# 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class - No brakes

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-mercedes-benz-sl-class-no-brakes/188254>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** mercedes-benz\
**Created:** [January 2, 2023, 4:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-mercedes-benz-sl-class-no-brakes/188254 "2023-01-02T04:32:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-mercedes-benz-sl-class-no-brakes/188254/21 "2023-01-05T21:42:54Z")

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I wonder what sensors they use? Brake hydraulic fluid pressure? Pad position sensors? Pad-to-disk force sensors? Along with wheel rpm sensors of course. Fun to speculate.

I wouldn’t guess a brake sensor failure would lead to a no-brakes-at-all symptom. But I wouldn’t guess that a simple airspeed sensor failure could cause a commercial jetliner crash either.

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**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-mercedes-benz-sl-class-no-brakes/188254/22 "2023-01-05T21:54:23Z")

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George, meet Wiki:  
[Sensotronic Brake Control - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensotronic_Brake_Control)

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**Author:** ![p.g.i.holmes\_156524](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@p.g.i.holmes\_156524](https://community.cartalk.com/u/p.g.i.holmes_156524)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-mercedes-benz-sl-class-no-brakes/188254/23 "2023-01-08T18:52:34Z")

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That Wiki entry is well written.  
Especially pertinent is the section titled “Problems”. To quote…

“ In May 2004, Mercedes recalled 680,000 vehicles equipped with the system; in March 2005 a total of 1.3 million vehicles were recalled. In 2006 high-volume models such as the E-class returned to conventional hydraulic brake systems. Low-volume luxury models such as the SL, the Maybach and the SLR continued to use SBC due to the prohibitive cost of redesign.

In a letter - only to US customers - dated August 2018 a warranty addendum was sent extending coverage for 25 years and unlimited miles on the following SBC components.

- Hydraulic control unit
- Hydraulic Pump
- Pressure Reservoir
- Brake Operating Unit
- Front and Rear wheel speed sensors
- Brake lamp switch
- Yaw Rate Sensor

Out of warranty repairs of these items can be reimbursed by MB if proper documentation is provided.”

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