While driving my 2026 Mercedes-Benz E350 (rear-wheel drive) at approximately 40 mph, I began slowing for a traffic light. As I approached the intersection, the vehicle suddenly experienced what appeared to be a catastrophic electronic failure. Without warning, the vehicle became almost completely inoperable while the engine continued to run. The vehicle abruptly came to a stop and became immobilized. The rear wheels locked, preventing the vehicle from moving. I was unable to shift the transmission out of Drive or into any other gear. The gear selector became completely unresponsive. I was unable to shut the vehicle off. Numerous warning lights and system malfunction messages appeared simultaneously across the instrument cluster. The windshield wipers activated on their own without any driver input. The windows rolled down automatically and would not roll up. Nearly every electronic system appeared to malfunction at the same time. I lost the ability to control the vehicle normally because I could not shift gears, restart the vehicle, or clear any of the system failures. The engine continued running throughout the event, but the vehicle was effectively disabled and could not be driven. Emergency personnel were dispatched to guide the flow of traffic as the vehicle was obstructing traffic. This failure created an extremely dangerous traffic situation. The vehicle became immobilized in the roadway without warning during normal driving. As the driver I had no reasonable ability to anticipate or respond to this type of sudden total electronic failure. The vehicle has 1,117 miles. Unlike other reports to the NHTSA, this was not an isolated warning light or infotainment issue. The simultaneous failure of multiple independent systems suggests a significant electrical, software, communications network, or control module malfunction. The vehicle is currently with the dealership, they have been unable to diagnose the problem as the vehicle remains unresponsive.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11753822 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

The contact owns a 2026 Mercedes-Benz. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an SRS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed as having an electrical issue that needed an SRS replacement. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11740420 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Mercedes-Benz E350 Mild Hybrid was purchased new on XXX. Vehicle had approximately 291 miles and had been owned 25 days, when incident occurred on XXX at approximately 9:30am. Incident occurred during normal interstate driving (I-10 between [XXX] and [XXX]) at approximately the posted speed limit of 60mph. Weather was partly cloudy, not raining. A sudden loud explosive sound occurred, similar to a gunshot. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the explosive sound. Neither of 2 occupants in vehicle observed an object strike the vehicle. Sunroof was completely closed at time of incident. Passenger opened inside cover of sun roof and immediately observed shattered panoramic roof glass, with almost half of the sunroof gone. Remainder of sunroof was cracked into very small fragments. Glass appeared to largely disperse outward; interior sunshade prevented glass from entering the passenger compartment, although there were shards of glass lying within the sunshade. Vehicle was safely removed from traffic. No injuries occurred. But half of glass from sunroof was scattered toward other lanes of busy interstate traffic. Passenger safety could've been compromised had the glass torn the soft fabric sunshade. Passenger safety could've been compromised if driver had been distracted by the explosive sound. Glass could've been safety hazard for other vehicles behind mine. Mercedes-Benz denied warranty coverage and refused to provide owner a written engineering explanation of the cause of the accident. Mercedes-Benz field technical rep and dealer service department reviewed the car's damages. Vehicle has since been repaired at owner's expense. Owner has photos of damaged roof prior to repair. Owner plans to sell vehicle on or about XXX. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11750962 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov