Model year record

2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 recalls & problems

The 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 has 4 safety recalls and 8 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is air bags (4 complaints).

Recalls4safety recalls

Complaints8filed by owners

Crashes · fires0 · 0reported in complaints

Injuries · deaths0 · 0reported in complaints

Safety recalls

Air bagsJul 28, 2017

Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

Recall 17V47900020,665 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

Problem: Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2010-2011 Freightliner and Mercedes Benz Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled into the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: DVUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag, free of charge. The began on January 12, 2018. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-379.

Air bagsFeb 10, 2016

Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module

Recall 16V077000136,361 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

Problem: Daimler Vans USA, LLC (Daimler Vans) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 Dodge Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vehicles manufactured July 1, 2006, to July 31, 2008, 2007-2014 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vehicles manufactured July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2014, and 2010-2014 Mercedes Benz Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vehicles manufactured July 1, 2010, to July 1, 2014. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Daimler Vans will notify the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner owners and Fiat Chrysler will notify the Dodge owners. The respective dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2017. Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner owners may contact Daimler Van's customer service at 1-877-762-8267. Dodge owners may contact Fiat Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.

Equipment adaptive/mobilityNov 5, 2014

Equipment adaptive/mobility

Recall 14V70600034 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

Problem: Cummings Mobility Conversion & Supply (Cummings) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Ford E-150, E-250, E-350, Chevrolet Express, 2006-2008 Dodge Sprinter, and 2009-2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and 2013 Ford Transit Connect vehicles manufactured January 1, 2006, to October 8, 2014, equipped with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lifts manufactured by Ricon Corporation after January 1, 2006. The platform side plate of the affected wheelchair lifts may crack.
Risk: If the platform side plates crack, the lift platform can separate from the lift and come to rest against the vehicle's lift door. When the doors are opened, the platform may fall out, increasing the risk of injury to the lift operator.
Fix: Cummings will notify owners to take buses to a Ricon dealer or service center who will install supplemental platform support bumpers. Any platform that has already started cracking will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began January 13, 2015. Owners may contact Cumming's customer service at 1-800-639-5438 or Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884. Cumming's number for this recall is 14E-041.

Seat beltsMar 30, 2011

Seat belts

Recall 11V2100003,437 vehicles

Problem: MERCEDES-BENZ IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2011 2500 AND 3500 SPRINTER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN OPTIONAL THREE-SEAT BENCH IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THE SEAT BENCHES IN THE SECOND SEATING ROW MAY HAVE BEEN EQUIPPED WITH SAFETY BELTS THAT DO NOT MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD 208, "OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN INTERIOR IMPACT," AND MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD 209, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES." FIRST, THOSE SAFETY BELTS MAY NOT LOCK AS REQUIRED. SECOND, THE ASSEMBLY LOOP MAY NOT PERFORM TO MINIMUM FORCE REQUIREMENTS.
Risk: IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SAFETY BELTS IN THESE VEHICLES MAY NOT PERFORM AS REQUIRED SUCH THAT A SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY OR DEATH IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
Fix: MERCEDES-BENZ WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE ANY SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES THAT DO NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 15, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 843-695-5000.

Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.

Crash test ratings

2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 Cab Chassis VAN RWD

OverallNot Rated

Frontal crash	Not Rated
Side crash	Not Rated
Rollover	Not Rated

2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 Cargo Van VAN RWD

OverallNot Rated

Frontal crash	Not Rated
Side crash	Not Rated
Rollover	Not Rated

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.

What owners report

Problem area	Complaints	Typical mileage*
Air bags	4	—
Seat beltsFront › Buckle assembly	2	—
Engine and engine cooling	1	—
Equipment	1	—
Electrical system	1	—

*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.

Recent owner complaints

Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the SRS warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the front driver's side seat belt buckle functioned as intended; however, the SRS warning light had remained constantly illuminated for nearly two years. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with front driver's seat belt buckle failure. The contact was informed that the front driver's side seat belt buckle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,857.
Jun 14, 2022 · 49,857 miles
Electrical system
The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500. The contact stated that the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) warning light would intermittently appear on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where a diagnostic test showed that the wires in the front driverâs side seat belt buckle were defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 49,587.
Jul 1, 2021 · 49,587 miles
Air bags
Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 built on a Freightliner chassis. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V003000 (Air Bags) however, the contact was unable to locate a service center to repair the vehicle. After contacting the Manufacturer and the local Mercedes-Benz dealer, the contact was referred to Freightliner to have the recall repairs performed. After contacting Freightliner Customer Service, the contact was referred back to Mercedes Benz. Several individuals from Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner had been contacted regarding the issue but neither was willing resolve the safety recall issue. The contact stated that the…
Mar 17, 2022
Equipment
The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes Sprinter 3500 equipped with the Tyron Multiband Runflat Tyre Protection system on the inside of the front driverâs and passengerâs side tires. The contact stated that while driving above 60 mph, the vehicle would shudder as if the front driverâs and passengerâs side tires were out of balance. The Tyron Multiband system was installed on the inside of front driverâs and passengerâs side tires to prevent rollovers caused by blowouts. The tire dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that since the Tyron Multiband system was installed, they could not balance the tires and the tires would self-balance after 200 miles. The dealer…
May 14, 2021 · 47,900 miles
Air bags
TAKATA RECALL. THE DEALERSHIP HAS THE PARTS ON ETERNAL BACKORDER. IT HAS BEEN SINCE THE RECALL CAME OUT THAT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET THIS FIXED. VERY CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING THE VEHICLE. WHAT CAN I DO?
May 8, 2018
Air bags
TAKATA RECALL. I HAVE CONTACTED MERCEDES BENZ DEALER SEVERAL TIMES TO MAKE APPOINTMENT TO REPLACE DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIR BAG. NO WORK DONE YET.
Jun 1, 2017
Air bags
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER 3500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 16V077000 (AIR BAGS) AND 16V379000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER DID NOT GIVE A SPECIFIC DATE FOR WHEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER 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. UPDATED 01/25/2017*CT UPDATED 7/9/18*JB
Oct 3, 2016
Engine and engine cooling
OUR ITASCA REYO 2012 MOTOR HOME WITH MERCEDES SPRINTER ENGINE HAS HAD 5 EGR VALVE FAILURES. THE FIRST TIME IN 2012 WITH 2632 MILES. THE 5TH TIME IN MARCH 2015 WITH 11,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE GOES INTO LIMP MODE AND SPEED IS REDUCED TO 20 MPH. THIS CAUSES A VERY SERIOUS SITUATION AS THERE IS A GREAT RISK OF BEING REAR ENDED FROM HIGHWAY TRAFFIC TRAVELLING AT 60 MPH. EACH TIME MERCEDES CLAIMS TO HAVE A FIX..A CLIP...A NEW COVER ETC BUT THE FAILURES CONTINUE. THIS REQUIRES BEING TOWED OR LIMPING TO MERCEDES FOR A REPLACEMENT EGR VALVE. IT IS OUTRAGEOUS TO HAVE A LEISURE VEHICLE FAIL OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND MERCEDES REFUSES TO ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS CONTINUING FAILURE OF THIS PART.…
Sep 20, 2012 · 2,632 miles

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.

NHTSA defect investigations

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpen
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled…
EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021
Rear Wheel Speed Sensor FailureClosedLed to recall 21V042000
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) analyzed complaint data provided by Daimler Vans USA, LLC (Daimler) as well as complaints submitted to ODI from consumers to identify incidents related to Rear Wheel Speed Sensors (RWSS) failures. ODI's analysis identified 6,710 incidents of RWSS failure (unique VINs) in MY 2012-2018 Mercedes- Benz and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles upfitted to campers or recreational vehicles (RVs) representing 81 percent of all Sprinter RWSS reports. Complaint and warranty analysis indicated that the majority of incidents (approximately 99%) were related to RWSS moisture intrusion condition in the Sprinter 3500 5-ton variant, which accounts for 98 percent of upfit campers, where moisture build-up and crystal dendrite formation develop in parked RVs and lead to sensor failures. According to the Daimler Information Request (IR) response, if the wheel speed…
PE20014 · opened Sep 21, 2020 · closed Mar 30, 2021