- Vehicles
- 8,243
- Built between
- Feb 2019 – Jun 2019
- Models
- 8
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 30 September 2019
- Repaired
- 93%
- Unrepaired
- 598
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 2019 and June 2019. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2019 Freightliner Sprinter 1500Built February 2019 to June 2019
- 2019 Freightliner Sprinter 2500Built February 2019 to June 2019
- 2019 Freightliner Sprinter 3500Built February 2019 to June 2019
- 2019 Freightliner Sprinter 4500Built February 2019 to June 2019
- 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500Built February 2019 to June 2019
- 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500Built February 2019 to June 2019
- 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500Built February 2019 to June 2019
- 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4500Built February 2019 to June 2019
Repair progress
598 of 8,243 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2020.
93% repaired — 7,645 of 8,243 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. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2019 Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter 1500, 2500, 3500, and 4500 vehicles. If the manual turn-switch that activates the vehicle lights is turned quickly from one lighting position to another, the brightness of the taillights can be significantly reduced or could switch off completely.
What could happen
Reduced taillight visibility increases the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
MBUSA will notify owners, and Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner Sprinter dealers will update the body control unit software, free of charge. The recall began September 30, 2019.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 2019 to June 2019
- Recall reported to NHTSA12 August 2019
- Owners notified30 September 2019
- Latest repair reportQ4 2020 — 93% 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 12 August 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. MBUSA's number for this recall is VS3HELI.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- VS3HELI
- Recalling manufacturer
- Daimler Vans 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
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.