GLS Class (X166) Produced from 2016 to 2019

GLS 450 rolls back on hills...

Old Sep 24, 2018 | 01:11 PM
  #1  
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GLS 450 rolls back on hills...

Hello GLS 450 friends:

I am wondering if any of you have experienced this phenomenon. I am stopped on a hill and my GLS 450 is in drive. When the light turns green, and I move my foot from the brake to the gas MY CAR ROLLS BACKWARDS. It happens on small inclines and bigger hills. Of course, it doesn’t happen every single time but when it does I could literally roll into the car behind me! Let me know if this has happened to you. I called the dealer and they said this is normal. I’m pretty sure it’s not.

Thanks!
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Old Sep 24, 2018 | 04:36 PM
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Easiest thing to do - when stopped on a hill - activate Brake Hold - which will lock brake system and release smoothly when you go to the gas with a little bit pf gas pedal.
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Old Sep 24, 2018 | 09:12 PM
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GLS 450
Hill Start Assist is a standard feature on the GLS. Its purpose is to prevent exactly what you are describing. Here is a link to the MB GLS 2018 website (read the Brakes, Wheels, Tires section and then the Adaptive Braking Technology description):

https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/model/class-GLS/model-GLS450W4#!layout=/vehicles/model/specs&class=GLS&model=GLS450W4&waypoint=model-specs

I would suggest you have your dealer's service department check that this feature is working in your car. You shouldn't be rolling back on hills.

Last edited by wyatt88; Sep 24, 2018 at 09:17 PM.
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Old Sep 24, 2018 | 09:21 PM
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Yes - but Hill-Start-Assist still requires you to "move quickly" from hold-on-brake-release-foot-go-to-accelerator - using Brake Hold you can have brake foot free - and put that foot to the gas whenever
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Old Sep 26, 2018 | 09:13 PM
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The hill assist only lasts a few seconds. If its longer than that you need to use the brake hold feature.
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Old Sep 28, 2018 | 07:41 PM
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Yes it rolls back.
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Old Oct 1, 2018 | 07:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Benzorbust
Hello GLS 450 friends:

I am wondering if any of you have experienced this phenomenon. I am stopped on a hill and my GLS 450 is in drive. When the light turns green, and I move my foot from the brake to the gas MY CAR ROLLS BACKWARDS. It happens on small inclines and bigger hills. Of course, it doesn’t happen every single time but when it does I could literally roll into the car behind me! Let me know if this has happened to you. I called the dealer and they said this is normal. I’m pretty sure it’s not.

Thanks!
My wife has also complained about it, but since I very rarely drive the car I could never reproduce the issue.
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Old Oct 1, 2018 | 09:51 PM
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Thanks

Thanks everyone for your responses. I’m wondering if it has something to do with the stop/start feature. This is my first GLS but third Benz and I have never had this problem with my ML350s on the same hills. I’ll take it in and see what they say.
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Old Sep 30, 2020 | 12:56 PM
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GLS 450
Confirmed same problem.

Originally Posted by Benzorbust
Hello GLS 450 friends:

I am wondering if any of you have experienced this phenomenon. I am stopped on a hill and my GLS 450 is in drive. When the light turns green, and I move my foot from the brake to the gas MY CAR ROLLS BACKWARDS. It happens on small inclines and bigger hills. Of course, it doesn’t happen every single time but when it does I could literally roll into the car behind me! Let me know if this has happened to you. I called the dealer and they said this is normal. I’m pretty sure it’s not.

Thanks!
Yes, I experience the same problem. This is very troubling. Will Mercedes recall this vehicle or pay damages resulting from this imperfection?
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Old Sep 30, 2020 | 02:55 PM
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Not a defect, unless the brake is pressed hard after stopping so as to engage the parking brake the car will roll after just a few seconds. It takes a little practice. Occasionally it can also be a little stubborn. A quick tap after stopping is the correct procedure.
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Old Sep 30, 2020 | 03:28 PM
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GLS 450
As the OP alluded to, start/stop interferes with Hill Start Assist. If you are in say a carpool line on a hill, start/stop will kill the engine, when you then can move forward in the line, you lift your foot off the brake and the car rolls back until the start/stop starts the engine back up. I have seen this happen so many times at my kid's school during pickup with a steep driveway.

I now always disable the start/stop prior to going up that hill.

By the way all cars roll back if start/stop is engaged on this hill. A design flaw in the already annoying start/stop feature.
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