CSR

Mercedes-Benz · NHTSA safety record

2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

54

Complaints

2

Crashes

1

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 have filed 54 safety complaints with NHTSA between September 2015 and February 2023. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 19 of them (35%). The typical failure was reported at 22,125 miles, the median across the 34 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 7 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (7)

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC):CONTROL MODULE

21V042000 · February 3, 2021

The defect
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Mercedes Benz Sprinter 3500 and Freightliner Sprinter 3500 vehicles upfitted into campers or recreational vehicles. The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) unit may become disabled on these vehicles.
The risk
If ESC becomes disabled, vehicle driving stability may be impacted under certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
DVUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear-wheel speed sensor with a more robust sensor, free of charge. DVUSA issued owners an interim notification on March 10, 2021. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267. DVUSA's number for this recall is NC3DREZAHA.

Daimler Vans USA, LLC · up to 48,667 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

19V004000 · January 8, 2019

The defect
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 and 3500 and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
The risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The remedy
DVUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2019. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267.

Daimler Vans USA, LLC · up to 88,388 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT

17V786000 · December 8, 2017

The defect
Midwest Automotive Designs, LLC (Midwest) is recalling certain Custom Vans and Camper Van recreational vehicles built on 2014-2017 Mercedes Benz Sprinter chassis and 2016-2017 RAM Promaster chassis. These vehicles are equipped with Kidde Plastic-Handle or Push Button 'Pindicator' fire extinguishers that may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or excessive force may be needed to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf
The risk
In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Midwest will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fire extinguisher with a different brand, free of charge. The recall began on December 11, 2017. Owners may contact Kidde customer service for their replacement extinguisher at 1-855-262-3540, or online at www.kidde.com and click on "Product Safety Recall" for more information.

Midwest Automotive Designs, LLC · up to 550 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS

17V093000 · February 10, 2017

The defect
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 and 3500 and Freightliner Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vans. These vehicles were manufactured without a reinforcement plate and protective bracket on the air bag control unit. As a result, the air bag control unit may not remain functional after the initial impact, possibly preventing additional air bags from deploying in response to a secondary impact.
The risk
If additional air bags do not deploy as intended, the occupants are at an increased risk of injury.
The remedy
DVUSA will notify owners, and dealers will install a reinforcement plate and protective bracket around the air bag control unit, free of charge. The recall began on May 26, 2017. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267.

Daimler Vans USA, LLC · up to 15,338 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

16V077000 · February 10, 2016

The defect
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (Daimler Vans) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 Dodge Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vehicles manufactured July 1, 2006, to July 31, 2008, 2007-2014 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vehicles manufactured July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2014, and 2010-2014 Mercedes Benz Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vehicles manufactured July 1, 2010, to July 1, 2014. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
The risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
The remedy
Daimler Vans will notify the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner owners and Fiat Chrysler will notify the Dodge owners. The respective dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2017. Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner owners may contact Daimler Van's customer service at 1-877-762-8267. Dodge owners may contact Fiat Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.

Daimler Vans USA, LLC · up to 136,361 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

14V764000 · December 1, 2014

The defect
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC - DBA Sprinter (Mercedes) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Sprinter 2500, and Sprinter 3500 vehicles manufactured February 28, 2014, to November 21, 2014. In the affected vehicles, oil may leak from around the chain tensioner gasket area.
The risk
Leaking oil may drip onto a hot engine surface, increasing the risk of a fire. Additionally, the leaking oil may be a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Mercedes will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chain tensioner gasket, free of charge. The recall began on December 19, 2014. Owners may contact Mercedes customer service at 1-877-762-8267. Mercedes' number for this recall is 2014120003.

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC - DBA Sprinter · up to 8,279 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY

14V706000 · November 5, 2014

The defect
Cummings Mobility Conversion & Supply (Cummings) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Ford E-150, E-250, E-350, Chevrolet Express, 2006-2008 Dodge Sprinter, and 2009-2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and 2013 Ford Transit Connect vehicles manufactured January 1, 2006, to October 8, 2014, equipped with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lifts manufactured by Ricon Corporation after January 1, 2006. The platform side plate of the affected wheelchair lifts may crack.
The risk
If the platform side plates crack, the lift platform can separate from the lift and come to rest against the vehicle's lift door. When the doors are opened, the platform may fall out, increasing the risk of injury to the lift operator.
The remedy
Cummings will notify owners to take buses to a Ricon dealer or service center who will install supplemental platform support bumpers. Any platform that has already started cracking will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began January 13, 2015. Owners may contact Cumming's customer service at 1-800-639-5438 or Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884. Cumming's number for this recall is 14E-041.

Cummings Mobility Conversion & Supply · up to 34 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Rear Wheel Speed Sensor Failure

PE20014

Closed preliminary evaluation · opened September 21, 2020 · closed March 30, 2021 · led to recall 21V042000

the air brakes, the hydraulic brakes

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) analyzed complaint data provided by Daimler Vans USA, LLC (Daimler) as well as complaints submitted to ODI from consumers to identify incidents related to Rear Wheel Speed Sensors (RWSS) failures. ODI's analysis identified 6,710 incidents of RWSS failure (unique VINs) in MY 2012-2018 Mercedes- Benz and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles upfitted to campers or recreational vehicles (RVs) representing 81 percent of all Sprinter RWSS reports. Complaint and warranty analysis indicated that the majority of incidents (approximately 99%) were related to RWSS moisture intrusion condition in the Sprinter 3500 5-ton variant, which accounts for 98 percent of upfit campers, where moisture build-up and crystal dendrite formation develop in parked RVs and lead to sensor failures. According to the Daimler Information Request (IR) response, if the wheel speed information is detected as implausible by the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) control unit, the ESP system enters a failsafe mode where:-Driver torque requests are no longer accepted;-Cruise control, if used, would be deactivated; -The ESP/ABS system shuts off; and -Multiple warning lamps and messages advise the operator to take the vehicle to the workshop. While the majority of reports involved only ABS and/or ESP warning lights and messages on the instrument cluster due to faulty sensor signals triggering a failsafe mode, some reports cited intermittent sensor failures resulting in increased vehicle speed while in cruise control and degraded ABS or ESP. Degraded ESP functionality may impact driving stability of the 5-ton vehicle.On Feb 3, 2021, following discussion with ODI, Daimler submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a defect in the RWSS disabling the ESP control unit functions in approximately 48,667 MY 2012 through 2018 Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter 3500 vehicles manufactured from Jan 4, 2012 through Oct 25, 2018 (Recall 21V-042). In its DIR, Daimler indicated that RWSS sensor failures are prevalent in camper vans due to sustained periods of non-use, during which time the moisture may not dry out, remaining inside the plastic housing package. If the moisture within the RWSS dries and the RWSS returns to normal operation, the failsafe mode and the warning lights will disappear at the next ignition cycle, but the sensor fault remains stored within the ESP control unit and can be accessed through a diagnostic evaluation. ODI will continue to monitor field experience in Sprinter non-RVs and Sprinter 2500 RVs 3-ton and 3.5-ton variants (approximately 626 vehicles).Daimler will notify owners of the recalled vehicles and advise them to take their vehicle to a Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner Sprinter dealer, who will replace the RWSS with a repackaged sensor with high robustness against moisture intrusion. Daimler began notifying dealers and owners in Feb 2021. This Preliminary Evaluation is closed.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under the following ID numbers:11352380 11351299 11350521 11348969 11342776 11342464 11341988 11341151 11340388 11338230 11337921 11331832 11331829 11331476 11331427 11331066 11328671 11325768 11325693 11322814 11322346 11320295 11319376 11317336 11311647 11310621 11308318 11254223 11253828 11252220 11196530 11194330 11164250 11145019 11141273 11139000 11138785 11124129 11094122 11394837 11390889 11390039 11389262 11387883 11387713 11386418 11383887 11383866 11382947 11377384 11376615 11376973 11375781 11375403 11374997 11374151 11373892 11373111 11366293 11365920 11365594 11365355 11365194 11364253 11364346 11363990 11363787 11362948 113629

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 54.

AIR BAGS 19 35%
SERVICE BRAKES 14 26%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11 20%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 10 19%
ENGINE 6 11%
WHEELS 5 9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 6%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 2%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2020 at 15.

2015 2020 2023
2015 to 2023

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire · 45,000 miles

IN JUNE OF 2020 THIS VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE, ORIGINATING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ACCORDING TO MY DRIVER. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS RESULTING IN NO BODILY HARM AND MY INSURANCE COMPANY PAID ME A SETTLEMENT AND IS STILL INVESTIGATING LAST I HEARD. I ALSO HAD TO REPLACE TWO WHEEL SPEED SENSORS OUT OF POCKET THAT MY LOCAL DEALER DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. MY DEALER DID EVENTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGE THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED, BUT REFUSE TO REIMBURSE SINCE THEY DIDN'T DO THE WORK.

NHTSA complaint 11378630. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

crash · towed · 1,500 miles

POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND CAR CRASHED. MERCEDES BENZ WALNUT CREEK CALIFORNIA REFUSED FREE REPAIR

NHTSA complaint 11360999. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed · 28,000 miles

IT STARTED WITH TRANSMISSION NOT SHIFTING, DASH WARNING LIGHTS FLASHING, NO CRUISE CONTROL ALL WHILE IN MOTION

NHTSA complaint 11387017. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN SENT TO MERCEDES CORPORATE CUSTOMER SERVICE All of the following has started happening since an exhaust recall was done by Mercedes. In September 2022, we were driving cross country to Denver Colorado and enough codes piled up in the background that we went into limp mode in the middle of 70 MPH highway traffic. This happened without warning and was an extreme safety concern. But I was lucky to be near an exit and already in the right lane. I reset these codes and finished going to Denver the next day. The two Sprinter dealers in Denver were backlogged several weeks; so we spent over $600 trying to troubleshoot the issues with Colorado Fleetworks, a qualified Sprinter

NHTSA complaint 11505086, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

28,000 miles

The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500. The contact stated while driving 60 mph, the rear wheel speed sensor failed causing the transmission to inadvertently downshift. The contact stated that the abs warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The mechanic determined that the rear wheel speed sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred two years later. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 21V042000 (Electronic Stability Control). The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

NHTSA complaint 11418342. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WHEELE SPEED SENSOR PROBLEMS AND NEEDING REPLACED EVERY 3 4 MONTHS

NHTSA complaint 11404661. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

15,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE SURGED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE DROVE AS DESIGNED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V042000 (ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SEVERAL UNKNOWN LOCAL DEALERS TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR WHEEL SPEED SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER

NHTSA complaint 11403082, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

46,000 miles

WHEEL SPEED SENSOR ON VEHICLE HAS MALFUNCTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES. WHEN SPEED SENSOR MALFUNCTIONS THE VEHICLE SPEED SURGES AND OPERATES ERRATICALLY ON ITS OWN. CONDITION HAPPENS WHEN VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. CONDITIONS HAPPEN AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS

NHTSA complaint 11398890. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2023 17 6
2022 8 6
2021 8 16
2020 12 22
2019 27 41
2018 9 10
2017 27 9
2016 61 16
2015 37 15
2013 45 5
2012 20 4 1
2011 8 4

Other 2014 Mercedes-Benz models

Every Mercedes-Benz on this site — 216 vehicles, 576 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst