2020 Freightliner Sprinter 2500

The Cooling fan behind the radiator also known as the clutch fan fell off the water pump. I realized it before it fell on the highway during rush hour and caused a major accident and engine failure. This is a very common problem and is all over the internet. In most cases it will take out the radiator, fan assembly, belts and hoses as reported by many on the internet when you google “MB sprinter clutch fan falls off”.

NHTSA ID

11685330

Incident

May 23, 2025

On May 22, 2023 around 19:00 after driving my vehicle for nearly 90 minutes the vehicle no longer responded to the gas pedal being depressed by increasing acceleration. The vehicle would not go over 2,500 RPMs even with the gas pedal fully depressed. No warning were shown on the driver display or in the messaging system. The manual gear shifting did not work to raise or lower the gears while the vehicle was in this state. The vehicle display showed the vehicle in "D" for Drive and I could not change it to any other value such as D1, D2, etc.. The vehicle had almost no power and would not accelerate except for very slowly taking over 1.5 minutes to reach 55 mph. This is a SEVERELY dangerous situation as without warning my vehicle stopped responding to driver input in a reasonable fashion and thus if I was attempting to turn onto a busy road or cross a road my vehicle would not have enough acceleration to do so and could cause an accident resulting in serious death or injury. No warnings or alerts were shown on driver console. Parking assistance was turned off. Lane departure was turned off. I cycled on/off the cruise control to no avail. I evened turned the engine off and on and the problem still persisted. It wasn't until I was able to safely pull off later and power off the vehicle and wait 5 minutes that the problem went away. It is incomprehensible to me why we allow car manufacturers to override user input and commands with faulty and buggy computer software. If I press the gas pedal it should respond!

NHTSA ID

11523457

Incident

May 22, 2023

Engine destroyed by oil and water accumulation in intercooler that was pulled through the turbo and entered cylinder 6. Bent connecting rod on Cylinder 6, Bent and torn turbo vanes. Sudden loss of power while operating. Mercedes is replacing the entire motor. No Symptoms before the event, check engine light after first restart.

NHTSA ID

11503674

Incident

Dec 29, 2022

Driving in center lane of three lane interstate highway in the evening so it was dark. I had cruise control set at 55 mph. Nothing to my right and at least 100 yards of nothing in front of me. A white sedan speeds by in the left lane staying entirely in their left lane. My vehicle slammed on the brakes for some unknown reason almost causing the vehicle behind me to collide with me. A red triangle appeared on dash display for 2 seconds or so (not long enough to know what the computer thought happened ). No explanation given. No messages in drive computer. Absolutely awful. This could have caused a major accident and it was all done by a computer with no explanation. I want a dealer to download the log from my car for 17:52-17:53 on 1/14/23 and issue a complete and detailed report. There’s a severe safety issue and it must be fixed.

NHTSA ID

11501821

Incident

Jan 14, 2023

I am experiencing cold start hesitation and unresponsive throttle at high elevation. The vehicle takes up to 20-30 seconds to accelerate, and puts me in a dangerous situation (in a highway intersection, for example). Once the engine temperature is warm, this issue goes away.

NHTSA ID

11477168

Incident

Feb 15, 2022

The Lane Keep Assistant (LKA) as implemented is a severe safety flaw. The LKA only take input from lane markers on the road but fails to consider other issues such as other vehicles or construction. Several times on my most recent drive on interstate highways at 70-80 mph I was passing large semi trucks. The trucks drifted out of their lane and into my lane. I took emergency evasive action to steer my vehicle out of the way of the semi truck but the Lane Keep Assistant (LKA) noticed I was out of my lane and aggressively steered my vehicle back into the other vehicle. Luckily I did not hit the other vehicle but the LKA made avoiding other vehicles more difficult and could contribute to a collision if the driver is not foreful enough to both steer out of the way of danger and to counter the steering control of the LKA. 1. This feature should not be allowed on vehicles as implemented. In my 30 years of the driving this is the most dangerous feature I have ever experienced. My vehicle is trying to kill me!! 2. This feature should have the ability to be set to "off" permanently or tied to a driver's profile settings to remain off while that driver is in control. Drivers should not have to remember to turn off the feature manually every time the car is started. 3. Driver's should have the ability to turn off steering control but still have the lane departure warning signal.

NHTSA ID

11421862

Incident

Jun 15, 2021

COLOR INSTRUMENT CLUSTER INCLUDING COLOR DISPLAY BETWEEN THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER WILL NOT DIM AT NIGHT. THE RESULTING WASH OF LIGHT MAKES SEEING OUT THE SIDE MIRRORS OR ANYTHING AT NIGHT VERY DIFFICULT. VAN IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT. MANUFACTURE CONFIRMS THE PROBLEM BUT HAS NO FIX.

NHTSA ID

11389057

Incident

Nov 10, 2020

Mileage

300 mi

EGR Valve Diagnosis & Cleaning (and EGR Cooler Cleaning) – OM642, Sprinter 906/907 Complaint Complaint A: The engine is jolting/bucking between 1700 and 1900 rpm. Complaint B: One or more mechanical related fault codes for EGR Valve stored in CDI control unit, with possible Check Engine Light. Review list of mechanical fault codes in table below. NOTE: If one or more electrical related fault codes for EGR Valve are also present in CDI, utilize Complaint C. Review list of electrical fault codes PDF document in attachments. Complaint C: One or more electrical related fault codes for EGR Valve stored in CDI control unit, with possible Check Engine Light. Review list of electrical fault codes PDF document attached. NOTE: This LI supersedes LI14.20‑N‑073813, which is no longer valid. Cause Cause of Complaint A: Increased friction between the EGR Valve blade and seat due to soot deposits causing a delay of the EGR Valve being able to reach the target value of the EGR Valve position controller. NOTE: This causes the EGR Valve blade and potentially the boost pressure controller to oscillate. Cause of Complaint B: Soot deposits between the EGR Valve blade and seat leading to the EGR Valve no longer being able to meet the desired target of the EGR Valve position controller. Cause of Complaint C: Internal EGR Valve or other electrical faults related to the EGR Valve function.

Acoustic Warning or message occurring when a closed sliding door is not recognized Complaint Customer may state the warning message or indicator accompanied by acoustic tone alerting the sliding door is ajar when the door is completely closed Cause There are several reasons that lead to the failure occurring: ‑ Mechanical damage through bending when loading and unloading ‑ Worn contact plates ‑‑> After detachment of silver plating, the coper plate is corroded ‑ Movement of sliding door/body when driving ‑‑> Contact pins do not always make contact with contact plate ‑‑> Central locking system fault message in instrument cluster Remedy In a problem case, replace contact switch for vehicles with +T50/+T55/+EL9 or contact plate with A4478201903 Check the fit of the sliding doors here and make any necessary adjustments as per AR72.16‑S‑1023E (447 /448) and AR72.16‑D‑1023TS (907/910). Further valid damage codes: 82326 Contact switch for central locking system on sliding door 82347 Contact plate for central locking system on sliding door 53196 K/Z contact plate for central locking system on sliding door 82645 Contact switch for sliding door

Brakes may lock up when reversing at slow speeds Complaint When reversing slowly, the vehicle erroneously triggers an emergency braking event, causing the brakes to lock up. Engine may not start following a key cycle. Cause The vehicle triggers a maneuvering or emergency braking event while reversing. The customer must then immediately park the vehicle (ignition Switched OFF) The hydraulic pressure release process within the ESP control unit may not be completed. Remedy Updating the software release of the RVC177 reversing camera

Fuel Level Unchanged After Refueling Complaint The customer reports that the fuel gauge shows inaccurate readings or remains unchanged after refueling. Cause The fuel level display may be incorrect due to one or both of the following conditions: 1. The Fuel Supply Control Unit (FSCU) may not recognize a refueling event if the Controller Area Network (CAN) does not enter sleep mode. This may occur if the vehicle is refueled with the engine running, the ignition is switched on during refueling, or aftermarket or upfitter‑installed equipment keeps the vehicle powered. 2. The fuel level sensor float or sensor arm may be restricted by the low‑pressure fuel pump pickup tube, fuel lines, electrical wiring, or an incorrectly positioned component. The fuel level sensor may become stuck above or below the pickup tube and indicate an incorrect fuel level. Similar FSCU actual values do not rule out a mechanical restriction. The fuel level sensor may be physically held at an incorrect position while the two actual values remain similar.

Unavailability of MB Apps Complaint A popup is seen on the HU with the message "data connection temporarily not available". Cause MB Apps is officially sundowned for all vehicles with NTG5 Head Unit Variant. Remedy No support available for NTG5 Head Unit Variants for MB App related topics.

Complaint While driving through muddy / sandy/ off road terrain "4Matic Currently Unavailable" message on the dash Cause This vehicle is not equipped with a fixed force distribution AWD, rather force is only applied to the front axle according to ESP calculations. As per GF28.00‑D‑ 9900A: "vehicles with 4MATIC all‑wheel system and variable force distribution, an electronically regulated multiplate clutch integrated into the transfer case provides for the torque distribution. If the multiplate clutch is open during normal driving operation, only the rear axle drives the vehicle. If the clutch is closed, the front axle comes into play." The message "All‑wheel drive temporarily unavailable" is not indicative of a malfunction but rather informs the driver that all‑wheel drive is currently not available due to the transfer case clutch overheating. This occurs when the vehicle is driven in such a way that maximum front axle torque is needed for an extended period, causing the clutch to get excessively hot. If the vehicle is being driven under heavy load conditions, like in deep sand or snow, the rear axle may slip while the front axle does not deliver power. The transfer case then attempts to distribute torque to correct the slip, but it is limited to a maximum of 1150 Nm to protect the front axle transmission. In extended heavy‑load scenarios, the multidisk clutch in the transfer case slips, increasing the temperature. If the temperature model detects a critical temperature of 240°C, the system protects itself by disconnecting until it cools down to around 160°C, after which the all‑wheel drive becomes available again and the warning message disappears.Vehicles can handle flat terrain easily, but steep slopes or situations where wheels slip might cause additional resistance, leading to the described protection events and message in the dash. Remedy Recommendation is to release the vehicle back to the client with an explanation that the vehicle is operating as designed. Please advise the client to limit vehicle acceleration in limited traction situations to avoid disabling of the 4Matic system ‑ please see "Notes on all‑wheel drive" provided in the operators manual.