hubertt

Okay so I finally got rid of this "COOLANT" message, now something freaky happened to me last night.... while I was driving, the brakes kind of activated themselves, I'll try to put it in words. It was like the brakes went on automatically, without pressing the pedal. Scary, huh? After that I got the ESP error.(visit the workshop error) Has this happened to anyone before?

hubertt

I guess no one has had this problem.... :-( DAMN This mercedes sucks BIG time.

LILBENZ230

2001 was not a good year for the C-class. Lots of people have had ESP errors, though. You need some way to read the error codes then post them on here and someone will be able to tell you what is wrong.

mleskovar

No, this didn't happen to me nor have I heard of it happening. Did the ESP light stay on after a stop engine -> start? Were you turning when this happened? Did it bring the car to a stop? No CEL?

W203E35

I have heard of someone slamming the brakes and the car stalls but never have I heard the brakes braking on their own.

Try to get a CANOBD2 reader and see what the code is and maybe we can help you.

LILBENZ230

I can't find it at the moment but it seems like there was a post by Glyn on this forum that there was a problem with the 2001 cars ESP locking up a front tire (and triggering an error). I am positive I read that on this forum.

SickSpeedMonte

I read that the earlier models had problems with the brake assist (there was a different name for it than the BAS) and that Mercedes had some lawsuits on their hands. I would call a dealer and find out if there are any open recalls as a starting point.

Glyn M Ruck

Not guilty - this time SSM is talking about the problem Benz had on the brake by wire set up on the E Class.

I've never experienced this on a C unless you are driving like a maniac and the ESP, BAS etc spoils your fun by saying enough.

I suppose it's possible that the ESP module has gone duff or the yaw sensor if your car has one. Some do - some don't. Mine has because of the BiX. Or some sensor sending a wrong signal to the ESP. Before we start guessing

Hubertt - has your OBDII scanner arrived yet??

Are you sure that the car applied the brakes?

Are you sure that it did not just close the throttle automatically? With the torque converter locked you have a lot of engine braking power

Are you running different size wheels on the back to the front?

Answer these questions while I scratch my head.

LILBENZ230

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...-ive-stff.html

This looks like the same issue.

Glyn M Ruck

Hubertt has just had electrical & Aircon issues & the dealer might have messed up something.

That's where I'm going with my questions above. I think the ESP got upset by something and put the car into limp home mode which could feel like the brakes self deploying.

One thing that can cause an ESP malfunction & other problems with The ESP & TCU is rolling circumference of rear & front wheels being more than a couple of percent different hence my wheel question - This can also cause limp mode to engage.

mleskovar

Similar to my thoughts, that's why I asked if the light went out after a stop/restart or if if actually came to a stop. When the ESP engages it lights up then goes out but doesn't go into limp home. When ESP fails it lights up and stays lit and still no limp home mode, just ESP disabled. Sometimes you can reset the ESP light with a full lock to lock steering action while stopped.When you're turning the yaw sensor won't allow an upshift under hard throttle and some people have complained that it feels like the brakes are being engaged due to the engine braking.

hubertt

Guys, thank you all for the time taken for this matter. But weird thing is.... this problem didn't repeat anymore. I've been driving around all these days and well. did'nt happen. I still didn't get my OBDII scanner though, but before I take it again to the shop I'll keep driving it to make sure it's okay.

C230 Sport Coup

An OBD scanner won't read errors related to the ESP system.
But carsoft 7.4 will.
Where are you located hubertt ?

Glyn M Ruck

He's on Aruba in the Lesser Antilles - South Caribbean. OBDII scanner won't read the ESP but it will read a lot of the sensors that could effect the ESP.

I believe that a one time incident triggered limp mode. Rebooting has cleared the issue - might still be some stored codes.

C240-Merc

I have been experiencing this same problem for the past 3-5 months on my 2001 C240. I have taken it to the dealership where they have aligned the car, replaced the ESP unit, and adjusted the YAW sensor. The dealer still cannot figure out what the problem is.

The front right wheel locks up for a second and then triggers the ESP Error message. This happens almost everytime I turn the car on and it happens when the car is standing still, accelerating, etc...