidents of uncommanded brake application in model year (my) 2000 through 2001 mercedes m class sport utility vehicles.information contained in the reports or gathered in subsequent consumer interviews indicated that the incidents were caused by faults in the electronic stability program (esp) system which were repaired by replacing the yaw rate sensors.although the same yaw rate sensor IS used in approximately 800,000 other mercedes m-class, c-class and SLK models, to date there has been only one related complaint to odi in those vehicles. During this investigation mercedes benz provided odi with 327 complaints related to the esp system in the my 2000 through 2001 m class vehicles.seven of the complaints submitted by mercedes alleged incidents of uncommanded brake activation while driving, with two of these involving vehicles identified in the odi complaints.none of the incidents resulted in crash or injury.however, the owners did express safety concerns due to the sudden, unexpected change in vehicle speed and direction. On may 10, 2007 mercedes benz met with nhtsa to provide a technical presentation and conduct a driving demonstration of the esp system performance with simulated electrical faults in the yaw rate sensor.mercedes showed that the esp system IS programmed to diagnose electrical faults and that brake applications resulting from yaw rate sensor electrical faults are very short in duration (0.3 seconds or less) and do not affect vehicle control or stability. Nine of the consumer complaints to odi and mercedes alleged brake activations longer than 0.3 seconds, with several alleging that the incident lasted until the vehicle came to a stop.a complaint vehicle that alleged multiple incidents was evaluated by odi at the vehicle research and test center (vrtc) in east liberty, ohio.vrtc was unable to duplicate the condition.due to the low complaint rate and only one new complaint to odi or mercedes since january 2007, this investigation has been closed.odi will continue to monitor complaints in the subject vehicles and other mercedes products using the same yaw rate sensor and mercedes will provide updates on field experience (complaints, field reports and warranty claims) through the end of 2007.
The hose clamp used to secure the power steering fluid cooling hose to the steering fluid cooler may not provide sufficient clamping force for the connection.the loss of power steering fluid may result in gradual reduction in power steering assist (i.e., increased steering effort) over time, with potential damage to the power steering pump. There have also been a few incidents of hose separation from the fitting, that have resulted in more rapid reductions of power steering.testing conducted by mercedes-benz indicates that the leaked fluid IS not likely to be exposed to hot engine components.there are no known allegations that the defect condition has caused a vehicle fire. Mercedes-benz will conduct a voluntary recall campaign for the subject m-class vehicles.mercedes-benz will install a new hose clamp on the power steering hose to the power steering cooler of the subject vehicles.during clamp replacement, the power steering cooling hose will be inspected and replaced as necessary.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.