NHTSA Complaint #10348202 — 2000 MERCEDES BENZ M CLASS

I WAS DRIVING MY 2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML 430 AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, WHEN WITHOUT ANY WARNING LIGHTS BEING DISPLAYED IT ABRUPTLY STOPPED. THE BRAKE PEDAL HAD NOT BEEN DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE THEN SKIDDED, STOPPED, SKIDDED AGAIN AND STOPPED. THIS WENT ON FOR APPROXIMATELY 45-60 SECONDS THEN THE BAS ESP MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS THEN ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WHILE THE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ON 4 SEPARATE OCCASIONS AND HAVE ALMOST BEEN INVOLVED IN THREE ACCIDENTS WHICH ALL COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL BECAUSE THE VEHICLE STOPS COMPLETELY, IT DOES NOT SLOW DOWN THEN STOP, IT STOPS. I WAS ADVISED TO CHANGE THE TIRES AND HAVE THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH REPLACED. I DID BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THREE CERTIFIED MECHANICS THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE A DEFECT WITH OR WITHIN MY ABS SYSTEM BECAUSE EVEN IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH MY ABS SYSTEM THE CAR SHOULD NOT ABRUPTLY STOP WHILE BEING DRIVEN AND IT SEEMS THAT THE ABS SYSTEM IS WORKING IN REVERSE ORDER BECAUSE THE MALFUNCTION LIGHTS ILLUMINATE AFTER THE MALFUNCTION OCCURS. THE ABRUPT STOPPING OF THE VEHICLE WHILE BEING DRIVEN IS DANGEROUS AND CAN CAUSE A FATALITY OR SERIOUS BODILY INJURY. I HAVE MY OLD BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH BUT DO NOT HAVE THE TIRES THAT WERE REPLACED. *TR