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I have owned a lot of S-Class cars over the years(and had one "air shock" failure---dropped at that wheel; replaced). This last Sunday we were out to dinner and when returning to the car the front-end was "on the ground"(almost). I got a message on the dash "car too low. do not drive" then "raising the car" but nothing happened. Finally after waiting several minutes with no action, I went to the "raise car" button on the big screen. The front end raised very slowly over the next few minutes and we drove home without incidence. Took the car in to dealer yesterday and they found NOTHING wrong! I guess "hopes and prayers" are in order.
2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
Originally Posted by RGS
I have owned a lot of S-Class cars over the years(and had one "air shock" failure---dropped at that wheel; replaced). This last Sunday we were out to dinner and when returning to the car the front-end was "on the ground"(almost). I got a message on the dash "car too low. do not drive" then "raising the car" but nothing happened. Finally after waiting several minutes with no action, I went to the "raise car" button on the big screen. The front end raised very slowly over the next few minutes and we drove home without incidence. Took the car in to dealer yesterday and they found NOTHING wrong! I guess "hopes and prayers" are in order.
Usually the air suspension does not start to fail until after the warranty period has ended!
That's beyond frustrating. A car that low is a clear sign something's wrong. The system has a slow leak it can't keep up with. The dealer likely didn't find it because the leak is very slow and the car was at normal height when you brought it in.
Tell them to check for soap bubbles around the air struts and air lines. The leak is there, they just need to look harder for it. Don't let them tell you it's fine.
What's the general consensus when it comes to replacing worn out air shocks/bags and lines?
OEM or are there better aftermarket replacement units?
I know I'm thinking way too far in advanced, but I want to know what to expect when the airmatic gives up.
Originally Posted by Alexie
That's beyond frustrating. A car that low is a clear sign something's wrong. The system has a slow leak it can't keep up with. The dealer likely didn't find it because the leak is very slow and the car was at normal height when you brought it in.
Tell them to check for soap bubbles around the air struts and air lines. The leak is there, they just need to look harder for it. Don't let them tell you it's fine.
Great advice. I'd make them look harder as well.
Last edited by nearwater4me; Sep 18, 2025 at 12:41 PM.
I have owned a lot of S-Class cars over the years(and had one "air shock" failure---dropped at that wheel; replaced). This last Sunday we were out to dinner and when returning to the car the front-end was "on the ground"(almost). I got a message on the dash "car too low. do not drive" then "raising the car" but nothing happened. Finally after waiting several minutes with no action, I went to the "raise car" button on the big screen. The front end raised very slowly over the next few minutes and we drove home without incidence. Took the car in to dealer yesterday and they found NOTHING wrong! I guess "hopes and prayers" are in order.
I'm at day three in the shop(RE: front-end drop) and they are finding nothing!
I wanted to throw out a possible theory and see if it made any sense: What if I were to pull into a parking space while the front end was elevated, and I were to have "barely" put some of the front-end frame above the curb AND the car sensed that in the current position the front-end was high. Would it then start releasing air in the front to lower it but since it might be hung up on the curb it would just keep deflating trying to lower? I did not notice "scaping" or a sudden thud when departing but it did seem immediately low and I got the dashboard warning. Thoughts?
What's the general consensus when it comes to replacing worn out air shocks/bags and lines?
OEM or are there better aftermarket replacement units?
I know I'm thinking way too far in advanced, but I want to know what to expect when the airmatic gives up.
Great advice. I'd make them look harder as well.
Go with Arnott aftermarket bags. They're reliable and cheaper than OEM. Many people convert to coil springs for ultimate cost savings, but you lose the air suspension.
I'm at day three in the shop(RE: front-end drop) and they are finding nothing!
I wanted to throw out a possible theory and see if it made any sense: What if I were to pull into a parking space while the front end was elevated, and I were to have "barely" put some of the front-end frame above the curb AND the car sensed that in the current position the front-end was high. Would it then start releasing air in the front to lower it but since it might be hung up on the curb it would just keep deflating trying to lower? I did not notice "scaping" or a sudden thud when departing but it did seem immediately low and I got the dashboard warning. Thoughts?
Suspension height is adjusted according to the level information from level sensors. The car does not raise or lower suspension if it senses a curb under the front or the rear. Also if it did sense a curb under the front end, shouldn't it raise that part of the car instead of lowering it (to keep the floor distance equal)?
Suspension height is adjusted according to the level information from level sensors. The car does not raise or lower suspension if it senses a curb under the front or the rear. Also if it did sense a curb under the front end, shouldn't it raise that part of the car instead of lowering it (to keep the floor distance equal)?
I understand what RGS is trying to describe with his theory.
If the car drove into the curb slightly, causing the front end to rest against the curb or sidewalk surface, the front end would slightly lift up.
The car would then sense (thru the level sensor) the front is slightly lifted, and try to level the vehicle by deflating the front bags.
The car obviously wouldn't lower because it's sitting on the curb and because the car's front doesn't lower to its intended target height, it'll continue to deflate the front bag until depleted.
Once he backs out of the parking spot, the front will drop to the floor because there's no air left in the front bags.
I guess it's feasible, but I would think there's some kind of redundancy to prevent the system from completely deflating the bags. Just a wild guess.
The next time you park the car, listen to it. You will should hear it settle for parking but if it does not there must be a failure somewhere in the line. Normally Mercedes can test each side of the car but sometimes you'd have to look. Alex of Legit Street Cars = Youtube actually does over the ride height system and replace it himself but it failed and found out why and how and explained it all.
i had multiple instances recently dash messages stating either "suspension too low, stop car" or "suspension malfunction, do not exceed 50 mph".
repeated attempts by dealership didn't solve it. first they thought it was the height sensors near the front wheels - replaced them but didn't solve.
on one occasion thought it was fixed, but car would have the same problem intermittently.
if i tried to raise the suspension it would work... sometimes.
one time it i pulled over and found the front lip almost touching the ground... similar to the OP's comment.
see photo below.
then finally on the prior to last repair attempt i noticed the air lift was quite loud when i tried to lift.... almost a grinding sound. could definitely hear it from the exterior... and also notice from the interior.
sometimes it would make that noise when attempting to raise the suspension... but wouldn't raise at all!
finally they figured out the compressor went bad.
replaced.... no more messages, lifts without noises... so far.
3 attempts by these dealership idiots
Last edited by tonupbklyn; Oct 22, 2025 at 09:33 PM.
i had multiple instances recently dash messages stating either "suspension too low, stop car" or "suspension malfunction, do not exceed 50 mph".
repeated attempts by dealership didn't solve it. first they thought it was the height sensors near the front wheels - replaced them but didn't solve.
on one occasion thought it was fixed, but car would have the same problem intermittently.
if i tried to raise the suspension it would work... sometimes.
one time it i pulled over and found the front lip almost touching the ground... similar to the OP's comment.
see photo below.
then finally on the prior to last repair attempt i noticed the air lift was quite loud when i tried to lift.... almost a grinding sound. could definitely hear it from the exterior... and also notice from the interior.
sometimes it would make that noise when attempting to raise the suspension... but wouldn't raise at all!
finally they figured out the compressor went bad.
replaced.... no more messages, lifts without noises... so far.
3 attempts by these dealership idiots
It’s ridiculous that they couldn’t find the issue with the compressor after seeing the car in that state.
That’s slammed to the ground.
im glad they FINALLY figured it out.
but this recent incident is what's giving me hesitation on trying the ghost links... cuz the car's sensors and software could act funky based on car's height not matching what's pre-programmed for each drive mode.
altho i have yet to find users of them citing any issues like this... maybe I'm just being paranoid.
If there is one thing that gives me pause on owning these cars longterm, is the airmatic suspension. I’ve heard and read that the replacement cost for the suspension is very expensive.
Is the airmatic a common failure point on these heavy cars? How much does it cost to replace one failed unit?
I had the exact same problem with my 2019 S Class ... had to get new electronic suspension struts, which ended up costing $7k.... You can still drive the car, you will just need to wait until the car raises every time you get into the car, which was too annoying for me to deal with.
I had the exact same problem with my 2019 S Class ... had to get new electronic suspension struts, which ended up costing $7k.... You can still drive the car, you will just need to wait until the car raises every time you get into the car, which was too annoying for me to deal with.
Both struts where bad? I have has one go out, but two?
My original problem, entire front-end to the ground has not happened again and MB service found no issue, so keep fingers crossed.
Both struts where bad? I have has one go out, but two?
My original problem, entire front-end to the ground has not happened again and MB service found no issue, so keep fingers crossed.
it’s probably a glitch if both dropped at the same time and never happened again.
I have a friend who came to my house garage to check his X6 (rear air suspension slammed) as I have ISTA software license. We couldn’t find anything wrong and it never happened again. We concluded it was probably a glitch. It’s been 8-10 weeks since then.
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