What 66 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Mercedes-benz Eqs SUV

We were driving locally, and the car stopped abruptly for no reason. There was no one and nothing in front of it, no animal around, and no reason for the stop. Had there been someone behind us, we would have had a big problem. We called the salesperson at the dealership only to learn that he had moved to Germany. We were told that another representative would return my call in about six minutes. No one called. A week later, we were on the highway and, also for no reason, the car slowed abruptly, and then resumed its speed. It happened a third time on a local street. We called the dealer and alerted the corporate headquarters but they did not respond. They do not seem to care.

NHTSA ODI 11519767

I experienced a phantom braking incident yesterday in my 2023 EQS450+ SUV at 3:11 pm PST. Traveling at around 30 mph, no cars within 20 feet ahead or behind us, the car suddenly engaged the automatic brakes very hard with a loud beep but this condition lasted only a couple of seconds. The impact was hard enough to jolt all passengers in the car. The sound was as if something hit us from behind. Cruise control was not being used at that time. The car then continued to operate normally after that. I have set up a service appointment for this Friday, April 14 at the WI Simonson dealership in Los Angeles, CA. I have reported this to MErcedes Benz using their "contact me" feature on their website. From my research, it sounds like phantom braking is prevalent somewhat widely in the EQS cars but nothing seems to have been done about it so far.

NHTSA ODI 11516386

Experienced phantom braking on car. Date: 2/28/23. No car's in front. Sunny day. I have video dash cam proof but it is 70 mb. I can give it to you guys if needed for proof.

NHTSA ODI 11509612

On two occasions I was driving on city streets, 35-45 miles per hour without any vehicles nearby and all of a sudden the vehicle applied a hard brake, as if the vehicle had sensed a pending collision or something, but nothing was around. I purchased the vehicle new in October of 2022. The first time this occurred was a couple of weeks after I had bought the vehicle. I had changed the recuperation mode setting, so when it occurred the first time I thought that might have affected it. This occurred on a clear, dry, sunny day. The second time it occurred it happened for no reason at all. I had thought perhaps because my collision avoidance settings were set to the max sensitivity levels that perhaps it's seeing things that aren't there. It was very scary, it was so violent I thought I had hit something in the road, but it was a clear, dry, sunny day with no road hazards, obstacles or anything else that would have caused it. The problem has not been reported to the dealer, but I feel that when it happens again I will take the vehicle in to see if they are aware of what could be causing this problem. Nothing has been reported to the manufacturer, police, insurance or others. There were no warnings prior to the hard braking that I can recall. It just happened unexpectedly and immediately. I get a little nervous now every time I get behind the wheel because I wonder if/when the next occurrence will be.

NHTSA ODI 11507339

The contact owns a 2023 Mercedes Benz EQS580. The contact stated while his wife was driving 40 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking without another vehicle nearby. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to continue driving to her destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.

NHTSA ODI 11506074

At approximately 10:30 p.m. on January 8, 2023 I, and three passengers (my wife, and another couple), were completing a one hour drive returning from an event in southern California. We traveled on the freeways as we headed home. The speeds on those freeways average between 65 and 75 miles per hour with the flow of traffic. I exited the freeway and pulled up to a traffic light. I made a right turn at the light, then traveled up the road. The weather was clear and dry, and there were no cars either behind, in front of, or beside me as I drove up a cleanly paved and level road at a speed of approximately 35 – 40 MPH. During the drive up the road, the car inexplicably and suddenly stopped, hard, as though I had run into a dense hill of sand. It was a violent and sudden jolting stop, and all four passengers’ seatbelts activated, firmly tightening and restraining us in our seats. My wife’s head whipped back and forth, resulting in an enduring headache for her through the rest of the evening. No one knew what had happened, or why, as there was absolutely no obstruction in the road and no traffic around us. We pulled over and inspected the car and it was in pristine perfect condition with no evidence of any contact of any kind. We looked in the road and it was clear, paved and level. No animals; no objects; no obstruction. When I arrived home I searched online to determine if this had ever before been reported, and it turned up several “hits,” apparently filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) on this very issue, apparently involving both the 2021 and 2022 EQS. My model year is 2023. The discussions I have read point to a possible defect in the Autonomous Emergency Braking System (EBS). It might be the car is sensing something that is not there, and reacting as though it were. At 70 MPH on a freeway, this could be fatal, should the EBS activate suddenly, with no cause to do so, with an ensuing rear-end collision. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS.

NHTSA ODI 11501082