Defective ABS system, sbc system. Sensotronic brake control system not functioning.

- Canoga Park, CA, USA

I turned on my engine and made a U-turn to travel up my street. When I completed the turn a red warning light flashed that my break system was not fully operable/take car immediately to dealer. In a few feet, my brakes failed completely, car would not stop, and emergency brakes did not work. When I put my foot on the brakes, it went to the floor; no amount of pumping stopped the car. The warning flashed "pump brakes!' I continued, to no avail, and finally, about 15 feet before the intersection, the car slowed to a stop. This occurred on Monday (I had just picked up my car the Friday before because the brakes were making a "squeaky-chirp like sound when pressed, after work had been done by the dealer on another issue. I took it back the same day that happened and was told there was air in the brakes; that usually, when pumped 15 times, it goes away. From then on, when I put the car in park and/or pressed the emergency brake, it continued to move forward, as though not held securely). The dealer towed it to the shop and now says my sbc system failed but there was no way to foresee or predict that problem by checking the brakes. I believe there is a severe problem with the brake system; especially given the dealer saying that there is no way to detect a problem that causes the brake system to completely fail. They now want to charge me $2000 to fix a brake problem I believe they caused when they had my car initially and/or did not identify after me taking it to them, twice, thereafter. This was a terribly frightening experience. I, my grandkids, and others on the road narrowly missed being involved in an accident and injured, or killed. Thank god I was on a residential street and the car stopped before I was forced into traffic. I saw that others online have had the same problem and can't believe no one has been killed due to this braking system issue.

- Altadena, CA, USA

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.

- Wadsworth, OH, USA

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.

- Nashville, TN, USA

While driving at about 25 mph making a left turn, the brake pedal went to the floor and I completely lost the brake function, the car would not slow down. I steered the car to the right shoulder and it took it another 200 to 300 feet to stop. The dash turned red and had a warning stop reduced braking power depress brake fully sbc warning I shut the car off and restarted it, everything went back to normal. I checked the fluid level, brake pads, leaks...but found none.

- Grosse Ile , MI, USA