Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.: Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jun 22, 2004 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 143,387. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
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.
The risk
IF VEHICLES ARE NOT ROUTINELY SERVICED AND HAVE EXTREMELY HIGH MILEAGE COMBINED WITH A HIGH NUMBER OF BRAKE ACTUATIONS, OR A HIGH BRAKE ACTUATION FREQUENCY, THE PUMP MOTOR OF THE SBC MAY RUN OUT OF PERMISSIBLE TOLERANCES, THEREBY TRIGGERING THE HYDRAULIC FUNCTION MODE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SBC HYDRAULIC UNIT, REPLACING IT IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 21M 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.
5 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Mercedes Benz E Class | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Mercedes Benz E Class | 15 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 2004 Mercedes Benz SL Class | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Mercedes Benz E Class | 45 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 2003 Mercedes Benz SL Class | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 04V296000.
Full record for the 2005 Mercedes Benz E Class → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →