2019 MERCEDES-BENZ C 300 Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking Problems

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving normally one day, the vehicle randomly lost power steering. There were messages for the brake assist and the rear sensors displayed. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering rack failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V850000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not cover the repair because the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING ENGAGES UNNECESSARILY WHEN DRIVING UNDER CHICAGO'S ELEVATED TRAIN TRACKS AND SIMILAR OVERHEAD STRUCTURES. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN DRIVING ON WABASH AVE IN CHICAGO'S DOWNTOWN LOOP, OR ON LOWER WACKER DRIVE, THE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING ENGAGES WHEN THERE IS NO RISK OF A COLLISION, PARADOXICALLY CREATING A DANGEROUS DRIVING SITUATION. THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE THIS HAPPENS IN OTHER SIMILAR VEHICLES, AND WHEN I BROUGHT THE ISSUE TO THEIR ATTENTION, SUGGESTED I MERELY CHANGED ROUTES.