I recently purchased a 2001 ML 320 and are having some issues. The first issue is the MAF sensor. I understand this is pretty common and I am replacing the sensor. The bigger problem is with the ESP/BAS. I will be driving around 50 mph and I will feel a "clunk" and the ESP/BAS light comes on and the truck goes into a "limp" mode where I can just pull off the road. Then I will turn the truck off then back on and it will work fine for about 10 minutes. Then the same thing happens again. The restart clears it. this has happened twice in the same day. Anyone have any ideas to solve this issue? Thank you for any advice you can give!

 

Having same issues with my ml320 2000. Had the car for over a year. In the past this happened like once every 3 months, now it is a daily occurence. Took it to the dealer and they diagnosed a faulty Throttle valve actuator, had it replaced with a used one. issue went away for about 2 weeks and now, it is back again. Kind of confused at this point and really looking for a real mechanic who can go in and see what is the real problem.That BAS/ESP is a real headache.

 

It also happened ones on mine when my wife was driving it, so I'm not sure how it felt. She described it as loss of power (partial throttle limit) and limp mode (stuck in the second gear). When I came home, I reset the lights by turning steering wheel from lock to lock (right max. to left max.) while it was started and the lights went off. Issue never came back again so far but I would not blame the throttle actuator for this problem. First it is about $1,500 just for the part, second why start the diagnostics with the most expensive part of the system?
I believe the problem is one of these:
1. One of the wheel speed sensors faulty or just dirty
2. Lateral ecceleration sensor (giving faulty speed reading)
3. Yaw rate sensor (thinking car is going into spin and engaging ABS brakes and limiting throttle for no reason).
These sensors should be mounted in center console (unter the armrest box or window switch on most W163 models).
I'm still waiting for this to come up again, so far I guess I'm lucky at 178K miles. I would also replace the brake pedal switch to make sure it is in properly functioning condition.
Good luck, Bernard

 

Thanks for your input. Already spent $ 1200.00 on the throttle actuator and it it did not solve the problem. Will definitely look at the above mentioned sensors.