Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INTERIOR LIGHTING | ||||||
| PE05062 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 11/10/2005 | 02/08/2006 | INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE | 06V028000 | |
| The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation based on seven reports indicating that the instrument clusters in model year (my) 2000-2001 mercedes-benz s class vehicles failed in that consumers were unable to read any of the gauges while operating their vehicles at any speed during the day or night.in its 573 report to nhtsa dated february 1, 2006, mercedes-benz usa, llc (mercedes-benz)states that there are three instrument cluster failure modes that would result in undesirable operation.these three failure modes are specific to certain dates of production (see below) for the subject vehicle, and mercedes-benz is recalling those vehicles within those dates.specific information regarding the failure modes is described in mercedes-benz's report (see nhtsa recall 06v028).three of the odi complaints submitted to mercedes-benz involve vehicles that were produced before the dates of production of vehicles affected by the three failure modes.based on review of those three complaints, mercedes-benz was unable to identify a relation of those three to the defects identified in the recalled vehicles.all of the mercedes-benz complaints with vins identified were within the recall population (only 2 vehicle vins were not available to positively identify vehicle build date).the recall population will include 36,911 s class and cl class mercedes-benz vehicles built in the production dates ranging from june 2000 through november 2000, january 2002 through april 2002, and may 2004 through september 2004.these dates of production cover vehicles from the 2000-2002 my and the 2004-2005 my.to correct the condition, mercedes-benz will replace all affected instrument clusters with improved ones that are not subject to the failure modes.mercedes-benz will begin owner notification during the 1st quarter of 2006. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| INTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 03/15/2012 | 206400 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes benz s430. while driving approximately 70 mph, the gauges on the instrument panel failed and the speedometer became stuck on 70 mph. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 06v028000 (interior lighting) that could possibly have been related to the failure however, the contact was advised by the manufacturer that the vin was not included in the recall campaign. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 206,400. | |||
| 12/28/2008 | 118400 | 1 | |
| Vehicle instrument cluster panel has failed. no lights or instrument indicators function. all lights with in the panel do not operate. also suspension of vehicle failing. affected by weather. cold weather affects vehicle not allowing rise of car. *tr | |||
| 05/20/2006 | 2 | ||
| 2001 s439v instrument cluster blew out. *ts the consumer stated the instrument cluster failed twice. the first time the instrument cluster failed, the dealer replaced under warranty, however the second time, the consumer was charged for labor and other costs. the was a problem with the exterior mirror signal lamps; the instrument panel stated the bulbs was out; later there would be no problem, then the problem would return. *jb | |||
| 06/28/2006 | 60000 | 1 | 08/20/2005 |
| My instrument cluster on my mb s430 (model year 2001) has completely failed. none of the instruments are operable, including the speedometer, gas guage, saftey lights, head light dimmer switch, trunk latch, radio functions, etc.... | |||
| 10/30/2006 | 60029 | 1 | 10/26/2006 |
| While driving, entire instrument cluster when dark could not see gauges including speedometer. find this failure very dangerous due to lack of information. no action taken thus far. awaiting call from dealership. *jb | |||
| 06/28/2006 | 56900 | 2 | 08/04/2005 |
| The instrument cluster on my 2001 mercedes s 430 went completely black as i was traveling at night, some distance away from my home. there was no way for me to determine my gas amount, and no way for me to determine the speed at which i was driving. *jb | |||
| 05/23/2006 | 92000 | 1 | 11/15/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the dashboard electrical system failed and the gauges no longer register the speed or fuel level. there is a nhtsa recall, # 06v028000, regarding the interior lighting. the vin was not included in the recall. | |||
| 03/04/2006 | 100700 | 1 | 09/04/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the interior lighting is inoperable. there is a nhtsa recall, # 06v028000, regarding the interior lighting. the vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however it is not included in the recall due to the vin. | |||