2005 Mercedes-Benz E500 Brakes Problems
- Complaints
- 38about this part
- Share
- 27%of 140 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 105,610miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 38 complaints about the brakes of the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E500, 27% of the 140 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 105,610 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Per incident was back glass detached from window and broke all over the road and on the back of my car while driving. 2: Sbcc pump goes in and out admittedly and type of a no brake issue at all hard as a rock will not move car only has 180,000 miles on it and it’s been doing that since 140,000 miles Which did cause me to get in a minor accident on the right side of the car the passenger side where now I’ve had to replace a fender and still have problems because of it”
NHTSA complaint #11509075, filed 2023-02, 180,000 miles“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.”
NHTSA complaint #11475607, filed 2022-07, 156,000 miles“Mercedes E500 2005 126,000 miles while travelling 40mph on city streets the car flashed a red warning message indicating reduced braking power depress brake prdal fully . This is in relation to the sbc braking system that in the event of a failure resorts to a emergency hydraulic emergency brake back up that mercedes claims allows for adequate braking stopping distance. I would like to stress that the aforementioned statement is not true as I had to swerve on to a sidewalk to avoid an accident. …”
NHTSA complaint #11057904, filed 2018-01, 126,000 miles“I was driving on the highway at about 55mph, and all of a sudden the brake lights came on saying reduce braking power. Car was very difficult to stop. I almost hit a guard rail.”
NHTSA complaint #10876628, filed 2016-06, 67,194 miles“Upon exiting a highway, a red brake failure warning and beeping noise appeared. All braking capability was absent, so I was able to safely roll to a stop. This happened twice (odometer during these incidences exceeding 120,000) and I now have a white message appearing when I start the vehicle which notes brakes - visit workshop . The times that the brakes seized up on me I was always able to turn the car off and start up again with no message ever to appear for months at a time, which made me think it was some sort of computer error message. …”
NHTSA complaint #10860215, filed 2016-04, 140,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11038186Sep 22, 2026Complaint Repeat workshop visit for vehicle vibration while braking from 60MPH. NOTE: Although the symptom is similar to a tire or wheel vibration, it is usually readily…
- 10186135Dec 9, 2020If the customer brakes sharply from a speed of > 30mph, without ABS intervention, there is a single cracking noise from the area of the ESP hydraulic unit
- 11031725Aug 17, 2018The purpose of this letter is to advise you of additional benefits that Mercedes-Benz is providing to you regarding your vehicle ownership.
- 11031585Aug 17, 2018The warranty on the SBC Hydraulic Unit for MY 2003-2006 Model 211, MY 2006 Model 219, and Model Year 2003-2012 Model 230 was extended from the original 4 years/50,000 miles to 25…
- 10028644Dec 19, 2008Mercedes: vehicle fails star diagnosis test; inspect brake system for air." models 230, 219, and 211. Model years 2003-2009.
Brakes: other model years
Other parts of the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E500
76 complaintsSuspension
10 complaintsEngine
8 complaintsElectrical system
7 complaintsAir bags
6 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
6 complaintsVehicle speed control
4 complaintsOther or unknown
3 complaintsSeat belts
2 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaintsEquipment
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E500
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology