The brake fluid lines rusted. The front line, due to the rusted hole, leaked brake fluid to the point that the car had little to no braking ability. In addition, the computer warning did not activate. The car was taken to the dealer, where they verified that the computer warning did not activate, and that the brake fluid had bleed out causing the vehicle to have no brakes. This is a dangerous situation! The car is a little over 10 years old, has about 54,000 miles. Had I been on the highway and tried to make a hard stop, I could have had a terrible accident. The dealer now has the car for repairs, but there are many other E350 that have posted online that they have had an identical situation where the brake fluid lines have rusted out! This leaves the driver, without any warning, to be put in a life threating situation!

- Rochester, MI, USA

Complete system brake failure. Brake lines are completely corroded.

- Hockessin, DE, USA

My break-??s completely failed with no warning signs while I was driving on the freeway. About 6 months ago my driver side break lines were rusted and had a leak in the line causing my brakes to fail. The line was replaced with nickel copper lines and on Sunday when driving the car at 40 mph for ten minutes and the breaks began to fail. As I pulled over to get to safety after parking the car the check BREAK fluid level warning came on the dashboard. I got the car towed to my house and the following morning I added brake fluid the following and realized it-??s leaking near the rear brake line on the driver side. But why and how?

- Methuen, MA, USA

Corrosion in rear brake line. Brought car for warranty service for rear subframe corrosion at a Mercedes dealership, and the service advisor noted corrosion in rear brake line. Researched online and another complaint for same issue was denied in October 14, 2020 (85 FR 65136). A website [XXX] lists anecdotal evidence of complaints following the initial investigation. Since it is the same problem effecting same model year as the subframe, further investigation seems warranted. Before being brought in, the car fishtailed, which could have been due to the defective subframe. No lights or warnings. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Arlington, VA, USA

Brake fluid low light came on. Brake peddle was low. I brought it to dealer and said brake line was corroded and leaking. I have read that this is a problem with this year model.

- Schenectady, NY, USA

On July 5, 2023, I was driving my 2013 Mercedes E350, when a red text warning appeared in the speedometer display: "BRAKE Check Brake Fluid Level". I immediately took my car to the dealer's repair shop at Contemporary Motor Cars in Little Silver, NJ. Their mechanic inspected and found that both rear brake lines were leaking and needed to be replaced. I requested that they do the necessary repairs. The total cost I paid was $2309.18. My car has 106,352 miles driven. In my 50+ years of driving, I have never experienced such a serious failure in the many cars I previously owned. Subsequently I did some research and found the the NHTSA denied a Defect Petition DP20-004 for a complaint that had been filed by Mr. Surjit Singh for the same failure in his 2013 Mercedes E350. I also found many other on-line complaints about leaking rear brakes lines in 2013 model Mercedes E350 cars. I recommend the NHTSA re-investigate this serious car defect.

- Red Bank, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle veered into another lane. Additionally, while her son was driving at high speeds, he detected a shimmy in the front end. While approaching a stop, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle was slow to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear subframe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired under warranty. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

- Arlington, MA, USA

I have a pre owned 2013 Mercedes Benz E-Class 4 Matic. This car runs beautifully and has been not missed a service appt since I took ownership in 2016. September 2022, the cars break light came on, took it to Mercedes Benz Natick, Ma and they states the cars brake lines were heavily corroded and was unsafe to drive. It was leaking brake fluid as well. Upon doing extensive research it seems to be a trend with this years model due to the material that Mercedes Benz used instead of the brake lines used in previous models that had no issues at all. It is a safety issue and they are endangering lives due to the poor quality material that they used for the brake lines.

- Holliston, MA, USA

We have been told by our Mercedes Auto Repair shop and subsequently confirmed by two additional auto repair shops, that our rear sub frame has deteriorated and that the steel brakes lines are also rusting creating a very dangerous situation. We were warned to drive straight home and not to drive it again. We have also been told that this is a "known" problem with Mercedes C and E class cars and that the sub frame deteriorates from the inside out and has nothing to do with salt on the roads or snow or ice. Had we not brought it in for the usual oil change and check up we could have been killed. We understand that there are recalls in the UK, Canada, Ireland, and other countries but not in the US. The repair is $7,000+ and the wait for the part is approximately 6 months. Why is there no recall in the US" We have read numerous reports on the Menz World Forum with the same issue. I would like to file a complaint as someone could be killed and Mercedes is not addressing this hazardous issue. Does someone have to die before it is recalled"

- Ho Ho Kus, NJ, USA

While using the adaptive cruise system (Distronic plus) on an open section of interstate highway the system will act as though it detects cars where there are none. Sometimes this will result in a slight slowing down of the car without the braking warning signal, but sometimes the braking warning signal will come on and is followed by aggressive braking for no apparent reason. This has happened several times where the system falsely detects the need to decelerate on its own when there is nothing in the road to cause it.

- Manchester, NH, USA

Brake line from master cylinder to rear wheels rotten, started leaking. Vehecle has 35000 miles, according to viti mecedes Benz dealer, this is an on going problem that they reported in the past, nothing has been done to fix the problem.

- Assonet, MA, USA

I I get in a minor accident when my brakes failed and Mercedes Benz charge me $8000 to fix it. I am [xxx] and drive about 4000 miles ayear. Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Staten Island, NY, USA

I took my car in for its annual service on January 21, 2021, and was told that the rear subframe and brake lines were so badly rusted that the car was unsafe to drive. The entire subframe and rear left and right brake lines had to be replaced at a cost of $5,300 (Mercedes Benz usa gave me a "good will" discount so I paid less than that amount). I am the original owner of this vehicle and I take meticulous care of it. It is parked in a garage, receives every recommended maintenance check at the same mechanic (euro motorcars bethesda, md) and has low mileage for its age. Only one year and 7,000 miles had elapsed between the car's last service and the discovery of the corrosion. In other words, in just one year the subframe of the car corroded to the extent that it was so unsafe to drive that according to the mechanic I am lucky that I did not get into an accident. I have owned many cars throughout my life for upwards of 10 years and none of them have had rust corrosion issues. I have to believe that there was something defective with the materials Mercedes Benz used on this vehicle's subframe. The NHTSA database shows that another person with the same vehicle (who coincidentally seems to have purchased his car at the same dealership where I purchased mine - euro motorcars bethesda) also filed a complaint for the exact same issue. How many other owners have had this problem but don't know that they can file a safety complaint with the NHTSA? the mechanic took a short video of the corrosion that I am not attaching to this complaint; please contact me if you would like me to send it.

- Garrett Park, MD, USA

I was driving and almost hit the car in front of me and the brakes light went on "low fluid" taking it to manhattan Benz and they charge me $8614.50 because they have to replace all the rusted brake lines. Iam 80 and max. Driving 5000miles/yr

- Staten Island, NY, USA

I have a model year 2013 Mercedes E350 that has a safety defect with rusted brake lines that should be investigated by your Agency. During a recent visit to the Mercedes dealer (euromotorcars in bethesda, Maryland), I was informed that my car has severely rusted brake lines that need to be replaced immediately at a cost of about $3300. I subsequently had my car inspected by an independent repair shop (star car auto service in rockville, Maryland) that confirmed the dealer's diagnosis that the brake lines are rusted and need to be replace. The service advisor at the dealership told me he has seen this issue on many cars like mine. As a retired senior, I have owed numerous vehicles (one car I owned for over thirty years) and never had to have the brake lines replaced on any of my cars. Having to replace the brake line on a seven year old car with only 37,000 miles is not acceptable by any standard and should be investigated by your Agency. I have attached the estimate from the dealer and pictures taken by the dealer of the rusted brake lines. I am concerned for my family's safety and for others on the road as a brake line failure could cause a serious accident resulting in injury or death. Please look into this serious issue of rusting brake lines on my 2013 Mercedes E350.

- Potomac, MD, USA