Dec 9, 2025Electrical systemFire
On November 28, 2025, I experienced a vehicle fire in my Mercedes 2020 Sprinter 2500 4WD van. The van engine was on and idling while heating up with the van heater blower on level 6 (out of 7). After about 45 minutes, I saw a haze first and then smelled smoke. Unsure of the source, I turned the vehicle off and exited with my dog. I opened the hood to look for smoke in the engine bay. No smoke under the hood. I contact Mercedes Roadside and open the driver side door where I see flames under the seat. I grabbed the fire extinguisher I installed and put the fire out within 20-25 seconds of seeing it. I believe the root cause of the fire was running the van blower at a high setting for a sustained 45 minutes. My dog and I were inside and definitely in danger. It scares me to think of a scenario where the van was idling with only my dog inside and something like this occurring. The incident is currently under investigation with MB USA and my insurance company, Progressive. No warning signs or dashboard messages. In general, the electrical wiring for my vehicle has been spotty and was completely rewired by the dealer service center in 2021. Currently, there is an issue blacking out the dashboard screen so there is no screen function including gps, entertainment, or vehicle info.
NHTSA ODI 11703896
Dec 19, 2022BrakesCrash
On 10-27-22 the van was parked in my home driveway where it had been parked overnight. The engine was running for approximately 10 minutes while loading things into the vehicle. The vehicle was in park and the hand parking brake was not engaged. Prior to leaving I noticed the dash icon showing the rear door was not fully shut and went back to close it. Once I closed the rear door it then appeared that the transmission shifted itself into neutral and the van rolled back into the garage while I was standing outside of it. I have home surveillance camera footage showing the incident as it happened. I have tried to convey this information to Mercedes Benz but interactions with them have been less than helpful.
NHTSA ODI 11498070
Oct 13, 2022BrakesParking BrakeTransmission & drivetrainCrash
The vehicle was put into parked and somehow disengage itself from parked and rolled into a house.
NHTSA ODI 11489157
Jun 9, 2022Transmission & drivetrainCrash
This van is under recall for roll away incidents. The van did roll away and now has $9K worth of damage from hitting a stop sign and a wall. The van has been at MB Stockton Ca for months and months with out a resolution. Mercedes Benz sent us a letter yesterday stating they deny all responsibility and advising us to pick up the van. The recall is not complete. This vehicle is 100% unsafe and now prone to more incidents, we have refused to pick up the vehicle. Mercedes has advised us to appeal the case with them which we have done. They continue to stall the situation.
NHTSA ODI 11468446