I bought a 2004 Crossfire a year ago and the Speedometer, Odometer, Stability/Traction Control, Cruise Control, and ABS are not working. I've had it into a qualified Crossfire mechanic and the bottom line was that the ECM is not working correctly and needs to be replaced. However, he couldn't find one and I can't either. Does anyone know what to do or where to get the part or parts I need? My email is bdturner1@yahoo.com. Please let me know what the best course of action is. Thanks. I have replaced the RCM as well with no change. Could it be the Auto Relay?

 

We have found very few PCM Power Train Control Modules = ECM go bad on the Crossfire. There is more likely a problem somewhere else. It would help us, help you if you can tell us exactly which diagnostic codes your car is setting. Give us the exact numbers; NOT some wordy explanation from a mechanic.
Why did you bring the car in for repairs initially? As to the parts you may need, some are available from online retailers and others will need to come from a wreaked car; depends on the part.
You say a "Qualified Crossfire" mechanic. If that means your car is at a Chrysler dealership you should get it out of there. Even if they have the old diagnostic equipment (The new scanners at Chrysler dealerships will not work on a Crossfire) to scan your car any repair will be much too expensive compared to other specialized European import garages.
Get the numbered codes; tell us what they are.

 

Thanks. I took it into Christian Brothers Automotive in South Tulsa because they have the equipment to test and get the codes. I've requested those codes and should have them by this coming Tuesday June 1st. When I do, I'll reply again with all of them. Currently I have a BRAKE light that stays on all the time. Brakes have been inspected and are working great as well as the emergency brake. On the Speedometer at the bottom the number 730 is indicated. The ABS light, and BAS ESP lights are on all the time. The fin is stuck in the up position and the two position control for it has a flashing red light. The car skidding symbol in the middle of the speedometer does not light up and the two position control switch does not turn it on. The cruise control does not turn on. The speedometer indicates 0 at all times and the odometer never changes. The brake wear indicator light is always on as well at the Check Engine light. All of these were checked by Christian Brothers and the system was either fine or they could not find out how to get the lights off and the other indicators working. I have replaced the RCM with a brand new one and there is no effect.

Again as soon as I have the error codes I'll post them. Thanks for any help you can give.

 

You are heading in the right direction. Having owned the car for only a year I would question the condition of the battery. The Crossfire is very critical of battery condition. The first sign of a battery going bad is often the deployment of the wing for no reason. If there is any doubt as to the condition of the battery I would replace it.
Did you purchase the car with some of these malfunctions, or did they just recently appear?
If you still have the RCM which was removed from the car you can send it to tighed1. You can email him at tighed1@hotmail.com He will refurbish the RCM and return it to you for a very reasonable fee and the horn will function when ever you push the center of the steering wheel, not just when the ignition is on. I assume the RCM that is in the car now is brand new? It wasn't taken from another car used?
You probably have more than one problem. WHERE IS THE CAR NORMALLY PARKED? Could a rodent get to it and chew on some wires? If you have any doubt about the cars battery get a new one.

 

Some of your problems seem to be related to the brake light switch which is located at the top of the brake peddle under the drivers dash. Be certain all the fuses have been check in the fuse box behind the panel at the end of the dash, drivers side. When the door is open you can see a couple plastic screws which are turned to remove the panel. If Christian Brothers has a correct scan tool they should get a set code indicating the brake light switch problem.

 

Thanks. Battery was just replaced. Yes I got the car from my elderly father with the problems. He had just replaced the battery and everything had been working perfect. After the replacement he noticed all of the problems. Yes, Christian Brothers tested all fuses.

 

You did not take it to a "qualified Crossfire mechanic", you took it to someone who might THINK they are, but no. What you are describing is a fundamental issue with the RCM. The Traction Control relay output from the RCM has failed - he should have seen thru this in a few minutes. The Traction Control has to be powered up for the speedometer and odometer to work, there can be various failures that cause the Cruise and ABS errors, but a failed speedometer tells me the Traction Control output from the RCM has failed.

I can prove this by yanking the fuse from the Traction control - you will get exactly what you describe. Again, anyone reading this can prove what is going on by yanking the Traction Control fuse on the RCM. If the car is a manual, you get these symptoms. If the car is an automatic, you won't be able to shift from PARK.

If its an auto and you CAN shift from PARK, then I am wrong and you found a new failure scenario.

 

And I'm done editing my post above..........

Go back and read it again.

 

When you put the new RCM in, did the Traction control fuse blow? Did you check it? If there is a short to ground past the RCM, that fuse will blow - so putting a new RCM in won't fix it.
Do not miss the simple stuff. We had a car at the Dragon maybe two years ago that started doing this. It blew the Traction control fuse as soon as you turned the key on. The car was towed home and they found a wire shorting to ground (somewhere) that was blowing the fuse. I cannot remember exactly where, but the wire was hung up on a piece of metal and was punctured, this caused a short to ground.

Check all fuses again on the RCM!

 

I just googled Christian Brothers Automotive in South Tulsa. They may be a fine general garage, but I doubt they have the experience necessary to deal with the Crossfire. An experienced European independent repair shop who specializes in Mercedes is really where you want to be. The Crossfire is basically a Mercedes. It was built in Germany and has the mechanics and much of the electronic of a 2004 SLK 320. The parts are interchangeable except for the body.

Can you drive the car, or was it towed to Christian Brothers? Is it an automatic transmission (I assumed it was) or a stick? If you had the car towed to Christian Brothers then everything pizzaguy says makes sense.

 

I had no Speedometer / chronic Limp Mode and the dash looked like this. It was the ABS module. With the Crossfire it's almost always electrical.