Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
EA21002
Still open engineering analysis · opened September 17, 2021 · the air bags
NHTSA safety record
Mercedes-Benz
Every complaint, recall and defect investigation on file for a Mercedes-Benz, model years 2010 to 2025.
216
Vehicles
10,855
Complaints
576
Recalls
168
Fires
8
Deaths
216Mercedes-Benz year and model combinations have enough on file to be worth a page here, and between them their owners have filed 10,855 safety complaints with NHTSA. More of those name the air bags than any other system: 3,005 of them. The single most complained-about is the 2011 C300, with 480.
NHTSA holds 576 recall campaigns naming Mercedes-Benz vehicles, across every model year the agency records rather than only the ones shown here. 1 defect investigation into these vehicles is open and unresolved. A death has been reported in 8 of these 216 vehicles.
Most complained-about Mercedes-Benz models
Complaints for every published model year of each model added together. A model that sold in larger numbers collects more complaints, and nothing here divides by sales because NHTSA does not publish them.
What goes wrong on a Mercedes-Benz
The systems named most often across every Mercedes-Benz complaint on file. One complaint can name more than one system, so these add up to more than the complaint total. "Unknown or other" is excluded: it is what the intake form records when an owner cannot place the failure.
- AIR BAGS 3,005
- ENGINE 1,599
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1,437
- FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 903
- STRUCTURE 779
Open investigations (1)
NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining and has not closed the file. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.
Most recent Mercedes-Benz recalls
The newest campaigns naming a Mercedes-Benz, by the date the manufacturer's defect report reached NHTSA. Each one covers a build range, which may be narrower than the model years listed.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LOCK
26V481000 · July 24, 2026
A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC · up to 310,667 vehicles
Pages 2024 GLC 300 2023 GLC 300 2023 C 300 2023 GLB 250 2023 GLC 300 4Matic 2022 C 300
SEAT BELTS: REAR/OTHER:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
26V353000 · May 29, 2026
A loose seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC · up to 203 vehicles
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
26V281000 · May 1, 2026
An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer and warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC · up to 144,049 vehicles
Pages 2025 GLC 300 2025 GLC 350 E 4Matic 2025 GLC 300 4Matic
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
26V278000 · May 1, 2026
A passenger who is unable to fasten their seat belt is not properly restrained, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC · up to 15 vehicles
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:UNIVERSAL JOINT
26V216000 · April 3, 2026
A sudden loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC · up to 24,092 vehicles
AIR BAGS:PASSENGER SIDE FRONTAL:CUSHION
26V199000 · March 27, 2026
Air bags that do not deploy as intended during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC · up to 932 vehicles
WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
26V198000 · March 27, 2026
Incorrect wheel bolts can allow a wheel to loosen or detach from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC · up to 3,734 vehicles
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER
26V172000 · March 20, 2026
In the event of a crash, an insufficiently restrained child has an increased risk of injury.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC · up to 20 vehicles
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
26V134000 · March 6, 2026
A door that cannot be opened may trap occupants inside the vehicle, which can increase the risk of injury.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC · up to 10 vehicles
BACK OVER PREVENTION:WARNINGS:EXTERNAL/PEDESTRIAN ALERT
26V099000 · February 20, 2026
Insufficient pedestrian warning sounds may fail to alert pedestrians of an approaching vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
Daimler Vans USA, LLC · up to 117 vehicles
Every manufacturer's latest recalls, or check a single car with the VIN lookup.
Every Mercedes-Benz page on this site
216 vehicles across 64 models, newest model year first.
AMG CLA45 2014
B 250E 2017
C 300 4Matic 2018
C200 2015
C400 2015
C450 2016
CLS 450 2019
CLS400 2015
E 2011
EQB 250+ 2023
EQB 300 4Matic 2023
EQE 500 2023
EQS 580 2023
GLC 350 E 4Matic 2025
GLC350E 2019
GLE 350 4Matic 2024
GLE 450E 4Matic 2025
ML250 2015
S 500 2022
S550 4Matic 2016
S560 2018
SL550 2013
SLK250 2013
SLK350 2012
Sprinter 4500 2019
Built from NHTSA's complaint file published August 20, 2026, its recall campaign API and its defect investigation file. A complaint is one owner's unverified account, not a finding of fault. How this is counted. · All makes
Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst