- Vehicles
- 88,388
- Built between
- Feb 2013 – Apr 2017
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 15 March 2019
- Repaired
- 62%
- Unrepaired
- 34,022
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 2013 and April 2017. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2014-2017 Freightliner Sprinter 2500Built February 2013 to April 2017
- 2014-2017 Freightliner Sprinter 3500Built February 2013 to April 2017
- 2014-2017 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500Built February 2013 to April 2017
- 2014-2017 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500Built February 2013 to April 2017
Repair progress
34,022 of 88,388 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2020.
62% repaired — 54,366 of 88,388 reported
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 and 3500 and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of 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 explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
What could happen
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
What gets fixed
DVUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2019.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 2013 to April 2017
- Recall reported to NHTSA8 January 2019
- Owners notified15 March 2019
- Latest repair reportQ2 2020 — 62% repaired
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 8 January 2019.
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
Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- Daimler Vans USA, LLC
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
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
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to 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.