the car has smelled like gas from the minute i received it. the previous owner told me that mercedes had quoted 5 grand to fix it so i would only put half a tank in at a time. turns out there was a warranty on it but has since expired. why wasn't it fixed for free when the previous owner brought it" this is very dangerous and can cause an explosion. the warranty should have been fixed rather than quoted and seems very greedy to not disclose that information but instead giving a quote. i have lung and heart problems and this is a definite safety issue that needs to be corrected regardless of the age of the car also brought it to dealership scared and they told me too bad it's been too long. how is a gas leak an ok thing to dismiss?????" i have been trying to get this fixed for years and this is my 2nd attempt for a recall with no response at all

- Wallingford, CT, USA

Sbc unit has a limit that is showing a fault yet brakes seem fine now must fix and all that is available are remanufactured units.

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

While I was driving down the road, the brakes completely failed. There was a sudden 100% pressure loss in the brake pedal. I was less than 20 ft from getting on the highway. Had this happened to me while I was on the highway, I would have met with a tragic accident. This car only has 92,392 miles. It is a 1-owner with all maintenance and services done only by Mercedes dealer and authorized repair facilities. The vehicle is 100% upto date on all repairs and maintenance and there is absolutely no reason for such failure. Upon further investigation, it was found there are other Mercedes Benz users experiencing the same issue. Not only will I ever buy a Mercedes Benz again, but I will never ride in a Mercedes Benz product for the sake of my safety!!!

- Miami, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Mercedes-Benz E500. While driving various speeds, the brake warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic braking system failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 146,000.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

Dealership: First class auto land, 4050 frankford ave philadelphia, pa 19124 first problem: The SRS airbag light was on when I first purchased the car the dealership promised to fix it and never did. Second problem: The power steering was faulty and the dealership fixed it, but I got a new error on my instrument panel. Third problem: After getting the power steering problem fixed a warning light appeared saying warning esp malfunction visit service center. Forth problem: I drove to work and got home park the car woke up the next day and my right front front air shock went on me. I called the dealership and the owner refused to repair it, so I went to a an authorized Mercedes repair shop and they fixed it, out of pocket I paid $650 fifth problem: Fifth problem: Sbs brake system failed, my whole entire braking is not working, it was working perfectly and all of a sudden I parked my car to go into work, when I got off from work and started my car a huge red light flashed on my instrument panel, and my breaks would not work, I purchased the car on Jan 18th 2016 the current date is June 16th 2016 I had the car less than 6 moths and drove it for 5,000 miles. I have hd video footage of my car getting towed away when the air shocks malfunctioned, I will have hd footage of the towing of my car now that my whole entire braking system is malfunctioning could someone help!, I'm willing to do an full report on the local news, this dealership must be stopped before someone losses their life, I was fortunate not to lose my life or risk the lives of others thus far.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Mercedes Benz E500. The contact stated that while driving at approximate 60 mph, the vehicle stalled but continued to roll without stopping, the brake pedal failed, and the gear shifter failed to come out of park. In addition, all the instrument panel warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,000.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Mercedes-Benz E500. While driving approximately 75 mph, the brake warning indicator illuminated. The brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when the pedal was depressed and failed to respond. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road where the engine was turned off. After restarting, the vehicle resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the sensotronic brake control would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,103....updated 04/26/16 the consumer stated the manufacturer denied assistance due to the vehicle being out of warranty.

- Lacquinta, CA, USA

Turning into a shopping center when all of a sudden my brakes totally went out. I had just a tiny bit of breaks and couldn't stop to make the turn into the shopping center safely. I had to go into the shopping center parking lot and see what happens. What had happened was my spc brakes went out on my Mercedes and I had to get it towed to my mechanic to get it repaired. This was scary as heck sense if I was on the freeway I'm going freeway speeds I probably would have crashed, but since I was slow enough and was able to maneuver I didn't crash. They're definitely should be a recall for this spc braking system.

- Citrus Heights, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Mercedes Benz E500. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently. Additionally, the brake warning light illuminated and the brakes failed to respond. The emergency brake was engaged in order to stop the vehicle. The contact then shut off the vehicle and was able to restart after multiple attempts. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.

- Oxford, NC, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Mercedes Benz E500. While driving approximately 25 mph, the brake warning light illuminated and the brake pedal became stuck. In order for the brake pedal to release, it needed to be depressed several times. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 148,000.

- Smellville, GA, USA

The cars brakes just quit without any warning which I was driving, as described below. 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.

- Bloomington, MN, USA

Benz E500/55K miles. I have had two major safety issues with the car. One being fuel tank related and the second sbc pump failure while driving. On the first, too little too late, so many years after the incident and purchase of the car, Mercedes Benz has sent a letter covering the repair and parts for 15 years. I think that in itself is an offense and a crime. On the second issue, sbc pump Mercedes Benz refused to give me in detail the effect of failing sbc pump on other parts of the car or the effect of failed sbc pump. More importantly, service managers are telling customers that they are expecting all models equipped with sbc pump to come to the shop. Now that the 10 years is up in most cars and out of warranty.that is a scam when the dealer knows all these customers will come to the shop (because it cannot be fixed in any auto shop) thereby taking advantage of a safety issue. How do car manufacturers get away with things like this and how dealers get away with things like this. The right thing to do is extend the warranty on sbc pump to 15 years just like they did in fuel tank, that way dealer won't take advantage and customers have peace of mind and won't compromise on safety. Even that is a slap on the wrist compared to the offense and crime.

- Doral , FL, USA

Benz2004 E500.original owner/55K miles.driving back from a long road trip, the "service brake" message came on.thinking it was just the pads, thought we could reach home.later, we realized what a dangerous thing we had done, by driving a car with sbc pump failure.we could have taken off a bridge or thrown into a swamp or put someone else in danger.this problem cannot be fixed at any auto shop, it has to be towed to the dealer, from wherever you are stuck and only dealer can fix it.dealer said mfr, will not assist in repair because it is past 10 years.and we have to pay $2350. There were two recalls in 2004/05 regarding sbc pump, but Mercedes Benz has conveniently designed a 10 year warranty to their advantage and dealers advantage.when they know all cars equipped with it, is guaranteed to fail in 10 -15 years and in some cases, even before that.it was not court ordered or govt. Ordered, but set up by them for them.once there was a recall, there should have been lifetime warranty on these.it is a safety issue.tried negotiating with mbusa to reimburse, but they refused. And they refused to give me in writing about the refusal or anything related.after paying to fix it, they don't even install a new unit, they install a re manufactured unit.they threaten you with core charges for the old part and recycle again for the next customer.when I left the dealer ship, I had this feeling like I was set up and mugged by Benz/dealer, since they were expecting it.since they have discontinued sbc pump, they know it has a problem, but they never admit it.when they call back they don't even leave message with any substance. They expect you call back and they will deny it over the phone or do some tap dancing. They will stone wall you, play dump or talk to you like a 5th grader.they are so guilty that they try to cover every track and watch what they say, what they do and what they write.

- Doral, FL, USA

While traveling along a 2 lane highway in a snow storm, the sbc pump failed and caused the ABS to fail as well as the brakes to barely work. The subsequent skid forced a very close call with a fully laden logging truck, and could have easily been a fatal accident were it not for good luck. Under NHTSA recall 2004 050014, and recall campaign 2005070007 apr06 by Mercedes, the sbc pump failure is a known safety issue. The local Mercedes Benz has offered to sell me a new one for $1700 as Mercedes Benz usa is not willing to replace this failed part under the recall as they only offer a 10 year window. Isn't a safety recall a recall? brakes are a vital aspect of safety...

- Falmouth, ME, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Mercedes Benz E500. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 mph, the "you have reduced capacity" warning sensor illuminated. The contact attempted to merge to the emergency lane, when the brake pedal was depressed and sank to the floor failing to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was turn off and restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician stated that the sensotronic brake control (sbc) unit was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 124,839.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Mercedes Benz E500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled abnormally to the floorboard. As a result, the vehicle failed to reduce in speed and the vehicle was shifted into neutral. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.

- Oxford, NC, USA

About 10 minutes after leaving my house to work the red sign came on ( brake malfunction stop vehicles ) I stopped the car and after 5 minute started it and it was ok half way to work red sign came on (bakes longer stopping dist start engine ) and its was doing that all day the next day the when I started the car red sign came on (brake malfunction stop vehicle ) and next sign was (esp malfunction visit work shop )called Mercedes dealer and towed the car I was told the car needs( brake pressure pump modulator and aux battery ) I looked up online there was extended warranty for modulator and they it was expire a month ago the only thing they can do 10%discount I think it is not fair since the was serviced at the same dealer for last ten years it should have been free and its brake malfunction and the car shifts to safety mood is un safe.

- El Dorado Hills , CA, USA

Car makes an unusual, loud, humming noise from the rear of the car, upon starting and constantly, no matter the speed. On occasion, there is no noise, but more often than not, the humming is present. The noise emanates from the rear of the car, and can be heard on the interior and from the outside. Have brought the car into dealership 3X for the issue, and they claim they cannot duplicate the problem, and claim there is nothing wrong. It has been happening for the last 10K miles. Have also experienced the gas smell issue since 35K miles, and lost the brakes randomly; both issues described by others.

- Stamford, CT, USA

While my wife was driving the vehicle at approximately 45 mph the dash warning system turned bright red with the following message, brake malfunction, stop the vehicle. She tried to apply the brakes but the brake system had completely failed, she had no brakes. She let off the accelerator to help slow the vehicle as she slowed down she pulled onto the shoulder of the road and the slowly applied the emergency brake to bring the vehicle to a stop and shifted it into park. She then shut the vehicle off and cycled the ignition key. There was no longer the red warning light or message displayed and when testing the brakes everything was functioning normal again. She then slowly drove the vehicle home. I then researched the symptoms online and found many complaints for this exact complaint. I found where the sbc (sensotronic brake control) unit had a safety recall (2005070007) along with an extended warranty of 10 years with unlimited mileage. I then contacted mbusa customer service and was advised to take the vehicle to my local mb dealer. The vehicle was taken to the mb dealer on 7/14/14 to be checked. The dealer service adviser advise that the sbc unit was defective and needed to be replaced. I was given an estimate of $1851 to complete the repairs due to the fact that my vehicle had passed the 10 year warranty extension. My vehicles in service date is 4/20/04, so it is now past the 10 year warranty by 2 1/2 months. I then contacted mbusa for post warranty review on 7/15/14. I was contacted by [xxx] from mbusa on 7/16/14 but was not able to make actual contact until 7/18.14. She indicated that she would to discuss with the local mb dealer service manager to review the needed repairs. [xxx] called back on Monday morning 7/21/14 to advise me that after talking to the service manager along with the regional manager no financial assistance would be extended. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Bakersfield, CA, USA