2010 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 Owner Complaints

Safety Concerns Regarding Eberspächer Diesel Heaters in My 2010 Sprinter This complaint outlines critical safety concerns identified with the two Eberspächer diesel heaters in my 2010 Sprinter van, originally installed / imported from Germany. 1. Potential Non-Compliance with Emission Standards: A recent inspection suggests that both heaters might not meet EPA/CARB emission regulations due to the absence of a required CARB sticker. While I've obtained and verified CARB compliance documentation directly from Eberspächer through a local MBUSA dealer, the lack of the sticker raises concerns. 2. Fume Intrusion into Driver Compartment: The current heater installation, positioned directly below the driver's cabin, poses a significant safety hazard. Fumes can enter the compartment in various scenarios: (a) Opening or closing the driver's door (b) Rolling down windows for activities like toll payments (c) Vehicle stopping, causing fumes to roll underneath and enter the front air intake (d) Parking between cars or in restricted airflow environments, allowing fumes to reach the front air intake 3. Improper Heater Installation: There's evidence that the heater installation deviates from the manufacturer's instructions. Specifically, the exhaust pipe might be pointed downwards, enabling debris from the road to directly enter the heater. This can lead to blockages and potentially cause a fire hazard. 4. Urgency of Addressing the Issues Given the potential violation of emission regulations and the serious safety risks associated with fume intrusion and improper installation, I urge immediate attention to this matter. Please advise on the necessary steps to ensure my Sprinter's heaters comply with regulations and are installed safely. I am attaching photos of the installation as well as notice of CARB compliance (non-compliance in my case) it is my understanding, that Daimler has shipped significant number of similar trucks across USA. thank you.

NHTSA ID

11580600

Incident

Apr 1, 2024

HEAD LIGHT ASSEMBLIES ON MY 2010 C300 ARE FAULTY THEY ARE DULLING SEVERELY BAD AND THE LIGHT BULBS ARE BURNING AND MELTING ON THE ASSEMBLY CAUSING A BURNING SMELL THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD EVERYONE IS COMPLAINING FROM 2008-2010 THE BULBS ARE MELTING ONTO THE PLASTIC CAUSING THE HEADLIGHTS TO BLOW OUT AND THE CLIPS USED TO HOLD THE BULBS ON TRACK ARE POINTING DOWNWARDS SO THE LIGHTS ARE POINTING TOWARDS THE GROUND AND NOT IN ONGOING TRAFFIC THE CONSUMERS ARE PAYING TOO MUCH OUT OF POCKET MONEY ON MERCEDES FAULTY PARTS THIS ISN'T FAIR AT ALL WE ARE ALL HAVING CRISIS WITH THESE CARS AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO OTHER THEN PAY TO REPAIR MERCEDES MISTAKES. PLEASE HELP US PLEASE AND THE IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE IS NOT OUR FAULT ONE DAY YOUR CAR JUST WON'T CRANK AND YOU HAVE TO SPEND ALL OF YOUR SAVINGS TO FIX A ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THIS ISN'T WHY WE PURCHASED MERCEDES TOTALLY UNSAFE SCARY AND UNFAIR. MY HEADLIGHTS SCARE ME FROM THE BURNING SMELL

NHTSA ID

11397439

Incident

Feb 22, 2021

MY 2010 MERCEDES IS HAVING A SERIES OF ISSUES THAT IT SHOULD NOT BE HAVING AND THIS IS UNFAIR TO CONSUMERS, THERE SHOULD BE WAY MORE THEN 4 RECALLS LISTED ON THIS VEHICLE YEAR MAKE AND MODEL. I AM CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING A PROBLEM WITH MY CAR NOT STARTING FOR SOME ODD REASON AS MY KEY IS INSERTED INTO THE IGNITION MY CAR ISN'T TURNING ON AT ALL. THE STEERING COLUMN IS LOCKED AND THE DASH BOARD STATES THAT I NEED TO REMOVE MY KEY FROM THE IGNITION. MY CAR HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AS ESL/EIS MALFUNCTION WHICH SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THIS YEAR MAKE AND MODEL IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH THE 2010 MERCEDES C300. I LEFT MY HOUSE AND DROVE 40 MINS AWAY FROM HOME WHEN I LEFT OUT OF THE RESTAURANT AND RETURNED TO MY CAR, MY ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED AND THE CAR TELL ME TO REMOVE MY KEY FROM IGNITION THIS IS DEFINITELY A ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION. I HAD TO SPEND $190 TO GET MY CAR TOWED HOME AND THE DIAGNOSTIC IS ELECTRICAL MY ENTIRE IGNITION SWITCH HAS TO BE CHANGED OUT AND REPROGRAMMED. WHICH IS COSTING ME ROUGHLY $1400.00 AS I GOOGLE THIS PROBLEM THERE'S A LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE ON SEVERAL BLOGS AND SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE A IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE OR STEERING COLUMN ISSUE WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR FROM CONSUMERS. PLEASE RECALL THIS ISSUE. MY IGNITION COULD'VE LOCKED ON ME IN TRAFFIC CAUSING A DEADLY ACCIDENT. ALONG WITH THE HEADLIGHTS I SPOKE WITH A MERCEDES HEADLIGHTS ARE BAD THEY NEED TO BE RECALLED AS WELL MY LIGHTS ARE BURNING ONTO THE PLASTIC INSIDE THE ASSEMBLY MY LIGHTS ARE TILTING TOWARDS THE GROUND BECAUSE THE CLIPS THAT CAME WITH THE ASSEMBLY ARE FAULTY. AT NIGHT I CAN'T EVEN SEE THE ROAD MY HEADLIGHT BULBS ARE MELTED INTO THE ASSEMBLY THIS CAR IS A DEATH TRAP IT'S WAY MORE RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE THEN WHAT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED AND MERCEDES SHOULD BE ASHAME.

NHTSA ID

11397423

Incident

Feb 18, 2021

I HAVE A 2010 E350 WHILE DRIVING THE CAR IT THREW ITSELF INTO PARK , I WAS TRAVELING 5 MPH OR SO. IT DID IT A FEW TIMES ESPECIALLY WHEN COMING TO A STOP IN NEW YORK CITY , THIS IS DANGEROUS! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME TODAY IT'S HAPPENED AND IT HAPPENED ABOUT 4 TIMES TONIGHT , SCARY! , I CANNOT EXACTLY DUPLICATE WHEN OR WHY IT DOES IT. WHAT I HAVE DONE SO FAR... 1. I CHECK MY DOOR. MY DOOR IS NOT OPEN. THIS IS DANGEROUS

NHTSA ID

11360835

Incident

Sep 23, 2020

HELLO ALL, I AM CURRENTLY DRIVING WITH A DEFECTIVE AIRBAG. I HAVE BEEN CONTACTED BY THE DAIMLER VANS RECALL RESOLUTION TEAM. THEY INSTRUCTED ME TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE NEAREST SPRINTER REPAIR CENTER FOR THE BAG TO BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. I EXPLAINED THAT THE NEAREST SERVICE CENTER WAS ST LOUIS MO WHICH HAPPENS TO BE OVER 100 MILES AWAY FROM MY HOME. I ASKED IF THEY COULD SEND SOMEONE TO CHANGE IT AT MY LOCATION, SINCE THIS WOULD TAKE ME AWAY FROM WORK FOR A DAY TO DO THIS. THEY RESPONDED NO I WOULD NEED TO HAVE IT TOWED AT MY EXPENSE TO THERE LOCATION FOR SERVICING. MERCEDES & SPRINTER SHARE THE SAME HOOD ORNAMENT, BUT SPRINTER SERVICE IS REQUIRE AT SPECIFIC SERVICING LOCATIONS. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME RESOLVE THIS MATTER ASAP . I HAVE BEEN RIDING WITH THIS AIRBAG NOT KNOWING IF IT WILL ACCIDENTALLY DISCHARGE WHILE I AM DRIVING. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID

11317553

Incident

Mar 2, 2020

Mileage

35,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER 2500 EQUIPPED WITH GOODYEAR WRANGLER HT TIRES, SIZE: LT215/85R16. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY, THE TWO FRONT TIRES BLEW OUT. LATER ON THE SAME DAY, THE REAR TIRES BLEW OUT. THERE WAS TREAD SEPARATION ON EACH TIRE. TWO OF THE TIRES WERE SHIPPED TO NEW JERSEY. THE CONTACT DROVE TO FT. LAUDERDALE TO A TIRE MANUFACTURER AND PURCHASED TWO NEW TIRES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE TIRE AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

NHTSA ID

11203518

Incident

Apr 13, 2019

Mileage

60,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY DECELERATED WHILE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 30 MPH. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED AND THERE WAS A WARNING THAT THE DIESEL PUMP PREHEATING SYSTEM WAS MALFUNCTIONING. THE CONTACT PLACED THE GEAR INTO NEUTRAL, AND TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE TO BRING THE ENGINE BACK TO NORMAL FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE DIESEL PUMP, CATALYTIC CONVERTER, AIR COMBUSTIBLE SENSORS, WATER SENSOR FILTER, AND COMPUTER; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.

NHTSA ID

11191783

Incident

Mar 3, 2017

Mileage

180,000 mi

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER 2500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 16V379000 AND 16V077000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER MERCEDES-BENZ OF ANAHEIM (5395 E LA PALMA AVE, ANAHEIM, CA 92807) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AT 877-496-3691, BUT COULD NOT CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. A CASE NUMBER WAS NOT PROVIDED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT AND VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11064625

Incident

May 27, 2016

TAKATA RECALL, THIS RECALL HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 3 + YEARS WITH NO FIX FOR THE PROBLEM

NHTSA ID

11039573

Incident

Oct 1, 2012

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MERCEDES BENZ SPRINTER 2500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 16V077000 (AIR BAGS), 16V379000 (AIR BAGS) AND STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND COULD NOT PROVIDE AN ESTIMATED DATE FOR WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD RECEIVE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10926670

Incident

Oct 3, 2016

I OWN A 2010 MERCEDES BENZ SPRINTER PASSENGER VAN (2500). I PURCHASED IT USED IN AUGUST 2014. THE DEALER I PURCHASED IT FROM INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE FIXING A LEAK IN THE REAR AIR CONDITIONER. IN JANUARY, 2015 AFTER A SIGNIFICANT SNOWSTORM AND A FREEZE MY AIR CONDITIONING UNIT STARTED LEAKING. IT ONLY LEAKS DURING A RAIN STORM, BUT IT IS DUE TO THE SEAL THAT IS BETWEEN THE AIR-CONDITIONER AND ROOF OF THE VAN WHICH HAS BEEN TORN. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM IN NEARLY ALL SPRINTER MODELS. THIS POSES A SAFETY CONCERN FOR MY PASSENGERS AND IS A HUGE INCONVENIENCE DURING THE RAINY SEASON. MERCEDES BENZ NEEDS TO RE-CALL ALL SPRINTERS AND FIX THE DESIGN OF THE ROOF-TOP AIR CONDITIONERS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10713944

Incident

Jan 15, 2015

Mileage

40,000 mi

MY EMERGENCY EXIT WINDOW IS FALLING OUT... THE GLUE THAT HOLDS THE WINDOW IN THE HINGE HAS COME LOOSE.. I LOOKED UP HERE @ THE RECALL.GOV SITE TO SEE IF THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM, AND IT WAS... I TOOK MY SPRINTER VAN INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT REPAIRED, AND THEY SAID THERE IS NO RECALL ON MY WINDOW AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY $950 TO HAVE IT FULLY REPLACED WITH THE SAME DEFECTED WINDOW WITH NO WARRANTY... I NOW HAVE THE WINDOW DUCT TAPED DOWN TO HOLD IT IN PLACE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10588927

Incident

May 9, 2014

Mileage

99,482 mi

DURING AND AFTER RAIN VEHICLE LEAKS WATER (LIKE A WATER FALL ) THRU THE CEILING VENTS IN THE REAR OF THE CAR, DRENCHING ANY ONE WHO IS SEATED IN THE 1ST OR 2ND ROWS, SOME TIME THE DRIVER SEAT AND PASSENGER ALSO GET SOAKED WHILE DRIVING IF YOU BRAKE OR MAKE A TURN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10554063

Incident

Jul 1, 2011

Mileage

3,000 mi

OUR 2010 MERCEDES-BENZ (MB) 2500 SPRINTER VAN AT 57,000 HAD A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURN ON. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY REST THE COMPUTER AND TOOK IT FOR A TEST DRIVE. UPON RETURNING FROM THE TEST DRIVE THEY TOLD US EVERYTHING WAS FINE. TWO DAYS LATER THE LIGHT TURNED ON AGAIN AND THE MOTOR RUNS ROUGH. I TOOK IT BACK INTO THE DEALER AND THE NEXT DAY THEY SAID MY PROBLEM WAS A SENSOR IN THE ADBLUE TANK. TO FIX THE PROBLEM THE TANK, SENSOR AND WIRING HARNESS MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $2200.00. ADBLUE IS THE NAME FOR THE MB DIESEL EXHAUST AFTER TREATMENT SYSTEM THAT INJECTS DEF TO INTO THE EXHAUST. MB HAS ALREADY ISSUED A SERVICE CAMPAIGN FOR A SIMILAR ISSUE. THAT NUMBER OF THAT SERVICE CAMPAIGN IS 201009005. WHEN I CALLED MD @ 1-877-762-8267 THEY LOOKED INTO MY PROBLEM AND TOLD ME THAT ALL THOUGH MY PROBLEM WAS SIMILAR TO THE ONE IN THE PREVIOUS SERVICE CAMPAIGN MY ISSUE IS NOT COVERED BY IT. MY ISSUE IS THAT THE ENGINE HAS A 5YEAR 100,000 MILE WARRANTY AND THIS IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE ENGINE; BUT IT IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AND SEE HOW MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE. I THINK MB SHOULD HAVE TO FIX THE PROBLEM FOR EVERYONE. THANK YOU. *JS

NHTSA ID

10452279

Incident

Mar 15, 2012

Mileage

57,000 mi