Feb 20, 2024BrakesDriver assistanceCrash
This car rear-ended another car while slowing down and preparing to stop at a red light. The Automatic Emergency Brake system failed to provide any alert whatsoever, no warning lamps, no audible alerts, no warning messages, nothing. The Automatic Emergency Brake system failed to engage the brakes. The Automatic Emergency Brake system failed to provide any braking assistance whatsoever. This failure put the safety of the driver, [XXX] , at risk for injury. This failure put the safety of the persons in the other car at risk for injury. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI 11572955
Jan 12, 2024Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlCrash
* My driving side front wheel climbed a small bump with a rock. I put my car on reverse and pressed the accelerator. The car first refused to reverse then went completely out of control. The engine produced a huge revving noise and the car accelerated, taking the car backward at high speed. I had no control. The car went off the road, climbed a hill at a 45 degree incline on one side of the road. It continued up the hill at high speed until it hit a tree. The impact caused about 1 foot of the passenger side to be a mangled mass of steel from the rear fender to the front passenger door. The gas tank was exposed but intact. *There were no injuries because I was the only occupant and the driver's side was unaffected. If there were persons in the passenger rear seat, there would have been serious injury. *The damage was obvious (I have photographs) and was witnessed by two onlookers and the tow-truck driver. The insurance company (AAA) declared the car totalled and settled. They did not want to examine the car for defects. * There were no warning signs during the year it was driven by me. The car had a service one week before this event.
NHTSA ODI 11565093
Dec 7, 2022Driver assistanceCrash
On December 3, 2022, my new 2023 AMG GLE53, with less than 300 miles on the odometer, completely failed to issue a Forward Collision Warning and to activate the Automatic Emergency Braking when approaching at approximately 25 mph a city intersection, causing an accident with a vehicle that was stopped at the traffic light. That misbehavior was very unexpected from a vehicle that is supposed to be equipped with very advanced modern technologies for the safety of passengers and other road users. We were lucky that there was no injury, but that accident caused a lot of damages to both vehicles, exceeding several thousands of dollars, in addition to my disappointment of not seeing any of the advanced safety elements of the vehicle to operate as advertised. I would strongly recommend an investigation initiated by NHTSA, as the issue may not be isolated, and other users may be at risk. Thank you
NHTSA ODI 11496489