2014 E550 Total Meltdown!
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 11
Likes: 1
2014 E550
2014 E550 Total Meltdown!
Ok so I’m posting this in case anyone has this problem in the future. My googling has not turned up a similar case. I’ll try to keep this short.
As I pulled away from a traffic light (flashing red due to storm), I got a ‘blind spot assist inop’ light. As I drove on, I got more and more warning lights. I pulled over after about a mile, turned the car off then on again, no more lights. Another half mile, more lights, warnings, transmission starts to act weird.
So I tried to restart again, it won’t turn off (keyless button). Time to go home. I drove about three miles to my house, it won’t go over 1000 rpm (traffic was heavy due to traffic lights out anyway). Turn signal inop. Pull into garage, it won’t shift to park, still won’t turn off.
I called Mercedes customer service, they told me to pop off the start button and put the key in. This stopped the motor. The car would not re-start. They sent a tow truck and took it to the nearest dealer.
That was almost two weeks ago. I went today to get something out of the car, and to my surprise they were able to drive it around to the front. It has not been looked at by the techs yet.
So here I am, very puzzled. I will post updates, and if anyone has an idea what is going on I’d like to hear it. My theory at the moment is that maybe a nearby lightning strike has fried the computers
As I pulled away from a traffic light (flashing red due to storm), I got a ‘blind spot assist inop’ light. As I drove on, I got more and more warning lights. I pulled over after about a mile, turned the car off then on again, no more lights. Another half mile, more lights, warnings, transmission starts to act weird.
So I tried to restart again, it won’t turn off (keyless button). Time to go home. I drove about three miles to my house, it won’t go over 1000 rpm (traffic was heavy due to traffic lights out anyway). Turn signal inop. Pull into garage, it won’t shift to park, still won’t turn off.
I called Mercedes customer service, they told me to pop off the start button and put the key in. This stopped the motor. The car would not re-start. They sent a tow truck and took it to the nearest dealer.
That was almost two weeks ago. I went today to get something out of the car, and to my surprise they were able to drive it around to the front. It has not been looked at by the techs yet.
So here I am, very puzzled. I will post updates, and if anyone has an idea what is going on I’d like to hear it. My theory at the moment is that maybe a nearby lightning strike has fried the computers
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,107
Likes: 394
From: West Central Florida
2011 E550 P2 4M Sedan
No context for guessing but I wonder if it might be a failing in the charging system like the prefuse or alternator. Seems like electrical current was dropping/intermittent and car was shutting down systems in response.
Trending Topics
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 4,037
Likes: 1,011
From: Miami, FL
2003 CL 600
Sounds like a CAN network was going down, causing loss of communications between systems. That would explain the keyless go not working to shut the car down also. Maybe something got wet if the storm was that severe.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 11
Likes: 1
2014 E550
Update-
Just got off the phone with the service advisor. The techs have investigated and the car is running fine. He did say they found some CAN faults (stored, I guess). He says they will try it again in the morning.
So far I’m only looking at an hour of labor but I’m going to be very uncomfortable with the car if they don’t find a definite problem.
Just got off the phone with the service advisor. The techs have investigated and the car is running fine. He did say they found some CAN faults (stored, I guess). He says they will try it again in the morning.
So far I’m only looking at an hour of labor but I’m going to be very uncomfortable with the car if they don’t find a definite problem.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 4,037
Likes: 1,011
From: Miami, FL
2003 CL 600
Check for wetness on the carpeting inside, check that the sunroof drains are clear and flow well. Open the roof and pour a bottle of water in there and make sure it all pours right back out behind the front tires. Pull up your front floormats and check the carpeting, if it's not perfectly dry, remove it and check underneath, that's where the water goes and you will have wet wiring without even realizing it.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 11
Likes: 1
2014 E550
Update. It seems the rear radar sensors are corroded. And shockingly, this isn’t the first time this has happened based on searching this problem (I did at one point get the “We’ve never seen this” speech).
According to my research MB has covered this problem out of warranty before. Hopefully they will again, but I wonder if having bought the car used will work against me.
Edit: I can’t seem to attach the picture of the estimate, but the sensors and harness are estimated at $2050.
According to my research MB has covered this problem out of warranty before. Hopefully they will again, but I wonder if having bought the car used will work against me.
Edit: I can’t seem to attach the picture of the estimate, but the sensors and harness are estimated at $2050.
Last edited by M278; Oct 12, 2018 at 05:55 PM.
Super Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 818
Likes: 79
From: Vancouver B.C. Canada
2014 E550 4MATIC TUNED - Turbo Upgraded Stage 3
Update. It seems the rear radar sensors are corroded. And shockingly, this isn’t the first time this has happened based on searching this problem (I did at one point get the “We’ve never seen this” speech).
According to my research MB has covered this problem out of warranty before. Hopefully they will again, but I wonder if having bought the car used will work against me.
Edit: I can’t seem to attach the picture of the estimate, but the sensors and harness are estimated at $2050.
According to my research MB has covered this problem out of warranty before. Hopefully they will again, but I wonder if having bought the car used will work against me.
Edit: I can’t seem to attach the picture of the estimate, but the sensors and harness are estimated at $2050.
And it does not affect other sensors.
Not sure why your rear sensor issue affected other sensors.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 11
Likes: 1
2014 E550
Based on further research, the corrosion damage in the sensors can sometimes cause a short in the physical CAN bus, which disables a huge number of systems.
This forum post is extremely similar to what has happened to my car:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ben...=2911098&=1
Blind spot assist and all other systems seemed to be fine until this happened, though it apparently it’s more common for the sensors to fail without affecting the whole CAN system.
To me, this is beginning to look like it should be a recall. This is a design fault which leads to the sudden deactivation of numerous safety systems including ABS, pre-safe, ESP, etc. when the road is wet.
This forum post is extremely similar to what has happened to my car:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ben...=2911098&=1
Blind spot assist and all other systems seemed to be fine until this happened, though it apparently it’s more common for the sensors to fail without affecting the whole CAN system.
To me, this is beginning to look like it should be a recall. This is a design fault which leads to the sudden deactivation of numerous safety systems including ABS, pre-safe, ESP, etc. when the road is wet.
Last edited by M278; Oct 13, 2018 at 07:09 AM. Reason: Syntax
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 9,224
Likes: 1,798
From: V E G A S
1922 Ford Model T / no OBD
I think you can fill the report with NHTSA
https://www.safercar.gov/
https://www.safercar.gov/
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 4,037
Likes: 1,011
From: Miami, FL
2003 CL 600
Nope. If they got corrosion inside it's gonna be claimed as outside influence. This is also not a common or safety issue. It's highly unusual that just that sensor can bring down the CAN, the right side one isn't even the main one I don't think, one reports to the other, and only one talks on the CAN directly.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 11
Likes: 1
2014 E550
Well it’s happened twice for sure, and that’s just mine and another I found with some light googling.
I can’t see how the sudden disabling of ABS, ESP, pre-safe etc. is not a safety issue. I just looked at the video I took when I was trying to turn the car off and it also had an SRS malfunction warning.
Here’s a quote from an article about the recall process:
“ Basically if there is determined to be a defect to the vehicle, whether it’s due to a faulty part installed on the vehicle, or a poorly engineered design, and this defect can cause: a crash without warning, a fire, or a malfunction with one of the vehicle’s safety systems, it’s a candidate for a recall.”
The conditions which cause the sensors to corrode are not harmful to the rest of the car. They have a defect which makes them exceptionally vulnerable under normal circumstances.
Even if failing prematurely due to corrosion (probably because of trapped water) is not a ‘defect’, it’s still faulty design because this simple and common failure can disable most systems in the car, safety included.
Im going to ask the service rep to ask MB about covering this, and if that doesn’t work I’ll get in touch with Mercedes myself. Failing that I’ll be filing an NHTSA report.
I can’t see how the sudden disabling of ABS, ESP, pre-safe etc. is not a safety issue. I just looked at the video I took when I was trying to turn the car off and it also had an SRS malfunction warning.
Here’s a quote from an article about the recall process:
“ Basically if there is determined to be a defect to the vehicle, whether it’s due to a faulty part installed on the vehicle, or a poorly engineered design, and this defect can cause: a crash without warning, a fire, or a malfunction with one of the vehicle’s safety systems, it’s a candidate for a recall.”
The conditions which cause the sensors to corrode are not harmful to the rest of the car. They have a defect which makes them exceptionally vulnerable under normal circumstances.
Even if failing prematurely due to corrosion (probably because of trapped water) is not a ‘defect’, it’s still faulty design because this simple and common failure can disable most systems in the car, safety included.
Im going to ask the service rep to ask MB about covering this, and if that doesn’t work I’ll get in touch with Mercedes myself. Failing that I’ll be filing an NHTSA report.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 4,037
Likes: 1,011
From: Miami, FL
2003 CL 600
Well it’s happened twice for sure, and that’s just mine and another I found with some light googling.
I can’t see how the sudden disabling of ABS, ESP, pre-safe etc. is not a safety issue. I just looked at the video I took when I was trying to turn the car off and it also had an SRS malfunction warning.
Here’s a quote from an article about the recall process:
“ Basically if there is determined to be a defect to the vehicle, whether it’s due to a faulty part installed on the vehicle, or a poorly engineered design, and this defect can cause: a crash without warning, a fire, or a malfunction with one of the vehicle’s safety systems, it’s a candidate for a recall.”
The conditions which cause the sensors to corrode are not harmful to the rest of the car. They have a defect which makes them exceptionally vulnerable under normal circumstances.
Even if failing prematurely due to corrosion (probably because of trapped water) is not a ‘defect’, it’s still faulty design because this simple and common failure can disable most systems in the car, safety included.
Im going to ask the service rep to ask MB about covering this, and if that doesn’t work I’ll get in touch with Mercedes myself. Failing that I’ll be filing an NHTSA report.
I can’t see how the sudden disabling of ABS, ESP, pre-safe etc. is not a safety issue. I just looked at the video I took when I was trying to turn the car off and it also had an SRS malfunction warning.
Here’s a quote from an article about the recall process:
“ Basically if there is determined to be a defect to the vehicle, whether it’s due to a faulty part installed on the vehicle, or a poorly engineered design, and this defect can cause: a crash without warning, a fire, or a malfunction with one of the vehicle’s safety systems, it’s a candidate for a recall.”
The conditions which cause the sensors to corrode are not harmful to the rest of the car. They have a defect which makes them exceptionally vulnerable under normal circumstances.
Even if failing prematurely due to corrosion (probably because of trapped water) is not a ‘defect’, it’s still faulty design because this simple and common failure can disable most systems in the car, safety included.
Im going to ask the service rep to ask MB about covering this, and if that doesn’t work I’ll get in touch with Mercedes myself. Failing that I’ll be filing an NHTSA report.
I've also NEVER seen one take down the can. Yes it's theoretically possible, but that is incredibly rare.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 11
Likes: 1
2014 E550
Update- After sending me the estimate on Friday, the service rep hadn’t called by Monday so I called him and left a message. Several hours later I called again and he texted “Will call shortly” as the phone was ringing. Apparently ‘shortly’ doesn’t mean that day.
So so this morning I picked up the car and shelled out $175 for diagnosis. It’s not raining, so the drive home was fine. I pulled the fuse for the blind spot radar on the rear SAM (F59) for those scoring along at home. I plan to disconnect the radar harness when I figure out what location 5E is.
Mercedes USA has declined to fix this, but they did remind me that I’m not the original owner and offer a 10% discount on the dealer repair.
So, now it’s time to see what the NHTSA thinks about it. If you are reading this and your E-class has done this or something similar, please go to safercar.gov and file a report.
So so this morning I picked up the car and shelled out $175 for diagnosis. It’s not raining, so the drive home was fine. I pulled the fuse for the blind spot radar on the rear SAM (F59) for those scoring along at home. I plan to disconnect the radar harness when I figure out what location 5E is.
Mercedes USA has declined to fix this, but they did remind me that I’m not the original owner and offer a 10% discount on the dealer repair.
So, now it’s time to see what the NHTSA thinks about it. If you are reading this and your E-class has done this or something similar, please go to safercar.gov and file a report.
Last edited by M278; Oct 16, 2018 at 06:22 PM. Reason: Spelling
