What 17 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Mercedes-benz Sprinter 2500 Cargo Van (swb)

On January 19, 2026, my neighbors / daughter noticed smoke was coming from under the van that had been parked for over 3 hours. Shortly after, he confirmed the van had caught fire. I asked him to call the fire department.

NHTSA ODI 11748198

In August 2025, I had taken the van for a drive to charge things up, got home, put it in park and parked it in my driveway, which has a mild slope. ~ 30 seconds - 1 minute after me leaving the vehicle, it rolled backward out of the driveway, across a busy street and 1/4 into my neighbors yard. I was mortified, there is usually a lot of people walking their dogs, kids etc...and cars going by. The vehicle was stopped by the curb vs the 2nd back tire (Thie first one cleared the curb and was in my neighbors lawn. It ALMOST hit a BIG tree. I pulled it back into the driveway & checked it again, worried I may have somehow not put it in park, but it did it over and over again. Shortly after I put it in park and turned it off it "released" and started rolling spontaneously. I could have run over my neighbors; people, babies...pets, me... I piled logs and big rocks behind all 4 tires (put it park with the parking brake on of course,) & called the Mercedes dealer & made an appointment. I did not drive it again until it was "repaired," except for the fact that nothing showed up on the scanned as wrong. They kept if for 3 weeks but "it never did it again," & they "never found anything." They charged up the battery and said maybe it was because the battery got too low and that the chassis battery charges the transmission battery and maybe the transmission battery was low. They mentioned that they had had one other person come with the same problem. The local Winnebago dealership mentioned that they had had someone come in with the same complaint. With the vehicle unchanged after this potentially catastrophic event, how can I trust it? What happens if I am in it and it is parked on a slope and it does it again? What could happen if the transmission fails on the road? It was VERY SCARY. For a couple months I had a mini panic attack every time a young family walked by...what could have happened if they happened to be walking by when that happened. I will have to collect the info

NHTSA ODI 11726807

2023 Sprinter van jack was pulled out for the first time to be used last week and found to be unsafe. The jack base is crowned in center, the edges flare upwards and large gouge/groove in metal base, causing the jack to noticeably wobble and rock in manner that it is unsafe to use, fear of jack tilting and dropping van onto user of jack. Jack base has obvious defects and unsafe to use. Have contacted dealer and referred to MBUSA who provided a case # and no resolution to provide a safe jack to replace the defective jack.

NHTSA ODI 11700815

I had tuned up my sprinter van around 64000 miles. I put new ngk spark plugs and ignition coils on it. Ran for a day then. The codes said the number one ignition coil was bad. Change that out and it ran for about 8000 miles. Then stated to go in lymph mode again. I decided to replace them with original Mercedes spark plugs and Ignition coils. But when I put them in the van had no power and was jerking. It was doing this before I changed them out. It had no power and would barely go up a hill. I researched and seen certain Merecedes Sprinter vans from 2021 to 2023. Had a recall on the fuel pump. But I don't understand why my van wasn't included. It's showing all the systems them the fuel pump or something to do with the fuel pump is going bad. I changed the spark plugs and ignition coils twice in less than 3 months.

NHTSA ODI 11690866

In Colorado. Vehucle has no response when pushing on the gas pedal. Dead pedal at a light in Gunnison and now again at my home at 9,450 ft.

NHTSA ODI 11684056

Occasionally, the idle speed of the engine will drop to 400 rpm. When this happens, the vehicle does not respond to throttle input. If it happens in a parking lot, you can shift into park and coax the rpm higher, then shift to drive and move on. When it happens in the middle of an intersection while waiting to make a left turn, the story is very different. You can end up in a very dangerous situation. This has happened to me multiple times. I have not had an accident, but I have upset other drivers when I failed to clear an intersection in a timely manner. Knowing that the car will move when you press on the accelerator is critical for safely operating a vehicle. I purchased the vehicle new in October 2024, but did not start driving it until February 2025. The first incident happened about a week after hitting the road. It has happened many times since then. It took me an embarrassingly long time (months) to realize the problem was a low idle. The symptom I observed was that the vehicle failed to respond to the accelerator. That is the symptom that people will notice and that is the symptom that should be matched. It can be scary when it happens. Now that I know that it is brought on by low idle, I can watch for it and be prepared, but it can still leave me in a bad situation.

NHTSA ODI 11673832

My front driveshaft is backing out of both the front differential and the transfer case. This could detach, and potentially take out fuel, brake, and electrical lines (poss. incl. Electric Steering). And cause full loss of drive power. MBZ reportedly has an internal TSB but has not issued a recall. There are MANY similar reports at [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11627147

Mercedes issued a recall. They placed a stop shipment on the van. They do not have parts to repair it........

NHTSA ODI 11607644

I am writing to express my concern and seek assistance regarding a significant issue with my nearly new commercial vehicle, a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500, purchased in 2023. The vehicle currently has 118,000 miles. Recently, I encountered problems with the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) system. Upon taking the vehicle to the dealership where I originally purchased it, they conducted a diagnostic and informed me that the entire DEF system needs to be replaced, estimating the repair cost to be around $11,000 to $12,000. While I understand that repairs can be costly, my primary concern is that the dealership is not addressing the root cause of the problem but instead opting to replace the entire system without a thorough investigation. Given the relatively low mileage and age of the vehicle, this issue is both unexpected and concerning. I believe that such a significant problem with a critical system should be thoroughly investigated to determine if it is an isolated incident or indicative of a broader issue affecting similar models. I am requesting your assistance in the following ways: 1. Thorough Investigation: Ensure a comprehensive investigation is conducted to identify the specific cause of the DEF system failure. 2. Potential Recall: Evaluate whether this issue is widespread and, if so, consider initiating a recall campaign. 3. Repair Support: Provide support or coverage for the necessary repairs given the nature and extent of the issue. I have attached all relevant documentation, including the dealership’s diagnostic report and repair estimate. I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and look forward to your response.

NHTSA ODI 11603630

My issue is only the crosswind assist. We purchased this van new, it has 3000miles of use not driving to the dealership and back. We cannot drive this van on the freeway and due to this "safety" feature nobody but myself will get behind the wheel fearful of crashing when this turns on at 100% random times. Infact it went off 23times in an 18mile stretch the last time I drove it. I've contacted the customer service line 4 times. Nobody there has been any help and twice I've been hung up on. I've had it to the dealership 4 times for a total of 5 weeks. Finally the last time I refused to leave unless the test drove it. Which they did and lo and behold the tech walked in absolutely pissed because he just about got rear ended by a semi due to the crosswind assist. So, your own employees have experienced this and cannot fix it. I'm beyond irritated. 65,000$ service van I have paid on for a year, ins, custom racks, shelving, decals. Mercedes sold me on reliability and service. I own a van that will eventually hurt somebody. I am currently drafting legal docs to move this forward with the help of your own employees testimony. I'm done wasting my time Your vans are a death trap

NHTSA ODI 11591184

I was facing west in the left turning lane to turn south into my community. The vehicle lost power when I was cutting across oncoming, east bound traffic. The vehicle lost power two more time after that once I was in my community. No warning light or any other indicators. The vehicle just went limp. I almost didn't make it clear of oncoming traffic.

NHTSA ODI 11588231

Noticed the driveshaft to my front differential is very close to falling out. Also rusting & flinging grease everywhere as it pulls out of its seating. This is an issue other owners have seen, with severe consequences when the driveshaft becomes complete unseated including sudden severe vibrations, loss of drive power, and potentially damaging steering components, brake lines/components, and electrical harnesses.

NHTSA ODI 11588123

The front driveshaft for the vehicle referenced has a safety design flaw that makes it too short. There is a risk of the front driveshaft separating from the front differential splines completely and wrecking havoc to the vehicles essential driving components like steering rack, wiring harness, and potentially causing an accident. Mercedes Benz has increased wait times at their shops and are currently 5-6 weeks out to even look at the vehicles issue. Currently my vehicle is experiencing major vibrations due to the front driveshaft barely hanging on to the front differential splines as the manufactures design is not robust enough for simply driving on the road and allows the front driveshaft to simply slip off what is designed to retain the shaft to the front differential. Before every drive I have to push the drive shaft further onto the splines and am hoping it doesn't fully come off while driving. This issue began around 6k miles and now have 12k miles on the vehicle. Just now finding the main cause of the issue when discussing with other owners. MB needs to do something about this ASAP. As of right now MB has no solution.

NHTSA ODI 11579218

At 3,000 miles, my 2023 Van (purchased new) developed significant reduction in power and acceleration. The transmission also shifts incorrectly (too late, resulting in higher then normal RPM's) and then abruptly downshifts upon stopping. When going uphill, the van obtains a max speed of about 35-40MPH, forcing me to travel on the local Interstates on the shoulder with my hazards flashing so other vehicles know to pass me. Van was left at Mercedes Dealership for 1 month. Van was not repaired, no plan or remedy was communicated. Van has only been inspected by the dealership where it was purchased. A check engine light came on about 1 week after van lost power.

NHTSA ODI 11563046

The contact owns a 2023 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55-65 MPH, the Crosswind Assist inadvertently activated, causing the front and rear driver's side brakes to activate. The vehicle started swerving. The Crosswind Assist warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on four separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no error codes were retrieved. The dealer determined that the vehicle had recalibrated while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 2,100.

NHTSA ODI 11556272

The crosswind assist on my vehicle causes me to momentarily loose control of my Sprinter. When passing a tractor-trailer or when I experience any crosswind, the result is a forceful jerking of the vehicle so severe that I almost crashed into the tractor-trailer. I have researched this and found no way to turn this off or any way to make this less reactive. I have also found online others who are experiencing this same problem. Mercedes does not respond to my inquiries, saying that this is standard and no way to regulate the severity of the response. Please help me to get this resolved BEFORE I become a statistic. Thank you!

NHTSA ODI 11548698

So I bought a brand new 2023 Mercedes Sprinter Build by Airstream Interstate 19. The front windshield visibility is very bad at night driving. The whole front of windshield has zig zag lines all over the glass for defrosting but those lines make on coming traffic lights very blurry. Driving during day time is normal. Driving during night time all lights look blurry, its kind of like driving with -2 or -3 prescription when looking out the windshield. I called airstream and they said windshield is part of mercedes item. I called mercedes knoxville and they said they have not heard anything like this before.

NHTSA ODI 11511974