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.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 2003, 2004, 2005 |
| Mercedes-Benz SL-Class | 2003, 2004 |
Components: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 2003 | 45 | 4 |
| Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 2004 | 15 | 4 |
| Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 2005 | 9 | 3 |
| Mercedes-Benz SL-Class | 2003 | 9 | 3 |
| Mercedes-Benz SL-Class | 2004 | 3 | 3 |
Other service brakes, hydraulic recalls in 2004
54 of the 601 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2004 concerned the service brakes, hydraulic; MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. filed 55 campaigns in all.
| 04V591000 15 Dec 2004 | FREIGHTLINER LLC |
| 04V585000 8 Dec 2004 | DUCATI NORTH AMERICA |
| 04V573000 6 Dec 2004 | HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY |
| 04V576000 6 Dec 2004 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC |
| 04V565000 23 Nov 2004 | FOUR WINDS INTERNATIONAL |
| 04V552000 18 Nov 2004 | JAYCO, INC. |
| 04V539000 9 Nov 2004 | AUTOCAR, LLC |
| 04V525000 3 Nov 2004 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2004