- Vehicles
- 4,402
- Built between
- Jun 1996 – Jul 1997
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 18 January 2000
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between June 1996 and July 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1997 Mercedes-Benz SL ClassBuilt June 1996 to July 1997
- 1997 Mercedes-Benz SL320Built June 1996 to July 1997
- 1997 Mercedes-Benz SL500Built June 1996 to July 1997
- 1997 Mercedes-Benz SL600Built June 1996 to July 1997
What the defect is
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Corrosion of the electrical ignition filament of the air bag gas generator module can occur if the vehicle is operated in areas of frequently high humidity.
What could happen
Corrosion of the ignition filament can result in the driver's air bag being deployed unintentionally.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG MODULE.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJune 1996 to July 1997
- Recall reported to NHTSA22 November 1999
- Owners notified18 January 2000
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 22 November 1999.
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.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- MERCEDES-BENZ USA, INC.
- 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
Owner notification began january 18,2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact mercedes-benz at 1-800-367-6372.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
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.