NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE10-050: Brake lamp switch failure.
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE10-050 on December 21, 2010 and closed it on May 4, 2011. NHTSA's investigations file lists 5 Mercedes Benz models for it and links recall 11V-208 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE10-050 (also written PE10050)
- Investigation type
- Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
- Status
- Closed May 4, 2011
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
- Components
- Exterior Lighting — Brake Lights — Switch; Service Brakes, Hydraulic; Vehicle Speed Control; Vehicle Speed Control — Cruise Control
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 11V-208: CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM/BRAKE SWITCH FAILURE, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 5 Mercedes Benz models, including the M Class and ML320
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE10-050.
ODI opened the investigation based on reports that the subject vehicle brake lamp switch (switch) failure caused 1) inoperative brake lamps (stay on or fail to illuminate), and/or 2) shift interlock failure (shifter locked in park), and/or 3) the cruise control to fail to cancel with brake application.
Consumers also reported the illumination of a warning lamp on the instrument panel.
The switch contains three sets of electrical contacts and a (normally extended) spring loaded plunger that actuates the contacts as it moves.
As installed in the vehicle, the plunger contacts the brake pedal arm and is pushed into the switch; as the driver applies the pedal the plunger extends.
One set of contacts (BLS) operates the stop lamps, a second set (EWM) controls the shift interlock system, and a third set (BS) is used by an on-board diagnostic (OBD) system to monitor switch operation.
The cruise control monitors the BLS signal to determine when the brake is applied, the primary way the system is disabled when set.
The relative timing of contact actuation in response to plunger movement allows the OBD system to detect a switch fault.
When a fault is detected a malfunction indication lamp (MIL) is illuminated (driver alert), a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) is stored (for the service technician), and cruise control operation is inhibited (as a failsafe).
In its response to ODI's January 2011 information request letter, MB explained its assessment of switch failures which was based primarily on evaluation of field return failures.
MB identified both 1) electrical contact and 2) mechanical switch failure mechanisms.
According to MB's analysis, electrical contact failure is the predominate failure type and the failure consequence depends on which contact fails.
For instance MB claims that BLS contact failures are momentary in nature and do not affect brake light operation but are nonetheless detected by the OBD system, resulting in a DTC and subsequent replacement.
Electrical contact failures of the BS and EWM contacts result in a DTC also, and EWM contact failures result in the shifter being stuck in the park (which can be overridden by the consumer).
Accordingly MB maintains that electrical contact failures of the switch have no safety consequence since the brake lamps remain operational and the cruise control is always disabled.
MB determined that mechanical failures of the switch, which are rare in their assessment, can result from internal wear and/or increased switch operating temperatures.
High temperatures occur due to overheating of the BLS contacts and can cause the internal plastic components to melt.
In one scenario overheated BLS contacts may melt to the extended plunger and are damaged when the brake pedal is released resulting in the brake lights staying on.
In another scenario the increased temperatures and/or internal wear can cause the plunger to stick in the fully depressed position.
In this case the cruise may not cancel when the brake is applied and the driver may have to use high brake pedal forces or other means (shifting to neutral or using the cruise master switch) to disengage the cruise.
Additionally the vacuum assist can be depleted if the driver pumps the brakes resulting in reduced braking effectiveness and even higher pedal forces.
In its March 31, 2011 defect notification, MB stated that to remediate the potential need for excessive brake force it would conduct a safety recall (11V-208) to replace the switch with a more robustly designed component.
The recall includes 136,751 model year 2000 - 2002 M-Class and model year 2000 - 2004 M-Class AMG vehicles.
Owner notification letters will be mailed
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE10-050. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Mercedes Benz VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE10-050
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.