Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
AIR BAGS
SB-5978312/10/201010037653Ready06/01/2011
SB-5978312/10/201010037653Mercedes-benz: there are electrical production quality issues that cause the air bag warning light to illuminate. *rm06/01/2011
PB-91-60-66B01/09/200910028649Mercedes: srs indicator lamp on. the srs light is illuminated and diagnostic fault code(s) b9223 and/or b9243 are stored in the srs ecu. the resistance of the ignition squib circuit for the sidebag may be too high. model 211. all model05/12/2009
AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW
PB-91-60-66B01/09/200910028649Mercedes: srs indicator lamp on. the srs light is illuminated and diagnostic fault code(s) b9223 and/or b9243 are stored in the srs ecu. the resistance of the ignition squib circuit for the sidebag may be too high. model 211. all model05/12/2009

Investigations


NHTSA IDManufacturerDate openDate closeSubjectRecall campaign
AIR BAGS
PE10017MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC.05/14/201011/24/2010Driver Air Bag Circuit High Resistance
 Mercedes-benz usa (mbusa) has reported a high number of warranty claims for air bag warning lamp illumination due to a diagnostic fault code 9103 or 9123 indicating a high resistance in the driver's frontal air bag firing circuit.mbusa's testing and evaluation have shown that this condition is the result of a faulty connector (specifically, improper wire crimp) but that it will not prevent proper deployment of the driver's frontal air bag.the faulty connector can cause the air bag circuit resistance levels to exceed the threshold that illuminates the air bag warning lamp, but they do not exceed a higher limit at which proper deployment of the air bag may no longer occur.the agency believes that further expenditure of agency resources does not appear to be warranted at this time.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency will monitor the issue and reserves the right to take future action if warranted by the circumstances.during the investigation, odi learned that mbusa will initiate a warranty extension program to address the faulty connectors in subject model year 2005 and 2006 e-class and other mbusa model/model year vehicles.this action will extend the warranty coverage for this issue to 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first.mbusa will notify all affected vehicle owners of this action.a bulletin describing this program is available in the investigative file.
PE10017MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC.05/14/2010Driver's Frontal Air Bag Wiring Failure
 Odi has received four complaints of steering column module wiring harness failures on my 2005-2006 mercedes-benz e-class vehicles.in december 2005, mercedes-benz usa issued a technical service bulletin (tsb no. p-b-91.60/99) and subsequently issued several minor revisions to the original tsb.the tsbs address reports of air bag warning lamp illumination accompanied by a diagnostic fault code 9103 or 9123 indicating a high resistance in the driver's frontal air bag ignition squib 1 or 2 (the air bag firing circuits), respectively.this condition may result in failure of the driver's first stage and/or second stage inflator to deploy in the event of an above deployment threshold frontal crash.according to the tsbs, the repair involves significant lengthening of the steering column module wiring harness by cutting and splicing each wire in the harness.thus, it appears possible that the wire ends in the original, shorter harness could pull out of the connector block thereby causing an open-circuit condition in the driver's air bag circuits.additionally, the tsbs cover my 2003-2009 e-class and my 2006-2010 cls-class vehicles.although odi has not received complaints involving all of these vehicles, odi will inquire about all vehicles covered by the above tsbs.
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL
PE10017MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC.05/14/201011/24/2010Driver Air Bag Circuit High Resistance
 Mercedes-benz usa (mbusa) has reported a high number of warranty claims for air bag warning lamp illumination due to a diagnostic fault code 9103 or 9123 indicating a high resistance in the driver's frontal air bag firing circuit.mbusa's testing and evaluation have shown that this condition is the result of a faulty connector (specifically, improper wire crimp) but that it will not prevent proper deployment of the driver's frontal air bag.the faulty connector can cause the air bag circuit resistance levels to exceed the threshold that illuminates the air bag warning lamp, but they do not exceed a higher limit at which proper deployment of the air bag may no longer occur.the agency believes that further expenditure of agency resources does not appear to be warranted at this time.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency will monitor the issue and reserves the right to take future action if warranted by the circumstances.during the investigation, odi learned that mbusa will initiate a warranty extension program to address the faulty connectors in subject model year 2005 and 2006 e-class and other mbusa model/model year vehicles.this action will extend the warranty coverage for this issue to 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first.mbusa will notify all affected vehicle owners of this action.a bulletin describing this program is available in the investigative file.
PE10017MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC.05/14/2010Driver's Frontal Air Bag Wiring Failure
 Odi has received four complaints of steering column module wiring harness failures on my 2005-2006 mercedes-benz e-class vehicles.in december 2005, mercedes-benz usa issued a technical service bulletin (tsb no. p-b-91.60/99) and subsequently issued several minor revisions to the original tsb.the tsbs address reports of air bag warning lamp illumination accompanied by a diagnostic fault code 9103 or 9123 indicating a high resistance in the driver's frontal air bag ignition squib 1 or 2 (the air bag firing circuits), respectively.this condition may result in failure of the driver's first stage and/or second stage inflator to deploy in the event of an above deployment threshold frontal crash.according to the tsbs, the repair involves significant lengthening of the steering column module wiring harness by cutting and splicing each wire in the harness.thus, it appears possible that the wire ends in the original, shorter harness could pull out of the connector block thereby causing an open-circuit condition in the driver's air bag circuits.additionally, the tsbs cover my 2003-2009 e-class and my 2006-2010 cls-class vehicles.although odi has not received complaints involving all of these vehicles, odi will inquire about all vehicles covered by the above tsbs.

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
AIR BAGS
10/20/201060000
 2006 mercedes e320 cdi srs malfunction meesage. so far have had to replace steering wheel wiring harness connector, harness, reel, and computer to repair srs.
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL
10/28/200614500112/17/2005
 (1)error message on vehicle to return vehicle to service because of srs failure. (2) dealer told me that this failure results in non deployment of air bags and seat belt tensioners, and told me it was not safe to drive the vehicle. (3) dealer replaced 5 cables, 10 cable connectors, 1 fuse element and reprogrammed computer. by the way, consumer forums and blogs reference many identical mercedes system failures. *nm
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
12/28/2006107/01/2006
 On december 28 2006 i took my 2003 mercedes benz e320 to mercedes benz of manhattan because the srs (safety restraint system) light came on in the dashboard. the technicians determined that the srs control unit was malfunctioning and needed to be replaced. the srs control unit is responsible for deploying the air bags and tensioning the seat belts in case of an accident. i purchased my car used from a nissan dealership with a bumper to bumper extended warranty from qualityguard plus 615-725-1000 policy #qsdl01651641 expires: 07-01-2007. the warranty company was informed of the above, but refused to pay for repairs claiming that the part was not covered under the warranty. i asked them why, and they just repeated, its not covered. i think i deserve a better answer than that, especially when it comes to my personal safety and the safety of my family. i think it should be covered. you assistance with this matter would be appreciated. *nm