The tail lamps of my car do not function appropriately - the right tail lamp is completely dead most of the time and the left tail lamp constantly dims and flickers. Mercedes previously issued a recall campaign (no. 2014050001) because "DAG determined that oxidation on the ground pin connector for the rear tail lamps of subject vehicles can result in a dimming of the tail lights or loss of tail lamp functions. . . . [t]he loss of a rear tail lamp reduces the rearward visibility of subject vehicles . . . and may increase the likelihood of a rear end crash." The recall has been performed on my car, but the issues and danger continue to persist. I visually inspected the pin connectors of the tail lamps, confirmed that they still suffer from oxidization (and that they may have slightly burned due to the oxidization), causing the same continuing issues that were at the heart of the prior recall campaign. I reached out to Mercedes' corporate customer service, explained to them in writing that the same issues continue to exist (oxidization of the pin connectors which continue to cause tail lamp malfunction), showed them photos of clear oxidization of the pin connectors, and pleaded with them regarding the continued danger that is caused by the malfunctioning tail lamps. Despite the continuing clear defects and obvious dangerous conditions, Mercedes has refused to provide any assistance to repair the tail lamps. This is a serious design defect, and a quick google search confirms that it continues to be a widespread problem. At minimum, Mercedes should be pressed by the NHTSA to repair my tail lamps, free of cost. However, given that it appears that it continues to be a widespread problem that could potentially affect thousands of cars that continue to be road worthy, the NHTSA should investigate the extent to which Mercedes should be pressed to issue a second wider recall, because the first recall has not resolved the defects and dangerous conditions.
- NHTSA ID
- 11748303
- Incident
- Jul 4, 2026