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What 61 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Mercedes-benz Sprinter 3500 Cargo Van

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (61)Crash / fire / injury (5)Transmission & drivetrain (14)Brakes (13)Airbags (12)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (12)Speed control (10)Electrical system (9)Wheels (7)Engine (4)Body & structure (2)Fuel system (2)

1 of 61 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Mar 16, 2018BrakesEngineCrashFire2 injuries

WHILE DRIVING ON A MOUNTAIN ROAD THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SEND FIRE, SMOKE AND STEAM FROM THE MOTOR COMPARTMENT UNDER THE DASH BOARD AND OVER THE WIND SHIELD, CAUSING THE MOTOR TO STOP RUNNING AND SUBSEQUENTLY CAUSING THE BRAKES TO FAIL SENDING MY WIFE AND I DOWN A WINDING MOUNTAIN AND ULTIMATELY RESULTING IN A NEAR FATAL CRASH INTO A MOUNTAIN RETAINING WALL. THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THIS VEHICLE WAS BRAND NEW WHEN PURCHASED BY US AND ONLY 5 MONTHS OLD WITH 4500 MILES (2325 MILES WERE PUT ON VEHICLE BY THE TRANSPORTER TO GET IT FROM FACTORY TO POINT OF SALE). *TR*DT*JB*DT*TR

NHTSA ODI 11079855

Working with the data? Download all 61 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2016 Mercedes-benz Sprinter 3500 Cargo Van verdict →