NHTSA Complaint #10915378 — 2002 MERCEDES BENZ SLK320

THE BAS/ESP LIGHT AND SUDDEN BRAKING JUST OCCURRED TODAY(10.11.16) ON OUR 2002 MERCEDES BENZ SLK 320. THIS HAPPENED THREE TIMES IN ABOUT AN HOUR OF DRIVING ON CITY STREETS BETWEEN 15 AND 45 MPH. ONE OCCURRENCE WAS WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT, THE OTHER TWO HAPPENED WHILE CHANGING LANES IN MOVING TRAFFIC. THE EXPERIENCE TODAY WAS THAT THE CAR HAD A BRIEF MOMENTARY HARD BRAKING. FIRST ON THE LEFT FRONT AND THEN THE RIGHT FRONT (2 SEPARATE TIMES). EACH WAS A SEPARATE INCIDENT AND EACH TIME THE BAS/ESP LIGHT LIT UP AFTERWARD. AFTER INTERNET RESEARCH, IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG THE SLK LINE AND POSSIBLY EXTENDS TO OTHER MODELS. IN MERCEDES BENZ ONLINE COMMUNITIES, MANY OTHERS HAVE STATED EXPERIENCING THIS SAME PROBLEM. THERE ARE APPARENTLY NUMEROUS POTENTIAL REMEDIES. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THE CULPRITS(S) COULD BE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, NUMEROUS SENSORS MALFUNCTIONING. I.E.: YAW SENSOR, LATERAL ACCELERATION SENSOR, STEERING ANGLE SENSOR, BAS RELEASE SWITCH, MAF SENSOR, ROTATIONAL SPEED SENSOR, TO NAME A FEW. THIS SEEMS TO BE OCCURRING OFTEN ENOUGH TO DEMAND A RECALL.