Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz recalls Sprinter vans over faulty airbag wiring

Sandy Springs, GA – June 23,  2021 – Daimler (OTCMKTS:DMLRY), the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has recalled 4,078 Sprinter vans with a wiring issue that may prevent the side airbags from working properly. This issue may reduce the risk of injury in a crash. The recall includes:

  • 2019-2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500, 2500, 3500 and 4500 vans
  • 2019-2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter extended cargo vans
  • 2019-2021 Freightliner Sprinter 1500, 2500, 3500 and 4500 vans

The vans are commonly used to haul people, cargo or even as trendy refurbished camper vans as part of a new trend called “Van Life.”

Recall summary  

The recalled Sprinters’ front seats contain side airbags that are meant to protect a person’s torso in the case of a side-impact crash. These front seats can swivel around to face the inside of the van. The problem is that the wiring connecting the side airbags inside the seats to the rest of the car (including the sensors and computers that control these airbags) may get pinched when the seats are rotated.

“Worst case scenario,” Daimler stated in recall documents, “the side airbag may either deploy inadvertently or may not deploy as designed in the event of a crash.” 

Risks

Side airbags, together with curtain airbags, reduce side-impact crash fatalities by an estimated 31.3%. This level of protection disappears if the airbags fail to deploy or deploy at the wrong time. 

Other Freightliner van recalls

In January, Daimler recalled over 9,000 Freightliner Sprinter vans with “electrical parking brake (EPB) systems” due to a potential brake fluid leak.  The issue  may change how the brake pedal operates, increasing the risk of a crash.

The recall includes some of the same model-years that are included in this recall.

The repair

The Sprinter’s seat wiring is held together by something called a wiring harness. Mercedes or Freightliner Sprinter dealers will inspect the front seats’ seat wiring harnesses and will re-route the wires in a way that they will not get pinched when the seat is rotated. This repair will be performed for free. Owners will be notified about the recall approximately one week after it launches, on or around July 6.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 4,000 vehicles are included in this Mercedes recall. To see if your van is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Rebecca RandDaimler’s Mercedes-Benz recalls Sprinter vans over faulty airbag wiring

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