Investigation PE87001: 1986 Mercedes-Benz 300E

Status

CLOSED

Opened

Oct 2, 1986

Closed

Jan 14, 1987

Model years

1986

Subject

Sudden acceleration

Component: Vehicle speed control › Linkages

Summary

Summary of information from manufacturer:mercedes-benz of north america(mbna) reported an additional 4 cases of alleged sudden acceleration of thesubject vehicles in addition to those previously reported to nhtsa.allcases were investigated by mbna representatives, and no trends or notablesimilarities were found in the apparent causes of the alleged incidents.no geographic or vehicle mileage trends were noted among the incidentsreported. Mbna conducted tests to evaluate the effects of open throttle, openengine idle bypass valve, and brake application under varying conditionsof vehicle motion on asphalt and grassy surfaces.the results of thesetests were provided to nhtsa, and indicate that the service brakes werefully effective in bringing the vehicle to a stop from 30 mph with a fullyopen throttle.in addition the tests demonstrated a maximum attainablevehicle speed of about 5 mph with a fully open idle speed air valve.analysis:mbna's evaluations of the eight vehicles reported to haveexperienced sudden acceleration included underhood inspections to identifyany apparent causes of the alleged incidents; mechanical interference ofcomponents was found in two vehicles, neither of which related to a designdeficiency.tests performed by mbna demonstrated the capacityof the subject vehicles to be controlled under conditions of high engineidle speed and with a fully open throttle.performance of the vehicle asdocumented by mbna's tests, together with the lack of a strong failuretrend suggests that further investigative effort is not warranted on thisissue.proposed action:close this preliminary evaluation.===

An NHTSA investigation looks into whether a safety defect exists. Opening one is not a finding. Outcomes can include a recall, closure without action, or further inquiry.

Model years covered

• 1986 Mercedes-Benz 300E11 complaints