ABS/ESP Lights - SAM Code
2018 GLE350 went in for a rim replacement (front passenger side) and replacement of the center console touch pad. Driving the car home from the dealership the dashboard lit up with ABS lights and other errors. Turn back to the dealer and we scanned...came back with the following issues...
Front SAM Code:
- C107D86 - circuit 54 implausible
ESP CU:
- C018300 Brake light short to ground
- C030A00 S9/1 brake lamp switch is implausible
We drove the vehicle with the diagnostic tools hooked up and it seems that the "High" switch is showing Actuated in the ESP when the brake pedal is not depressed and that is throwing the codes. "low" switch functions properly. Its intermittent but happens quickly once vehicle is started. Replaced the brake light switch and that did not correct the issue. We also removed the entire center console and tried to drive the car with all those disconnected and it did not correct the issue.
My hunch is something was wacked when the rim was replaced...any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.




2018 GLE350 went in for a rim replacement (front passenger side) and replacement of the center console touch pad.
Driving the car home from the dealership the dashboard lit up with ABS lights and other errors. Turn back to the dealer and we scanned...came back with the following issues...
Front SAM Code:
- C107D86 - circuit 54 implausible
ESP CU:
- C018300 Brake light short to ground
- C030A00 S9/1 brake lamp switch is implausible
We drove the vehicle with the diagnostic tools hooked up and it seems that the "High" switch is showing Actuated in the ESP when the brake pedal is not depressed and that is throwing the codes. "low" switch functions properly. Its intermittent but happens quickly once vehicle is started. Replaced the brake light switch and that did not correct the issue. We also removed the entire center console and tried to drive the car with all those disconnected and it did not correct the issue.
My hunch is something was wacked when the rim was replaced...any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
I think the answer lies between SAM & ESP. I side with F-SAM driving ESP crazy with bad data... try to reboot this car with a 5mn battery disconnect.
> Searching for the hidden cause:
Then reset OBD then scan for a couple days driving cycles to see what's happening throughout your buses.
Look at ESP "live data" to see what bad input may be causing it to error out. ESP is a honest module built tough to be reliable, you can bank something external is the upsetting cause.
Follow the trail...
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; Mar 21, 2022 at 03:55 AM.
2018 GLE350 went in for a rim replacement (front passenger side) and replacement of the center console touch pad. Driving the car home from the dealership the dashboard lit up with ABS lights and other errors. Turn back to the dealer and we scanned...came back with the following issues...
Front SAM Code:
- C107D86 - circuit 54 implausible
ESP CU:
- C018300 Brake light short to ground
- C030A00 S9/1 brake lamp switch is implausible
We drove the vehicle with the diagnostic tools hooked up and it seems that the "High" switch is showing Actuated in the ESP when the brake pedal is not depressed and that is throwing the codes. "low" switch functions properly. Its intermittent but happens quickly once vehicle is started. Replaced the brake light switch and that did not correct the issue. We also removed the entire center console and tried to drive the car with all those disconnected and it did not correct the issue.
My hunch is something was wacked when the rim was replaced...any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
Did you ever get to the bottom of this issue? I am having the same issue on my 2014 E350 BlueTec. Exact same error codes and same live data in Xentry.
I also checked the live data for SAMR and it is getting 10.5v when the brake is pressed and the CAN bus signal is changing to 'Actuated' when brake is pressed. There is a message in the live data for SAMR which states the Rear SAM "receives signal 'Brake light (circuit 54)' from control unit 'N47-5 (ESP, SPS [PML] and BAS control unit)". N47-5 is the ESP/ABS module on some MB's but my car has N30/4 (..I assume Xentry is just generalising and I can insert N30/4 where Xentry is saying N47-5).
Thanks in advance.
That said, I would check the wheel speed sensor. The brake light switch seems to be working if the Rear SAM detects a change, but that doesn't meant it's not failing.
Beyond that, you may need to get a circuit diagram and start tracing wires looking for a bad connection or damaged wire.
That said, I would check the wheel speed sensor. The brake light switch seems to be working if the Rear SAM detects a change, but that doesn't meant it's not failing.
Beyond that, you may need to get a circuit diagram and start tracing wires looking for a bad connection or damaged wire.
I checked Starfinder and no sign of N47-5 for the W212.
I previously checked actual values for the wheel speed sensors and they all matched (notwithstanding small variance which is to be expected) and all were within their expected range. There are also no DTCs pointing to wheel speed sensors faults.
Would this rule out wheel speed sensors as being the culprit?
As for the brake light switch, I installed a new genuine one recently, to no avail. I also noted the one I removed was genuine with a production date in 2020 (my car is 2014). I since spoke with the previous owner by email who said this has been a longstanding issue and that he went to an auto electrician who charged him a fortune but didn’t actually fix it.
The wiring diagram shows the brake light switch going direct to the ESP module under the bonnet. Four wires, a power, ground, High signal and Low signal, I believe. See image attached. I assume it goes from the ESP module to the Rear SAM then.
When I check actual values for the Rear SAM it is registering when the brake is actuated, which tells me there is a signal going from the brake switch to the ESP module then to the Rear SAM.
But perhaps only one signal is needed for the Rear SAM (e.g., Low signal) and the issue is with the High signal. I am just guessing.
This image shows S9/1 brake light switch going direct to N30/4 ESP module:
Would this rule out wheel speed sensors as being the culprit?
Post your VIN and I will see what XENTRY Simulation does.
Last edited by JettaRed; Mar 16, 2025 at 10:20 AM.
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Problem is I don’t have that intermediate connector. I even tried running a test wire but cannot disassemble the connector going to the ESP module, presumably for safety reasons (i.e., it is not rebuildable).
I can PM you my VIN if you think you get dig further for me (?).
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For the ESP module, There are no "C" faults listed or any that start with 0. I will keep looking.
On this screen, before you run any scans, select Customer Complaints on the left (car with exclamation mark). Follow the instructions.




So the input does not depend on SAM but ESP still complain it's faulty despite new sensor module.
Fault is with chassis side, causing sensor error!
What do we know does that very well ???
Painter GND!
Let's do some necessary GND post Maintenance:
- Disconnect both batteries
- Clean up the painted GND post (under hood + foot well)
- Power up chassis
- Reset faults
- Scan
Take the time to trace the diagram to identify exactly what GND post feeds your Brake sensor.
Hope this help cancel that built-in defect for ya.
🤞
> SHORTCUT step:
Only reboot maybe enough without any GND Cleaning. Then that would be totally variable voltage threshold related and not even painted GND.
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; Mar 16, 2025 at 11:56 AM.





