What 10 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Mercedes-benz Sprinter 3500 Cargo Van

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the SRS warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the front driver's side seat belt buckle functioned as intended; however, the SRS warning light had remained constantly illuminated for nearly two years. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with front driver's seat belt buckle failure. The contact was informed that the front driver's side seat belt buckle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,857.

NHTSA ODI 11608566

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500. The contact stated that the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) warning light would intermittently appear on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where a diagnostic test showed that the wires in the front driver’s side seat belt buckle were defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 49,587.

NHTSA ODI 11506458

Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 built on a Freightliner chassis. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V003000 (Air Bags) however, the contact was unable to locate a service center to repair the vehicle. After contacting the Manufacturer and the local Mercedes-Benz dealer, the contact was referred to Freightliner to have the recall repairs performed. After contacting Freightliner Customer Service, the contact was referred back to Mercedes Benz. Several individuals from Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner had been contacted regarding the issue but neither was willing resolve the safety recall issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11457084

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes Sprinter 3500 equipped with the Tyron Multiband Runflat Tyre Protection system on the inside of the front driver’s and passenger’s side tires. The contact stated that while driving above 60 mph, the vehicle would shudder as if the front driver’s and passenger’s side tires were out of balance. The Tyron Multiband system was installed on the inside of front driver’s and passenger’s side tires to prevent rollovers caused by blowouts. The tire dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that since the Tyron Multiband system was installed, they could not balance the tires and the tires would self-balance after 200 miles. The dealer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to take the vehicle to a Mercedes dealer for the chassis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,900.

NHTSA ODI 11432465

TAKATA RECALL. THE DEALERSHIP HAS THE PARTS ON ETERNAL BACKORDER. IT HAS BEEN SINCE THE RECALL CAME OUT THAT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET THIS FIXED. VERY CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING THE VEHICLE. WHAT CAN I DO?

NHTSA ODI 11092428

TAKATA RECALL. I HAVE CONTACTED MERCEDES BENZ DEALER SEVERAL TIMES TO MAKE APPOINTMENT TO REPLACE DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIR BAG. NO WORK DONE YET.

NHTSA ODI 11024521

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER 3500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 16V077000 (AIR BAGS) AND 16V379000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER DID NOT GIVE A SPECIFIC DATE FOR WHEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER COULD NOT PROVIDE AN ESTIMATED DATE FOR WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD RECEIVE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 01/25/2017*CT UPDATED 7/9/18*JB

NHTSA ODI 10918820

OUR ITASCA REYO 2012 MOTOR HOME WITH MERCEDES SPRINTER ENGINE HAS HAD 5 EGR VALVE FAILURES. THE FIRST TIME IN 2012 WITH 2632 MILES. THE 5TH TIME IN MARCH 2015 WITH 11,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE GOES INTO LIMP MODE AND SPEED IS REDUCED TO 20 MPH. THIS CAUSES A VERY SERIOUS SITUATION AS THERE IS A GREAT RISK OF BEING REAR ENDED FROM HIGHWAY TRAFFIC TRAVELLING AT 60 MPH. EACH TIME MERCEDES CLAIMS TO HAVE A FIX..A CLIP...A NEW COVER ETC BUT THE FAILURES CONTINUE. THIS REQUIRES BEING TOWED OR LIMPING TO MERCEDES FOR A REPLACEMENT EGR VALVE. IT IS OUTRAGEOUS TO HAVE A LEISURE VEHICLE FAIL OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND MERCEDES REFUSES TO ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS CONTINUING FAILURE OF THIS PART. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10705179

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND, I SUDDENLY LOST POWER. I PRESSED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATION PEDAL FULLY AND YET, THERE WAS NO POWER. A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE BRAND NEW FROM A DEALER AND SPENT A LOT OF MONEY. I DON'T WANT TO SPEND EVEN MORE JUST TO FIX UNNECESSARY PROBLEMS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10614738

ON FEBRUARY 20, 2013, I REPORT TO ALEX RODRIGUEZ SAID: "WHEN MY 2011 MERCEDES SPRINTER RUNNING ON HIGHWAY 59, THE ENGINE AUTOMATIC STOP WORKING ABOUT 1 MINUTES."[XXX] SENT A TOW TRUCK, OUR CAR PULLED TO THE REPAIR SITE. IN MARCH 1, 2013, [XXX] CALLED "THE CAR IS NO PROBLEM, WE HAVE TO RIDE 40 MILES."ON THE SAME DAY THE CAR BACK TO MY HOME.MY WIFE CALL THEM SAID: "THE VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY APPEAR THIS KIND OF CIRCUMSTANCE IS A VERY DANGEROUS THING, YOU JUST RIDE OUR CAR 40 MILES AND CONCLUDE THAT OUR CAR IS NO PROBLEM IS EXTREMELY IRRESPONSIBLE."THEY SAID: "IF YOU HAD CAR TROUBLE, WE WILLING TO TAKE ALL RESPONSIBILITY."ON MARCH 3, 2013, OUR CAR IN SAN ANTONIO ON HIGHWAY 410, THE SAME SITUATION COME AGAIN, AND THIS TIME THE "CHECK ENGINE" WARNING LIGHTS IS ON .ON MARCH 3, 2013, I REGISTERED VEHICLE REPAIR ON [XXX] WEBSITE WANT MAKE RESERVATION.ON MARCH 4, 2013, I CALLED [XXX]TWO TIMES AND LEAVED MESSAGE BOOKING VEHICLE REPAIR. AT 1022AM, [XXX] CALLED ME AND SAID: "WE CAN'T FIX YOUR CAR, YOU GO TO OTHER PLACES TO REPAIR YOU ARE CAR."I ASKED THE GENTLEMAN 2 TIMES:" ARE YOU SAYING YOU REFUSE TO PROVIDE REPAIR SERVICE FOR US?"THE ANSWER IS IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.WE HAVE TWO 2011 VEHICLES OF THE SAME MERCEDES SPRINTER,.ANOTHER CAR ALSO HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM, BUT NOT SO SERIOUS, AND ANOTHER ONE OFTEN RADIO NOT WORKING.WE TOOK THE CAR TO [XXX] MANY TIMES, BUT THEY SAID THAT YOUR CAR IS NO PROBLEM.NOW WHAT SHOULD WE DO? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 10504565