ozc204

Just after telling the "world" I love this car - this morning driving in it threw an ABS- ESP light with the malfunction message saying to take it workshop.
I cannot find a definitive fix or DIY on this fault. There is no dead pedal or non responsive brake system and the steering wheel is still in the straight up position
It could very well be an Aux battery on the way out as it is 12 months old which I will swap out tonight and see if it fixes it
then I find a thread around the brake light switch being faulty which sends a fault code through the SAM what ever that is.

Has there been a common thread/fault that the board users are aware of. Any advice will be appreciated
My car is an 03 with the 5.0L
Peter

Nosmo SL55

Try starting the car and turning the steering wheel from lock to lock. This is a "normalisation" procedure for the ESP that is sometimes required if the battery has been disconnected or power interrupted. See excerpt from manual attached.

Dudeman

That's exactly how my car behaved the first time it did it. The next time, I got the same errors, but this time, I had no brake, well, almost nothing. I had to press the pedal all they way to the floor just so it can slowly stop. Shut the car down, waited a couple of minutes restarted it and it worked like nothing happened. Then 2 months later it did it again. Took it in to the shop and it was the SBC, which Mercedes replaced for free.

Have someone check your SBC. It's probably the beginning of the SBC going out. Luckily, it's covered for 25 years from the date of manufacture.

MB.Owner

This works for me several times, sometimes as you mentioned battery has to be disconnected and reconnected and turning to steering wheel lock to lock to fix the problem.

ozc204

not to doubt but covered for 25 years
how does that work
peter

imtheking

I had the same thing happen about 2 months ago- ESP/ABS lights- restarted car- all good

a week later- SBC error and brakes went out with loud beeping noise- turned car on/off and it went away. Took to the dealer and they replaced SBC for free- SBC is covered under a 25 year unlimited mile warranty

https://diag.net/msg/m3y7g7vpgqbuxu7wn5okyk5szu

pmercury

iTrader: (2)

looks like covered in the USA only
probably risk of being sued

kbob999

ESP-ABS error can be many things.
It is usually the normalization warning for the steering sensor. I may also be a bad ABS sensor or connection. A trip to Autozone to pull codes will probably show the source. If you don't have an SDS, do this first.
Here's a good article and the potential source: http://www.mercedesmedic.com/esp-light-reset/

With brake errors you could be experiencing is the pump motor that runs the SBC is working intermittently. If the pump runs the next time you start the car, it appears 'fixed'.
If it stops, or the car runs low on voltage (bad alternator or battery), it will usually throw a red warning "STOP - do not drive - SBC - Visit workshop".
This is because the SBC pump MUST run to provide the brake by wire pressure to the system. If it does not, the pedal goes to the floor and you have very weak braking. This is the pump you hear when you put your key in position 2 just before start. All SBC parts (pump, reservoir, controls) are covered by the 25 year warranty in the USA. I had a bad reservoir and the dealer replaced ONLY the reservoir, not the whole assembly.

Let us know what your issue was when you get it cleared.

imtheking

Yes- my trunk battery hadn't been replaced in 7 years- I'd get consumer battery offline often- with that, the dealer said this may one reason why the SBC light would come on- low voltage

but they went ahead and replaced SBC anyway- they had 2 codes stored that pointed to bad SBC

A1EK

Hi All

This older thread has been helpful in regards to me new issue I have on my Mercedes SL350 with 180K miles, I have the ESP and ABS light come on my dash and my steering feels heavier.
I thought it may have been down to a low voltage rear battery as I had not used the car for a while and I got the 'convenience functions not available' message, as the battery charged when I drove after 15mins, I turned car off back on and the ABS ESP lights were gone and my steering felt normal again, however when I started car fews hours later the ESP ABS lights were back with heavy steering.

I will plugin my diagnostic and see what I can see today.

I have turned steering wheel all to left and right thinking it could be steering angle sensor, but no joy.
I will check the brake switch as they can cause an error through the system.
I will check each ABS sensor in case one is bad.

Will update soon, let me know if there is anything else I can check.

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

Certainly sounds like a bum battery, though the steering is mechanical, isn't it? Hook up your scan tool and do a SAS calibration.

A1EK

So latest update:
Plugged in my Maxicom and also iCartsoft and both show rear right ABS Speed sensor fault.
Took car for a drive and checked the live data, there is no speed showing on the sensor.
Went to remove it, and its corroded in, so now drilling out.
I have ordered new ABS sensor .
All Fixed now, heres how I resolved:

tooslow964

Brilliant video and guide as per usual.
Could you confirm which Maxicom you use and if you find it better or not than the iCarsoft (which is what I use)
Also I've exactly the same issue, what part number did you order for the sensor ?? Was it A2305402017
Many thanks

A1EK

HI There
I love my iCarsoft and its been a live saver, I still use it in place of my Maxicom sometimes, but the Maxicom is bi-directional and you can programme keys etc, it also does have a deeper set of tools, but depends on the car.
As for the version its a Maxicom Autel MK808, I didn't bother with the bluetooth adaptor, just went with cable as it saved £50
https://amzn.to/3QmYJmz

tooslow964

Many thanks