Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||||
| SB-59783 | 12/10/2010 | 10037653 | Ready | 06/01/2011 | |
| SB-59783 | 12/10/2010 | 10037653 | Mercedes-benz: there are electrical production quality issues that cause the air bag warning light to illuminate. *rm | 06/01/2011 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | ||||||
| PE10017 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 05/14/2010 | 11/24/2010 | Driver 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. | ||||||
| PE10017 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 05/14/2010 | Driver'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 | ||||||
| PE10017 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 05/14/2010 | 11/24/2010 | Driver 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. | ||||||
| PE10017 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 05/14/2010 | Driver'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 date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 02/20/2013 | 55000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mercedes benz e350. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph and hitting a pot hole, the air bags on the drivers side deployed without any warning. the contact did not receive any injuries. the vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic. after diagnosis, they were unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was later contacted and they sent an investigator out inspect the vehicle. the failure mileage was approximately 55,000. the current mileage was approximately 56,000. the vin was unavailable. | |||
| 02/20/2013 | 55000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2006 mercedes benz e350. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph and hitting a pot hole, the air bags on the drivers side deployed without any warning. the contact did not receive any injuries. the vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic. after diagnosis, they were unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was later contacted and they sent an investigator out inspect the vehicle. the failure mileage was approximately 55,000. the current mileage was approximately 56,000. the vin was unavailable. mah | |||
| 02/20/2013 | 55000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2006 mercedes benz e350. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph and hitting a pot hole, the air bags on the drivers side deployed without any warning. the contact did not receive any injuries. the vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic. after diagnosis they were unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was later contacted and they sent an investigator out inspect the vehicle. the failure mileage was approximately 55,000. the current mileage was approximately 56,000. the vin was unavailable. tb | |||
| 12/27/2009 | 86605 | 1 | |
| Srs system shut down on 2006 mercedes benz 350e 4-matic. light came on dash notifying me of the failure of the system. took to dealer who informed me of code 9103 resistance in drivers airbag informed that harness in steering column was designed too short and when steering wheel is telescoped out the wire will eventually break shutting down the srs system. replacement part # 211-440-4509 is a longer harness demonstrating that mercedes is aware of the defect. r&r requires removal of steering column cover, 3 hours of labor, costing over $600 including diagnosis. since the problem is known to the manufacturer and results in an ineffective safety system, these harnesses should be recalled. *tr | |||
| 03/20/2009 | 1 | ||
| My mercedes-benz e350, 2006 model got an accident on mar 20, 2009. my car was pushed by the back car into the front suv and slid into suv's bottom. my car was total damaged. my seat belt was stuck. my car's front hood was puckered up and back bumper was pushed almost 90 degree. but my driver's airbag was not deployed. airbags of the car hit my back was deployed. *tr | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 12/27/2009 | 86605 | 1 | |
| Srs system shut down on 2006 mercedes benz 350e 4-matic. light came on dash notifying me of the failure of the system. took to dealer who informed me of code 9103 resistance in drivers airbag informed that harness in steering column was designed too short and when steering wheel is telescoped out the wire will eventually break shutting down the srs system. replacement part # 211-440-4509 is a longer harness demonstrating that mercedes is aware of the defect. r&r requires removal of steering column cover, 3 hours of labor, costing over $600 including diagnosis. since the problem is known to the manufacturer and results in an ineffective safety system, these harnesses should be recalled. *tr | |||
| 09/07/2006 | 1500 | 2 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated there was a strange odor like rotten eggs observed in the vehicle. while stopped and waiting for a parking space to open up, the engine revved and accelerated forward although the brakes were depressed. the speed at impact with the other vehicle was 40 mph. after the impact the ignition was turned off however the engine was racing and the front wheels were still spinning and smoking. the seatbelts were worn at the time of impact, but removed to exit the vehicle. the air bags did not deploy. a police report was filed and the contact was sent to the hospital. | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 09/22/2010 | 45000 | ||
| Side and curtain airbags deployed unexpectedly when stopping at traffic light. no impact. | |||