HSESL500MB

At times, the SRS light on the dash of my '05 SL500 will come on when I first start up the car. While it's on, certain functions cannot be operated like the wipers, auto headlights, heated seats, COMAND (intermittenly). At times, the roll-bar light will come on at the same time which results in a very fast clicking sound right behind the driver's head. If I turn the car off and then back on, the SRS light will, sometimes but not always, go away and all functions will be operable. Any thoughts?

m4xm1l10n

I remember a thread on this. it's a module located behind the driver seat that needs to be changed , try searching the entire SL230 threads . sorry that is the only info i have .

HSESL500MB

Hopefully the module you're referring to is the Central Gateway Control because that's what my local dealership ended up replacing as well as the main battery, all in warranty (whew). After 20 miles of driving it the problem appears to be resolved.

pwong108

Hello everyone. This is my very first post on this forum. I have a 2005 SL with exactly the same problem. Initially the dealer could not find anything wrong with the car at all, and suggested it might be the main (trunk) battery. I had the battery replaced. It appeared to work fine for about a week and the same problem returned. I am afraid to go back to the dealer and have them start a witch hunt. What and where is the Central Gateway Control? Is it the same as the Central Computer Unit? Thank!

HSESL500MB

Just an update but the fix only lasted for about 3 days and has now returned in spades. Back to the dealer I go.

HSESL500MB

Just got the SL500 back from the dealer this morning and they replaced the Electronic Ignition Switch. Looks like they spent just over 5 hours to diagnose/correct the problem this time (excluding the first two visits for the same issue). They also replaced the SAM Control Module and Relay Module. I'll keep you posted on whether the problem is gone for good.

HSESL500MB

Just an update: It's been slightly over one week and the problem has resurfaced so it would appear that the EIS was the culprit.

Rook3300

@HSESL500MB, the problem "has" or "has not" resurfaced? Are you saying it wasn't fixed by replacing the EIS module?

Rook

HSESL500MB

Sorry for the mistype. The problem has NOT resurfaced and would appear the EIS was defective.

bosbaird

I have a 2005 sl500, and had the exact same symptoms. SRS light on, wipers didn't work, rollback light flickering, clicking noise behind the seat, no command, no radio, no gps.
Solution was to replace front SAM, and EIS module. Unfortunately, I was no longer under warranty. Labor was 4 hours, SAM $500, EIS $450. Replaced SAM first because dealer couldn't get proper diagnostics, then with the new SAM, dealer saw the codes identifying that the EIS needed replacement. Works fine now. thanks for the info.

hezman

Have been experiencing exactly the same problem with my 2007 SL550. Wondering if the Electronic Ignition Switch fix permanently resolved the problem. Appreciate any response.........thanks!

EUPremier

Hi, I just joined the forum having bought a ''05 SL350 last week...

The car was left in a dealer's yard, idle, for 6 months and was a bit damp... I've given it lot of TLC & put a dehumidifier into both the cabin and rear to get rid of any remaining moisture.

In any event, I'm having the same issue as you:

SRS Light
Roll Bar light
Wipers don't work when SRS light on

I had flickering of dash LCD displays but charging consumers battery seems to have corrected that.

I don't want to go guessing at solutions and replacing expensive parts only to have the problem recur!

Have you had any luck, did you replace the EIS or SAM or both?

hezman

EUPremier -

Replaced relay (002 542 72 19)....did not fix the problem; replaced EIS as last-ditch effort for this annoying problem. This was done in April and problem has not reocurred - car is running great.

rdevany@comcast

1++ on the EIS. Same symptoms/intermittently. Replaced the EIS about 2 years ago. No problems since. Dealer's computer diagnostics did not detect.

EUPremier

Thank you for the replies folks.

Some others have been quering my SAM health but stealer says they're fine.

Will ask them to investigate the EIS and hopefully underwrite it as a solution -surely a MB dealer should warrantee repairs to be satisfactory and fit for purpose...

Cheers,

Greg

techcon1

Had the same problem with the SRS light, wipers, lighter, and Roll bar clicking! Saw the suggestion that the EIS (electronic ignition switch) could be bad! I bought a can of high pressure air used to blow off computer key boards and blew it in the ignition switch. It seemed to help a little! Then I closely examined the key to find that it had some wear and there was a crack in the panic button! I took the spare key from the glove box and started using it and the problem stopped! This problem occurred almost daily, it's been three weeks and the problem has not reoccurred!
Techcon1

techcon1

Another clue! I had discovered that using the spare key seemed to solve the problem! After about a month of no problems the "please wait" for a couple of seconds when the key was in the start position. It dawned on me that every time it had ever happened before the scroll position on the steering wheel was set to "Audio", which of course is one of the malfunctions seen with the RSR issue! I switched to the Mileage/Temperature setting and it doesn't even hesitate now. This all indicates that it is the EIS switch! I wonder if, when it happens, you change to the Mileage/Temperature position on the steering wheel and then try to restart it, it would bypass or eliminate the SRS problem! If anybody is having this problem I would be interested if it's an immediate fix! Thanks

seven_out

Your conclusion that your EIS is bad is intuitive to me, but I failed to follow your logic.

At any rate, if the SRS light is on as a consequence of a defective EIS, then the cause is an under-voltage condition. Therefore, why not invest $5-$10 in a basic electronic multimeter and measure voltages on the circuits that are powered by the EIS? It's effortless work and may decisively identify your problem.

There are companies that repair EIS units for much less than the cost of a new replacement.

Late

If the dealer is not finding the EIS code your SAM needs to be replaced as well. I had this issue as well and thankfully my service advisor had the same car as me with the same problem a few months earlier. The SAM wasn't reading the code but we changed the EIS and the problem went away.

I would advise anyone NOT to go that route and to change the SAM at the same time. A faulty SAM causes lots of major problems including complete brake failure while driving. Very Scary stuff.

Gnuface

Hi, couple of questions on this fix


Has everyone who has replaced the 'Electronic Ignition Switch' had a trouble free car since?


Has anyone had the 'Electronic Ignition Switch' repaired rather than replaced? If so do you not what components were replaced?


Thanks

Heatwave

Does anyone have a response to Gnuface's Nov. 6, 2014, post regarding EIS replacement?

I have an '07 SL550 that does the same things everyone else reports: SRS malfunction light ... wipers won't work ... clicking in vicinity of rollbar.

Is the ultimate solution for this problem simply a new ignition key?

Gnuface

Just thought I would come back on this one, still no real answers but my
car has been trouble free for several months now but I do not know why!!


I have searched Mercedes data base and cannot find a reference to this problem, others have gone quiet perhaps they have sold their cars?


No definite answers, very frustrating.
In some ways it looks like poor software that under certain conditions the fault is thrown up - don't know how to prove that one.


Did your problem start after an event eg a service?

Heatwave

Many thanks for your timely response, Mate.

I bought this car just a few weeks ago from CarMax, and the SRS fix is going to be on CarMax's dime. CarMax also owes me a second key ... they told me to get a new key made by a dealership and they would reimburse me for the cost. I live about an hour's drive from the dealership; I haven't driven up to get the key yet, but I will as soon as this crappy weather clears.

The car had only had 32,500 miles on it. Everything appears in perfect condition and there's clear evidence it must have been garaged all the time. MB pulled up the maintenance history for me and there's nothing remarkable there; all the maintenance services were performed on time by an MB dealer. I toggled through the GPS system's list of destinations and addresses, including the home address. Without saying more, it's safe to say that the car lived in an exceptionally nice neighborhood and it was well treated.

The SRS malfunction warning, and the resulting loss of wipers (and maybe more ... I haven't tried every button and switch while the SRS warning is visible) just appeared out of the blue a week or so after I bought the car. CarMax took the car to an MB dealership ... they replaced the passenger seat's "person aboard" stuff and returned the car to me with no SRS warning.

I had to drive 250+ miles for a funeral earlier this week. The car worked perfectly until I made a stop for supper. When I restarted the car the SRS warning reappeared. So I tried getting out, counting to 100 slowly, getting back in, buckling the seatbelt first, then inserting the key and starting up. Again ... SRS warning was displayed. I tried again. Same results. So I drove on. About 20 minutes later rain began falling. I tried the wipers ... no joy. No wipers, no matter how I manipulated the wiper stalk. But activating the wipers caused the Roll Bar Warning yellow light to appear and produced an audible rapid clicking from somewhere behind me ... I don't know if it was the roll bar mechanism or the seat belt tensioning system or what. I tried snatching the seatbelt away from my chest (but without unlatching the belt) ... the inertial lock system worked perfectly; when I released the belt, it snapped back into position across my chest.

I endured driving at night without wipers for about 30-40 minutes. Then ... just out of the blue ... the SRS warning disappeared and the wipers worked perfectly when I turned them on.

Pretty much the same sequence of events occurred as I drove back home yesterday: car worked perfectly until I made a gas stop after an hour or so ... SRS warning on the dash when I restarted, and no wipers. After a half hour or so, the light went out and the wipers returned.

I drove the car this morning ... it started right up, no SRS warning, wipers worked in the rain. I made two stops while out. The SRS light did not come on when I restarted the car each time.

The new key may be solution. Seems odd ... but others have posted that it worked for them. We shall see. Meantime, I'm curious as to why MB doesn't seem to know anything about this problem ... it's clearly a life-safety issue.

Gnuface

Ok lets hope they can crack the fault while under warranty. I have tried the
key change thing, seemed to work for a while but fault came back.
I have only had it one time when it lasted for more than a couple of
minutes. Must be a bit scary without wipers!


Please keep us up to date with anything you find out. Thanks


Unfortunately the fault can go away for a month or more at a time in my case.

Heatwave

I have tried the key change thing, seemed to work for a while but fault came back.

I wish you hadn't told me that.

I'm going to report this to NHTSA's Safe Car website. Maybe MB knows more than it's telling us.