Mercedes-Benz Exterior Lighting: Headlights

Mercedes Benz is recalling about 3,283 vehicles over a problem with the exterior lighting. The presence of this moisture in combination with the thermal stress during the "reflow soldering" may damage the transistors and prevent them from properly functioning which will increase the risk of crash.

Campaign
08V122000
Manufacturer
MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC.
Reported
19 March 2008
Vehicles
3,283
Built between
Oct 2007 – Dec 2007
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
2 May 2008
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between October 2007 and December 2007. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLBuilt October 2007 to December 2007
  • 2008 Mercedes-Benz SBuilt October 2007 to November 2007

What the defect is

Mercedes-benz is recalling 3,283 my 2008 s-class and cl-class passenger vehicles. A malfunction may occur on the signal acquisition and actuation module-front (sam-f) transistors. The sam-f is a double transistor that helps control vehicle functions and the lighting of the center console. Incorrect storage of the transistors LED the transistors to be exposed to excess humidity.

What could happen

The presence of this moisture in combination with the thermal stress during the "reflow soldering" may damage the transistors and prevent them from properly functioning which will increase the risk of crash.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE ALL POTENTIALLY AFFECTED SAM FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 2, 2008.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtOctober 2007 to December 2007
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA19 March 2008
  3. Owners notified2 May 2008

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 19 March 2008.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owner may contact mercedes benz at 1-800-367-6372.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
2008030005
Recalling manufacturer
MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC.
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Mercedes-benz recall no. 2008030005.CUSTOMERS may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand