2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 Problems

Mercedes Dealership is refusing to get the vehicle in to make this safety recall repair in a timely manner. I have been told that i will need to wait for over a month just to drop the vehicle off with no time frame given in terms of how long the vehicle will be gone while being repaired.

I am writing to formally raise a critical safety concern regarding the performance and behavior of the Crosswind Assist system in my 2020 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500, upfitted by Airstream as a B-Class RV. This vehicle, identified by VIN [XXX] , exhibited behavior that I believe constitutes a significant and potentially dangerous flaw in its integrated driver-assistance programming. During a westbound trip from Minnesota to Nevada—traversing high-wind corridors in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah—the Crosswind Assist system activated on multiple occasions while overtaking large trucks during gusty wind conditions. The system appeared to override driver input by abruptly applying the brakes and modulating throttle response. On one particular occasion, this intervention forced our vehicle laterally toward a semi-truck in the adjacent lane while simultaneously initiating a hard brake event. This caused not only a near side-impact collision but also a chain reaction behind us, as trailing vehicles panic-braked, narrowly avoiding a rear-end collision. This level of autonomous intervention, especially under highway-speed wind shear, presents what I consider a severe safety risk to occupants and other motorists. No reasonable amount of driver anticipation, route planning, or wind-speed awareness could have prevented the unintended and forceful application of braking and steering commands we experienced. Upon referring to the owner’s manual and engaging in discussions on several Airstream and Sprinter-owner forums, I discovered that other owners have experienced similar incidents. Some users referenced the ability to disable the system through authorized Mercedes-Benz diagnostic software. Based on this information, I scheduled a service appointment at Mercedes-Benz of Farmington, Utah on March 17, service invoice [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My vehicle is listed as one of the 2100+ sprinter vans affected by the incorrect assembly of the torsion bar(Manufacturer Recall Number 2022030013; NHTSA Recall Number 22V131). This recall was issued on March 17, 2022. It has now been over 120 days since that recall was issued and the parts are not yet available. I believe the manufacturer has exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.

The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes- Benz Sprinter 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V131000 (Suspension) 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message “Driver’s Side Air Bag Deactivated” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the wiring harness needed to be rewired. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted, and the message was displayed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a voltage issue; however, the dealer stated that the vehicle was operating normally. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for another diagnostic test; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that there was a wiring issue that needed to be corrected and that the air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

My van has periodic lack of acceleration or dead pedal. There are no warnings that this will occur. This shows itself when trying to advance from a stopped position. When I push the accelerator the van either does not move at all or barely crawls forward. This can last 15-45 seconds. There are no RPMs from the engine. Once the pedal starts to respond, the issue will resolve. The problem is you need to get to that point where the engine can make rated power. Once you put in in drive, and if you're able to idle away from the parking spot, you may find that when you need power to move up a hill or through an intersection, it just isn't there. You can't wait a minute with your foot to the floor when you're in the middle of an intersection. sometimes it will slowly accelerate. This has caused multiple situations where I thought I was going to die due to being out in cross traffic and failing to be able to move. It happens both in reverse and forward. It happens even though I have warmed up the engine for 5 minutes or more. It seems to happen more at altitude but has also happened at sea level. It doesn't seem to matter if the outdoor temperature is warm or cold. The dealer can not detect a problem. I have read many accounts of this happening on MBZ forums. This must be a known issue with MBZ yet they have failed to solve it. Some think it is a sensor initiation issue after a cold soak. Someone is going to die because of this problem if MBZ is not forced to fix it.

I am writing to formally raise a critical safety concern regarding the performance and behavior of the Crosswind Assist system in my 2020 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500, upfitted by Airstream as a B-Class RV. This vehicle, identified by VIN [XXX] , exhibited behavior that I believe constitutes a significant and potentially dangerous flaw in its integrated driver-assistance programming. During a westbound trip from Minnesota to Nevada—traversing high-wind corridors in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah—the Crosswind Assist system activated on multiple occasions while overtaking large trucks during gusty wind conditions. The system appeared to override driver input by abruptly applying the brakes and modulating throttle response. On one particular occasion, this intervention forced our vehicle laterally toward a semi-truck in the adjacent lane while simultaneously initiating a hard brake event. This caused not only a near side-impact collision but also a chain reaction behind us, as trailing vehicles panic-braked, narrowly avoiding a rear-end collision. This level of autonomous intervention, especially under highway-speed wind shear, presents what I consider a severe safety risk to occupants and other motorists. No reasonable amount of driver anticipation, route planning, or wind-speed awareness could have prevented the unintended and forceful application of braking and steering commands we experienced. Upon referring to the owner’s manual and engaging in discussions on several Airstream and Sprinter-owner forums, I discovered that other owners have experienced similar incidents. Some users referenced the ability to disable the system through authorized Mercedes-Benz diagnostic software. Based on this information, I scheduled a service appointment at Mercedes-Benz of Farmington, Utah on March 17, service invoice [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)