Mercedes-Benz Air Bags: Inflator Module

Mercedes Benz is recalling about 288,779 vehicles over a problem with the air bags. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Campaign
19V010000
Manufacturer
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
Reported
9 January 2019
Vehicles
288,779
Built between
Sep 2008 – Dec 2016
Models
10
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
29 March 2019
Repaired
82%
Unrepaired
11,087

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between September 2008 and December 2016. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2011-2014 Mercedes-Benz SLSBuilt December 2009 to March 2014
  • 2010-2015 Mercedes-Benz AMG C63Built July 2009 to May 2015
  • 2012-2015 Mercedes-Benz C250Built March 2011 to June 2015
  • 2010-2014 Mercedes-Benz C300Built June 2009 to May 2014
  • 2010-2015 Mercedes-Benz C350Built June 2009 to June 2015
  • 2011-2012, 2014 Mercedes-Benz E350Built March 2009 to September 2014
  • 2015-2017 Mercedes-Benz E400Built May 2014 to December 2016
  • 2010-2017 Mercedes-Benz E550Built March 2009 to December 2016
  • 2013-2015 Mercedes-Benz GLK250Built November 2012 to May 2015
  • 2010-2015 Mercedes-Benz GLK350Built September 2008 to June 2015

Repair progress

11,087 of 288,779 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2026.

82% repaired — 236,762 of 288,779 reported

Scrapped or exported
40,930

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

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2014 C250, C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 4Matic Coupe, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio, SLS AMG Coupe, 2014-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, GLK 350, GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, 2015-2017 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2014-2017 E550 Cabrio, and 2014-2016 E550 Coupe vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally, MBUSA is recalling certain 2012-2014 C250, E350 4Matic Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio, 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2011 C300, 2011-2014 C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, SLS AMG Coupe, 2015-2016 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2011-2016 E550 Cabrio, E550 Coupe, 2011-2015 GLK350 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, and 2013-2015 GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." MBUSA is also recalling certain 2012-2014 C250, E350 4Matic Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2010-2011 C300, 2010-2014 C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 Coupe, 2011-2014 E350 Cabrio, SLS AMG Coupe, 2015-2016 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2016-2017 E550 Cabrio, 2010-2016 E550 Coupe, 2010-2015 GLK350 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, and 2013-2015 GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

What could happen

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What gets fixed

MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began March 29, 2019.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtSeptember 2008 to December 2016
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA9 January 2019
  3. Owners notified29 March 2019
  4. Latest repair reportQ2 2026 — 82% 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 9 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 MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
Mercedes-Benz 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.

Same component

Same brand