2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Powertrain & Transmission Problems

I was traveling at about 60mph and started to slow to turn off the highway. Suddenly a red brake warning light came on and it took tremendous pressure to slow the car down and I overshot the turn. Then the car had no power. I was 36 miles from my home. I limped at 5-20 mph to a friends house and had the car towed to my home. There was absolutely no warning of any kind of brake problem. The car was driving just fine before this happened. I believe it could have been a much worse situation had I been in any kind of traffic.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E320. AFTER FUELING THE VEHICLE AND DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CONTACT EXITED THE HIGHWAY. UPON RELEASING THE BRAKE PEDAL AND APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE PAST 40 MPH. THE VEHICLE STALLED AND ALL POWER WAS LOST. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF MARIETTA (810 COBB PKWY S, MARIETTA, GA 30060 (770) 783-5171), BUT IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED DUE TO THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF BUCKHEAD (2799 PIEDMONT RD NE, ATLANTA, GA 30305 (800) 399-3804) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND WAS AWAITING A CALLBACK. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 166,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ E320. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE CONTACT CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, IN WHICH THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A FAULTY SHIFT SENSOR. THE TECHNICIAN WAS ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 151,000.

SLOWING DOWN FOR LIGHT AND CAR TRIES TO STALL. AFTER GETTING IT HOME AND IN THE GARAGE, NOTICED STRONG GAS SMELL. TOOK TO SHOP AND GUY SAID GAS LEAK FROM TOP OF TANK. READ ABOUT LOTS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE WITH OTHER PEOPLE WITH E320'S. *TR

CODE: 4A30 ENGINE CONTROL MODULE NOT IDENTIFIED OR INCORRECT CONTROL MODULE. CODE: 54F0 CAN COMMUNICATION WITH CONTROL UNIT TRANSMISSION CONTROL IS SPORADICALLY DISTURBED. SAFETY ISSUE: I RECENTLY GOT OFF THE FREEWAY, CAME TO A STOP, AND THEN ATTEMPT TO PROCEED NORMALLY WITH THE VEHICLE NOW STUCK IN 5TH (OR WHATEVER THE SENSOR CHOOSES) GEAR, AND NO POWER STEERING- THERE IS A REASONABLE USER PRESUMPTION THAT THE CAR WOULD ACCELERATE NORMALLY AND BE ABLE TO SAFELY JOIN TRAFFIC....INSTEAD IT CRAWLS FORWARD AT A FEW MILES AN HOUR INTO POTENTIAL HARMS WAY WITH NO WAY TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE NORMALLY, THEREBY LEAVING THE DRIVER AND OUR CHILDREN IN DANGER. I SPEAK FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, AND WOULD NOT WISH THIS TERROR EXPERIENCE ON OUR WORST ENEMY. MERCEDES MONTVALE NJ WILL NOT PARTICIPATE ON FIXING THE CAUSE OF THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

AFTER COMING TO A STOP AT AN ENTRANCE TO A BUSY HIGHWAY, MY 2005 E500 JUST BARELY MOVED ONTO THE BUSY HIGHWAY, AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE TRANSMISSION WAS "STUCK" IN ONE OF THE HIGHER GEARS. I PULLED THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER, TURNED OFF THE IGNITION, AND RESTARTED IT. AFTER RESTARTING, IT WORKED NORMALLY. THIS HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE THEN. THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME SORT OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. THIS IS SEEMS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS WHEN TRYING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC FROM A STOP, OR CROSSING A BUSY INTERSECTION. A LITTLE BIT OF INVESTIGATIVE WORK HAS REVEALED THAT THIS IS VERY COMMON WITH THE MERCEDES 722.9 SEVEN SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. *TR

MY CAR HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER NO FEWER THAN 4 TIMES FOR VARIOUS FUEL SYSTEM RELATED ISSUES. THE SYMPTOMS OF EACH PART FAILURE INVOLVE A PERVASIVE GAS SMELL FILLING THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE, AND GASOLINE USUALLY POOLS UNDER THE REAR SEAT. THE SMELL IS SO POTENT THAT THE CAR IS UNDRIVEABLE, AND THE POOLING OF GASOLINE INSIDE THE PASSENGER CABIN MUST BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THE GAS TANK, FUEL SENDERS, FUEL PUMP, CHARCOAL FILTERS, AND GASKET BETWEEN THE TANK AND FUEL SENDERS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TO NO AVAIL. I HAVE HAD TO FIGHT TO HAVE THIS PAID FOR UNDER MY EXISTING MERCEDES BENZ EXTENDED WARRANTY. MY WARRANTY EXPIRES IN JULY OF 2013, AND I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT THIS WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN. MY MOST RECENT DEALER VISIT FOR THIS PROBLEM WAS 2 DAYS AGO. NOTHING WAS REPLACED, AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT OEM PARTS REPLACEMENTS HAVE BEEN USED TO FIX THE ISSUE EACH TIME...WHICH IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY CONTINUE TO FAIL. *TR

FROM A STOP THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE BEYOND AN IDLE, DESPITE DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR. IT HAPPENED ONCE ON THE HIGHWAY AFTER A TOLLBOOTH AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT WHILE MERGING. IT ALSO HAPPENED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AFTER A STOP SIGN. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM AND DID NOT MAKE ANY REPAIRS. *TR

CAR WOULD NOT PROPERLY ACCELERATE FROM REDUCED SPEED. INCIDENT OCCURRED ON THREE OCCASIONS. LAST INCIDENT OCCURRED ON ENTRY TO FLORIDA TURNPIKE. CAR REQUIRED CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN QUARTER OF MILE TO REACH 50 MPH. ALMOST REAR ENDED BY TEN WHEELER THAT COULD NOT MOVE TO PASSING LANE. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. DEALER CLAIMED THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE SITUATION. DEALER FOUND FAULTY GLOW PLUG. DOUBTFUL THAT THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH PROBLEM. DEALER NOW CHECKING PROBLEM AGAIN. INCIDENT OCCURRED ON THREE OCCASIONS DURING PAST TEN DAYS. ALMOST REAR ENDED BY TEN WHEELER *NM

ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT, THE CAR GEAR WAS SHIFTED TO DRIVE, BUT RATHER THAN GOING FORWARD, IT PROCEEDED TO ROLL BACKWARDS ON THE INCLINE ON WHICH IT WAS PARKED AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALER AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THAT A CLIP IN THE GEAR BOX HAD BROKEN AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. *JB