NHTSA Complaint #10478258 — 2000 MERCEDES BENZ ML430

ON FRIDAY (09-28-2012 02:35 PM), I WAS DRIVING AND ABOUT 30 MILES NE OF DALLAS, TX, I WAS TRAVELING ON SOUTH BOUND HIGHWAY 75. I WAS IN THE CENTER LANE OF A THREE LANE HWY 75 SOUTH BOUND AND I HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 65 MPH. ALL THE SUDDEN, MY SUV STARTED BRAKING AND I SAW THE SPEEDOMETER DROP FROM 65 DOWN AND I COULD HEAR MY TIRES CATCHING AS IT WAS BRAKING BUT I DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH MY VEHICLE. I TRIED THE GAS PEDAL TWICE BUT NO RESPONSE AND I SWITCHED ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS. LUCKILY THE MINIVAN BEHIND ME WAS ABLE TO REDUCE SPEED AND AS I WATCHED THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE DROP BELOW 20 MPH, MY SUV QUIT BREAKING. I WAS ABLE TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE (PER USUAL) AND EXITED OFF THE FIRST CHANCE I GOT. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND CALLED MY MERCEDES MECHANIC ASKING IF HE KNEW WHAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM I JUST EXPERIENCED. I MENTIONED THAT THE DRIVERS INSTRUMENT PANEL SHOWED THE BAS/ESP INDICATOR LIGHT. MY MECHANIC ASKED IF MY SUV WAS WORKING OKAY AND IF SO, HE RECOMMENDED I TURN AROUND AND HEAD BACK TO TULSA. I GOT BACK WITH NO SUDDEN BREAKING PROBLEMS AND TOOK MY SUV INTO THE SHOP ON MONDAY (10-01-2012 08:00 AM). I GOT IT BACK LATER THAT AFTERNOON AND THEY NOTED THE REPAIR REASON WAS THEY HAD REINITIALIZED THE YAW SENSOR. I DID A GOOGLE SEARCH AND FOUND YOUR WEBSITE DESCRIBING MY EXPERIENCE EXACTLY AND I CAN SAY MY SUDDEN BREAKING EXPERIENCE WAS MORE THAN .03 SECONDS. *TR