General information about the brake system (Mercedes-Benz E-Class W124)

The vehicle uses a hydraulically driven service brake system with diagonally split circuits, which significantly increases the safety of driving the vehicle. The brake system consists of a master cylinder, a vacuum brake booster, and disc brakes on the front and rear wheels.

All later models are equipped with an anti-lock braking system, which consists of a hydraulic modulator, an electronic control unit, a relay, and wheel speed sensors. The system prevents the wheels from locking during sudden braking. On vehicles with diesel engines, a separate pump, which is mounted on the cylinder head, is used to create a vacuum that ensures the operation of the brake booster. On models equipped with an automatic speed control (ASR) system, the anti-lock braking system also functions as a vehicle speed control system.

Most models have front disc brakes with a floating caliper with one working brake cylinder. Models with more powerful engines have a fixed caliper with two working brake cylinders.

The rear disc brakes are equipped with fixed calipers with two working brake cylinders.

The independent cable-actuated parking brake applies brakes to the rear wheels using a drum-type brake mechanism.