I PURCHASED A NEW 2014 MERCEDES S550 AND THE DAY AFTER PURCHASE, THE AIRBAG MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON. I SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THIS CORRECTED, AND WAS TOLD IT WAS FIXED. A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER, I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 20MPH, APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION WHERE I DID NOT HAVE A STOP SIGN. I NOTICED A LARGE SUV TRAVELING EAST BOUND AT EXCESSIVE SPEEDS (GUESSING 35-40), WHICH DID NOT APPEAR TO BE STOPPING, BUT COULD NOT STOP IN TIME TO AVOID THE COLLISION. THE SUV IMPACTED THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF MY VEHICLE AT FULL SPEED. MY VEHICLE SPUN AND WAS HIT AGAIN AT THE SIDE AND REAR DRIVER'S SIDE. I WAS PUSHED OVER THE CURB AND INTO A SNOW BANK WHERE I EVENTUALLY STOPPED AFTER HITTING THE YIELD SIGN. I WAS TRAPPED IN MY VEHICLE AS I HAD CARVED THRU THE SNOW AND ALL DOORS WERE BLOCKED. THE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE WAS ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT, SIDE AND BACK. THE HIT WAS HARD ENOUGH TO CAUSE FRAME DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE, NEEDING FRAME REPAIR. THERE WERE NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED DURING THE CRASH AND GIVEN THE PREVIOUS MALFUNCTION WITH THE AIRBAG SYSTEM, THIS WAS A MAJOR CONCERN FOR ME. I NOTIFIED MERCEDES BENZ OF THE ISSUE, AND IT WASN'T UNTIL SEVERAL REQUESTS THAT THEY RESPONDED. THEY SENT SOMEONE TO THE BODY SHOP TO LOOK AT THE CAR AND CONFIRMED THERE IS FRAME DAMAGE; HOWEVER, STATED IT WAS NOT HARD ENOUGH OF A HIT TO TRIGGER AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. I HAVE A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING HOW IT CAN BE HARD ENOUGH TO CAUSE FRAME DAMAGE YET NOT TRIGGER AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT? THIS IS A COMPLETELY REDESIGNED VEHICLE AND MINE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ON THE ROAD. I AM FEARFUL THAT THIS IS A LARGER ISSUE THAT IS NOT BEING ADDRESSED, OR UNCOVERED, SINCE THIS IS A RECENTLY RELEASED MODEL. AS A RESULT OF THE IMPACT, I SUSTAINED INJURIES TO MY NECK, BACK AND LEFT ELBOW. I AM HOPING THIS COULD GET ADDRESS TO AVOID FUTURE INJURIES, OR DEATH, TO OTHER DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS. THANK YOU. *TR
NHTSA ODI 10575159