2014 Sprinter accelerates by itself !?!?!?

RE 2014 Sprinter (Itasca Navion)


Here is an account of what happened earlier today:

1. driving on some bumpy gravel/logging road (in a hindsight - stupid idea) ...

2. 3 messages appears after 20 min:
- Something ABS
- Something ESP
- Something See the mechanics/garage...

3. What happens next found only in B movies... the car starts to accelerate by itself for around 5- 10 second while shifting gears sporadically.... I push the brake pedal... continue driving for another 10 min.

4. Parked for 2 hours

5. Drove back onto the pavements messages still there

6. Made a pit stop for 10 min

7. Started the engine the messages disappeared (close call or so i thought).

8. After driving for 25 min on a regular road messages appear again and again car starts to accelerate by itself shifting gears sporadically almost cousin rear end collision. I switch gear into "N" as pushing brakes along could not stop it...

9. Stop for 10 min. to start breathing again, to cope with adrenaline.

10. Started engine again, messages disappeared again, drive normally for 10 min before parking it at home.



Any ideas would be appreciated.

Needless to say that those codes need to be looked at, but perhaps someone had a similar situation.

Could I have damaged the transmission by driving on a logging road?

P.S. While we at it what is the recommended ODB2 (from Amazon) by the community as the the extortion from the dealership needs to be contained.

Vanart.
Some history please. ownership . Kilometers. My guess is rodent damage to the main loom. Eric.

Check for loose plugs and damaged wiring and scan the ecu with a Sprinter specific scanner that can look into the traction control system. Faulty/misaligned wheel speed sensors can make the computer think crazy things and cut power. Also inspect and test the accelerator assembly.

Wheel sensor has gone bad, this has happened to me several times. It is unnerving about the acceleration, it has happened to me also, always associated with loss of one of the wheel sensors. Sometimes the warnings will go away with so many starts and stops, only if the sensor is partially going bad. Eventually the warnings remain on when the sensor dies fully. I have driven over 1100 miles with a bad sensor though, you have no ABS, cruise control, or 4 wheel drive. The uncontrolled acceleration only seemed to happen to me at very low speed, and only sporadically.

Good luck!


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Ziggy said:

... It is unnerving about the acceleration, it has happened to me also, always associated with loss of one of the wheel sensors. Sometimes the warnings will go away with so many starts and stops, only if the sensor is partially going bad.
...

Click to expand...

Interesting. Good to know.

The wheel speed sensors are used for a feedback loop to the ECM aka ECU. Depending upon the failure mode a sensor could intermittently provide an RPM signal lower than actual. A completely failed and recognized as bad sensor would have the ECM switch to a default mode.

vic

Also check your oil ... an oil leak (say, via the turbo) into the air intake stream can cause a diesel to treat it as "Oh, Joy! More Fuel!"

... been there, done that ... in a VW Rabbit (30 to 65 mph in very few seconds... interesting smoke plume)

--dick

Did you have cruise control switched on? Thats the only way I can think of a speed sensor causing un-demanded acceleration. Or maybe pedal position sensor fault but those are fail-safe when faulty. Otherwise most likely what dick said, runaway due to PCV/turbo oil ingestion.

When yiu shifted to N did the engine rev high?

Thank you my good Samaritans,

All savings on fuel are being flushed down the toilet when you have to pay thousands of dollars every-time van shakes or goes briefly on a non pavement road.... And I am hoping it is just sensors... Last time I replaced some sensors it was around 2 Gs, thankfully under warranty ...

owner said:

Did you have cruise control switched on? ?

Click to expand...

No cruise control,

owner said:

When yiu shifted to N did the engine rev high?

Click to expand...

just tried to avoid a collision with a car in front! Pushing my Break pedal did not provide sufficient stopping power...

I had a wheel sensor fail, 3 lights (ASR-ABS-ESP) only symptom was cruise disengaged.. stopped to refuel and on restart, no lights, exiting station, pulled into traffic engine very late shift from 1st (over 3000rpm) went to 2nd, hard shift back to first engine surged and hard acceleration against the brake for 5+ seconds.. lights came back on.. Continued home (270miles) with lights on and did not restart to prevent clearing the lights. MB replaed LR wheel sensor -warranty. FWIW Wheel sensors are covered under 5yr/100K Fed Emissions warranty.

ESP- Stability program has the ability to control power and braking according to MB video. ???

Thank you Hooligan2
Exactly the same chain of events for me...

Unfortunately it is the first month out of that 5 y warranty.
I don't know if every little things will kill the sensor, and as a result I am left with a couple of thousand repair bill, well I feel it is just plain extortion form the MB side...

Hi guys
I just came across to this and unfortunately I am facing the same problem for nearly a year now and I can't find the solution to fix this.
Did anyone managed to find the source of the problem?

Thanks

Nany said:

Hi guys
I just came across to this and unfortunately I am facing the same problem for nearly a year now and I can't find the solution to fix this.
Did anyone managed to find the source of the problem?

Thanks

Click to expand...

There is an active recall for rear wheel speed sensors if it applies; https://www.mbvans.com/en/recall-information

WinnieView1 said:

There is an active recall for rear wheel speed sensors if it applies; https://www.mbvans.com/en/recall-information

Click to expand...

Unfortunately this recall doesn't apply in the UK.
I was wondering ? If this could cure the problem?!?