2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 Electrical Problems

When driving on a cold rainy day, I turned on defrost heat to clear my windscreen. No heat came out. AC, fans and zone select worked fine, but no heat. So I had to stop repeatedly on a narrow road to wipe windshield. After reviewing user forums, some pointed to a known problem with these Sprinter vans. Apparently the actuator servo motor that controls the heater flap can get stuck at limit positions and fail. This explains why my heater is stuck on cold. Also mentioned in forum, there is also a manufacturer software update that prevents this issue by keeping the actuator servo motor from moving to the very last position (cold or hot). This simple preventive fix was never offered to us during our warranty period. Some forum users went further with a modification to servo motor shaft - apparently this fixed the undesirable flexing on heater flap. Now that the servo motor has failed and I no longer have any heat, I do recognize that there were warning signs. I now recall there were occasional instances where my temperature select did not have any effect until I drove the temperature all the way up or down. I believe this was the servo motor getting stuck briefly but it became unstuck before it completely failed. I feel this can be a grave safety issue because of individual circumstance. Most times it may be an annoyance. But in certain conditions (as I experienced) it will be a significant impediment to driver visibility. It also exposed me to roadside risk when I stopped to wipe inside of windshield.

NHTSA ID

11633974

Incident

Dec 21, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500. The contact stated when the vehicle started, the instrument panel failed to display properly, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was concerned that the vehicle was hazardous to drive and could be severely injured if the instrument panel failed to display warning features as needed. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 91,000.

NHTSA ID

11588751

Incident

May 14, 2024

Mileage

91,000 mi

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500. The contact purchased the vehicle with open recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V100000 (Visibility, Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11525594

Incident

Mar 6, 2023

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it inadvertently rolled backward and crashed into a garage. The vehicle's rear doors were damaged. The dealer was aware of the failure and scheduled an upcoming appointment on January 25th, to replace the rear doors. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V972000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was available. The VIN was included in the recall. The failure mileage was 13,575. VIN tool confirms parts not yet available. Repair was finished by on Feb 4, 2020. Consumer never received invoice from them, as it went thought insurance company.

NHTSA ID

11447877

Incident

Jan 10, 2022

Mileage

13,575 mi

2019 MERCEDES BENZ SPRINTER 2500. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DEFECTIVE ELECTRONIC MODULES. THE CONSUMER STATED THE EIS AND EZS MODULES ARE EXPOSED TO WET AND DAMP CONDITIONS. OVERTIME THEY CORRODE AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONSUMER STATED THE MODULES WERE IN A POOR LOCATION. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A FAILURE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT IN MOTION.

NHTSA ID

11442814

Incident

Dec 6, 2021

The main display screen in the unit has failed, which means the following is no longer functional: Reverse camera (rearview camera image) ; Traction control settings ; Lane Departure system settings ; Door lock settings ; Vehicle lighting settings

NHTSA ID

11433096

Incident

Jun 25, 2021

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the MBUX multimedia system became inoperable resulting in the rear-view camera not functioning as designed. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 21V411000 (Electrical System, Back Over Prevention). The vehicle was diagnosed and repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.

NHTSA ID

11427071

Incident

Jul 13, 2020

Mileage

24,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER 2500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V055000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT TURNED ON THE VEHICLE AND THE POWER STEERING ASSIST WARNING ILLUMINATED AND THE POWER STEERING FAILED TO OPERATE AS DESIGNED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE GEARS HOWEVER, THE GAUGES FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 43,000. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. ## VIN PASSED ## MERCEDES-BENZ 2019 ##

NHTSA ID

11402606

Incident

Mar 11, 2021

Mileage

43,000 mi