Merserybenze

Anyone get a notice yet?

jbt56

Seems I've seen a couple of airbag-recall threads here. Fortunately, my '12 doesn't seem to use that actuator, so I *should* be safe- or as safe as one can be with an explosive device in front of their face.
My 2011 Mustang had a Takata airbag (most cars do) and shortly before I sold it I received the recall letter. It, like the MB letter, said no remedy was yet available. From what I recall, there are tens (if not hundreds) of millions of vehicles affected, so don't hold your breath.

xoxbribri

I received a notice for this 2 days ago even though I already knew about it. If you haven't already received one, give it a few more days.

95Sinned420

Will Mercedes dealerships provide a rental until this recall is fixed? I know there are no stock for the airbags yet.

My friend who has an Acura TL has the same recall, the dealership provided him a rental for until his car is fixed.

xoxbribri

I'm assuming that all MB dealerships operate the same way so if that's the case, than yes you would get a loaner. My car was at my local dealership last Tuesday for a different recall than this one and I was given a loaner free of charge for the day. I also received my car back trashed but that's another story.

a1rh3adsz

please explain on what happen ? lol cause i have to bring my car to the dealership for a recalls also. if that happen to my car the dealership I mean the whole dealership would hear it from me and up the the chain off command and usa of mb.

xoxbribri

I had brought my car to the dealership with one bag on the floor behind my drivers seat and a few important papers in a folder in between my passenger seat and center console. The exterior of my car wasn't super clean but it wasn't super dirty either. I brought my car in, grabbed the loaner and left. When I picked my car up later that afternoon, the bag that was behind the drivers seat on the floor was on the back passenger seat tipped over. The papers in the folder were thrown all over the back seat, there was an empty MB logo'd water bottle and the exterior of my car looked like they parked it under a tree with a ton of pollen. They have always washed my car in the past but whatever. It was so bad that when I got in my car, I wound up getting back out and checking the license plate to make sure it really was my car. Had I not been in a super rush I would have gone in. Anyway, I drove to my sister's house pissed and wound up cleaning my car there.

The next day I received a follow-up call from someone in the service department asking if I was satisfied which I then proceeded to tell them everything. I even sent an email to the General Manager of the dealership to let him know about my experience. Mind you, the two times I've been to that dealership and was very satisfied, I made sure they were aware of those experiences as well. I don't just complain. Anyway, later that afternoon, the General Manager of the dealership called me apologizing which I accepted his apology simply for the fact that I appreciated him acknowledging the situation.

The final outcome of this entire situation, after I mentioned my grandfather who is a long time customer of this dealership, they offered me a free full detail and the General Manager told me to bring my car to the dealership on empty and he would fill it up on his dime.


Still not sure I'd go back to the dealership but who knows.

95Sinned420

Yeah, but this is only for a day. I always get loaners for service/recalls, but the current recall for the air bag is drawn out several weeks. I don't think the dealership would loan out a car for that long, especially if its thousands of us involved?

My friend who owns the Acura, says Acura set him up with a rental company of his choice, and they gave him a car for until his recall is fixed. He was able to keep his car at his home, while they waited for the airbag parts to come in, etc. But he had to sign a waiver saying he isn't going to drive his car, and if he does, anything that goes wrong will be on him.


Turns out, Mercedes-Benz doesn't care about their customers as much as Acura lol
Here is their FAQ: https://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/Digital.../takata-pc.pdf

which states:
Can I get a loaner vehicle or alternate transportation until the parts are ready?
This recall was launched as a precautionary measure. We have had no incidents with our vehicles and there is no
reason to stop driving your vehicle.

xoxbribri

A few weeks? On that link you posted it specifically states on page 6 the following:

"How long does this repair take?
The current estimate is about an hour"

The only way I could see it taking weeks to fix is if between now and whenever MB gets the parts, the air bag deploys. Other than that, there isn't really a valid reason to stop driving the vehicle which in turn wouldn't cause anyone to be without their vehicle for weeks.


Also, not for nothing, the recall that I had taken care of last Tuesday, I was told by the dealership that it could take up to 6 hours. My service advisor called me just before 10:30 that morning to tell me they were beginning to work on my car and called me at 12:56 that afternoon to tell me it was ready. When I asked how long the air bag recall that you are talking about would take, my service advisor said about the same amount of time, but they couldn't actually schedule that service appointment because they don't even have an ETA on the parts.

jbt56

Frankly, I'm amazed at the post above asserting that an Acura dealer provided a loaner (rented) car while waiting for parts. Having worked for years at new car dealers (Toyota, BMW, etc.), I've never heard of anything like that before, and one of my employers had a fleet of almost 300 loaners/rentals.

If the Takata company survives (this may kill the company) to manufacture the parts necessary for the tens of millions of affected vehicles, it may well be years before all affected cars get repaired. The upside to that, though, is there is only a problem IF/WHEN the airbag deploys. That's why MB says to continue to drive the car. There is no more danger from the 'defective' part than usual with an explosive in your steering wheel. The issue is when the bag explodes as designed in a wreck, metal shards can (not 'will') cause injury or worse. From what I understand, a very tiny number of people have been injured to date. My best recommendation would be to forget about it and enjoy your cars. Follow a policy of not crashing into things (and triggering the airbags) and you're golden. MB will notify you when the repair is ready and take care of it then.

95Sinned420

I guess the post is misunderstood. It's taking weeks from now until they have parts available to conduct the recall.

I also pointed out that Mercedes isn't providing a rental/loaner, whereas Acura is (even when the parts have not arrived and your car isn't taken in for repair work).

You may be surprised, but that doesn't change any facts. Here is the excerpt straight from Acura/Honda's website:

http://hondaairbaginfo.com/news-upda...akata-airbags/

"If your vehicle is affected by this recall, we encourage you to take immediate action to have it repaired. There is no cost for the repair. Should there be any wait for a replacement airbag inflator, our dealers are prepared to provide alternative transportation in the form of a loaner or rental vehicle, free of charge, until your own vehicle is repaired."

Whereas Mercedes just says, well, pretty much something along the lines of "well, we are aware of the issue of your airbag going off and blowing shrap metal into you, potentially killing you or causing injury, but it hasn't happened yet to any of our cars, therefore, ignore this potential risk until we have the parts to fix it for you."

IGB

I find it interesting that you quoted verbatim, parts of the Acura recall notice and you offered a link... That was to prove your point that Acura is offering loaners. Yet when it came to the Mercedes Recall, I don't see a link any related recall information and worse yet, you opted to offer paraphrase your own version of "something along the lines of..." but you couldn't even come close!

But may be I am missing something... Let me ask you to kindly provide any reference where you've read the following part (or anything remotely similar to it):

I ask this because as I read related documents, this is the language I am reading:
Pay special attention to the "aware" part in your version, and the "NOT aware" part in the official notice.

That said, it is obvious that scope and nature of the voluntary Mercedes Recall and since no incidents have been reported, no injuries or deaths have resulted, is completely different than that of the mandatory Honda/Acura recall where several injuries and deaths resulted from those airbags exploding. Yes, both airbags are made by the same air bag manufacturer but while certain critical safety issues were identified in the case of the airbags in Hondas, Acuras and others, there is no evidence of anything unsafe about air bags used in Mercedes Ben vehicles. And contrary to what you're suggesting, the only common denominator between the Acura air bags and the Mercedes airbags is that they were made by the same manufacturer.

More importantly, the Acura recall resulted in those Acuras (among several other car makes) to be placed on a Priority Replacement list, which in turn placed pressure on those affected car manufacturers to have to provide alternative transportation to affected owners.

Mercedes Benz does not appear on that list so they are under no obligation to give you a loaner until such a time that the replacement parts are shipped to dealers. In fact, and while they might provide loaners to some owners who's cars are getting fitted with replacement air bags, doing so would only be out of courtesy to their customers... Nothing else.

95Sinned420

It's within the same link provided in earlier posts.
https://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/Digital.../takata-pc.pdf

"Can you guarantee me the airbag will not go off inadvertently?
The issue with the recalled Takata PSDI-5 and SDI inflators does not result in inadvertent airbag deployments. Rather,
the issue concerns the potential for a rupture during deployment."

"What injuries can I expect if the airbag deploys?
For the affected Takata PSDI-5 and SDI inflators only, in a crash in which an air bag deployment is necessary, the air
bag inflator housing may rupture. In the event of an inflator rupture, metal fragments could pass through the air bag
material, which may result in injury or death to vehicle occupants. To date, we are not aware of any instances of
ruptured inflators in Mercedes-Benz vehicles. "

They're aware of the issues with the Takata air bags, and what could happen with them. They are not aware of any incidents in which it happended on Mercedes-Benz vehicles, BUT that does not mean it will not or cannot happen. The manufacturer of the airbags are conducting the voluntary recall for a reason, across many car manufacturers, not just Mercedes.
Sure, the incidents happened with Honda/Acura models, but you forget that there are way more hondas/acuras than there are Mercedes, and Honda/Acura has those airbags across more of their model lineup.

Use this food analogy: ChickenFarms supplies chicken to Store A and Store B. It has been discovered that Store A has cases of salmonella in some chickens they've sold. Store A recalls their chicken and notifies all of its customers the danger, and is doing everything they can for them to stop consuming the chicken.
ChickenFarms is aware of the issue now, so ChickenFarms conducts a voluntary recall on chickens they've also supplied to Store B.
Store B tells it's customers that there hasn't been a case of salmonella in the chicken they've received from ChickenFarms, but there is a possible risk, and that they should continue to consume the chicken as if nothing has happened.

Alfadude

"potential", "may" and "could" are a lot different than it WILL happen or is a CERTAINTY. The whole Takata recall is a huge mess affecting millions and millions of cars across a lot of different manufacturers The way I understand it is the greatest POTENTIAL l for the failure is with cars that have spent their lives in a high heat and humidity environment, but COULD also affect others in cooler areas that don't see that issue. Have there been injuries and some deaths? Yes, of course. However, when taken as a whole the percentage is very very small. Are you saying that every manufacturer of every car that could be affected provide a free loaner to every owner? That is neither practical or probably even possible. Where would all those cars come from?

If people are that pissed of the "uncaring" attitude of Mercedes for not providing a FREE loaner until they can get parts in because they feel they are driving a death trap, all they have to do is stop driving the car. How many people will do that? I bet almost none. If your safety is that important that is the only way to assure that wouldn't be an issue. If you feel it is that grave take responsibility for your own safety.

Would it be nice if Mercedes would offer everyone a free loaner. Sure, but it is neither practical, nor warranted. Look at it like the warning label on a medication. There is usually a laundry list of things that COULD happen, but how many people ignore them? Pretty much everyone. Why? Because it is about weighing the risk involved. There is risk in pretty much everything.

95Sinned420

It's just surprising that the Mercedes brand, known for its paramount and emphasis on safety, doesn't seem to care as much as other car manufacturers. That's the whole point of bringing this up. A loaner/rental for every affected vehicle is very possible, there are literally millions of rentals cars available.

But yes, its to each their own. I for one, know from many years in the litigation work, that when big companies/corporations come up and admit fault, it is always "WORSE THAN WHAT IT IS".

I have two cars, and only one is affected by this recall. Sadly, it's the daily driver that will see the garage for most of it's days until it is fixed. My friend is laughing, and I am on his side this time. We pay a premium for the best or nothing, this time it is nothing

IGB

You still don't get it...

Mercedes Benz, as well as Takata are voluntarily recalling these airbags. Not because there is anything wrong with them, but "in the abundance of caution"... meaning being super freaking paranoid that anything might happen.

Because it is voluntary, only they can dictate the details of how it is handled. Not you, not even the NHTSA can step up and say anything. They can take as long as they want, and they are not obligated to offer you a loaner. Not now, and not whIle your car's air bags are being replaced.

If any of this is outside of the range of what makes you happy, you are free to submit a complaint with the NHTSA. Rest assured they will gladly accept your.complaint. But you can be even more sure, that it will get you nothing in return!

If you feel unsafe driving your vehicle with the old airbags, then it is up to you to arrange for them to be replaced at your cost until such a time when you receive the recall notice, you can submit a request to Mercedes Benz for reimbursment of the amount they established they would would have paid on your behalf had you waited.

If you do choose to do so, then I'd avoid going to an indy and instead, (and only to ensure that the procedure, charges and cost limitations are within the limits that Mercedes Benz would be willing to cover a day reimburse) I would make sure it's done at an authorized dealer. Whether you can get a replacement part that is not subject to the recall, is a completely different story.

95Sinned420

Do you get it? I don't get why you still think it is just them being "super freaking paranoid".

Maybe you need to inform yourself more about the issue at hand:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/n...call/index.htm

"It now appears there are multiple causes, as well as several contributing factors, including poor quality control in manufacture, several years of exposure in high heat and humidity regions, and even the design of the car itself. If the propellant wafers break down, due to high humidity or another cause, the result is that the propellant burns too rapidly, creating excessive pressure in the inflator body."

The text in bold are things Mercedes-Benz does not control, before they put the airbags in their vehicle and afterwards.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/...rs-7252027.php
"Of the 14 automakers forced to recall cars with airbag inflators manufactured by the Japanese company Takata, Honda has the most generous rental-car policy. It also has the most cars subject to the recall — 8.5 million — and the most deaths blamed on the faulty inflators."

You are trying to say that Mercedes isn't the same boat as the other automakers. That is a misconception. Again, just because it hasn't happened in a Mercedes-Benz model, doesn't mean it won't.

"Regulators state that there are 85 million potentially defective, unrecalled Takata airbag inflators that will need to be recalled—unless Takata can prove they are safe. So far, the recall has included 28.8 million airbags in the U.S."

"NHTSA announces another U.S. fatality due to the questionable Takata airbag inflator, underscoring the need for consumer to have their cars repaired as soon as possible. Further, there have been changes to the official list of affected vehicles, which are reflected in this omnibus story."

The issue is not getting better, only worse.

My posts aren't about what I feel Mercedes is entitled to do, or what they should do, but about their attitude towards the recall. Other manufacturers are not taking this issue lightly, as Mercedes is.

Alfadude

Are there really almost 29 million rental cars and dealer loaner cars available in the US right now? My guess is probably not and even if there were can you imagine the mess there would be for that industry in trying to service their typical business and personal customers? That would be an interesting scenario to watch. I just can't see that being practical in any way. And even if it did I could then see people complaining that the loaner car they got wasn't up to the standard of vehicle they own. Then you have the situation that I'm sure a number of those rental cars are probably involved in this recall as well.

Why only garage your daily driver MOST of the time and not all of the time?

The best or nothing? I guess is open to interpretation. To say that in this situation Mercedes in doing nothing seems a bit harsh. To me they voluntarily are recalling these air bags and going about it in as orderly a fashion as they can. And if they supply loaners when the service is actually being done seems reasonable and fair to me. But that's just me. Everyone's idea of what the manufacturer's response SHOULD be to something like this is different. Will be interesting to see how this whole mess plays out in the next few years.

dieseldoc

+1

shotgun_banjo

What do you guys think they will replace? Are they going to replace the entire airbag assembly meaning including the chip and all the guts connected to the airbag or are they going to disassemble the airbag assemble and just replace the airbag unit and then put the old stuff connected on the airbag?

shotgun_banjo

I am scheduled to get this done next month and I asked the dealer about what will be replaced and I was told the airbag is not being replaced but the control module. Does that makes sense?

a1rh3adsz

Dont think they need to replace all the wiring and harness and such. I think its just the airbag unit itself.

you are doing a diff recall the SRS control module. Not the takata air bag.

shotgun_banjo

The SRS module was replaced already. The service guy told me it is for the airbag recall.

a1rh3adsz

oohh im not sure then. cause I thought the airbag itself would need to be change cause if it deploys the shrapnel from the bag will be flying. unless they are going to just change out the module and leave the airbag unit inside. but that would not make sense cause shrapnel are still inside the airbags. uggghh Mercedes

IGB

When a company decides to voluntarily issue a recall, it is taking on an expense that by law, it is not obligated to take. By voluntarily offering to replace a part that runs into several hundred dollars for each vehicle, I'd say they are going beyond the call of duty to avoid even the slightest chance that they'd be held responsible for any related injuries. This is why I think they are being "super freaking paranoid" by offering to replace a part that has thus far provided no indication that it is the least bit unsafe.

Of course, you are free to try and twist this into a confirmation that injuries are imminent, and that they are subjecting you to risk of injury or death as a result, all of which are simply unjustified assumption on your part.

Furthermore, it defies logic and common sense for anyone to suggest that Mercedes Benz is lagging and/or that the procedures they are following are insufficient all while they were made under the direction of and while being monitored by the NHTSA, but that has not stopped you from claiming the utterly ridiculous.

Oh no!!! I've pushed you over the edge and you are gonna start misquoting again....

I'd suggest you stop worrying about me and instead, start reading what I am posting... Case in point, I posted a link in my previous reply that provides the basis as to why the conditions and procedures that apply to Acura's recall are completely different from those applying to the Mercedes Benz recall. (Here it is again)

If you search through that document, you won't find any reference to Mercedes Benz or any of its recalled models.

Why?

Simply because the Mercedes Benz recall has little to do with the Acura/Honda recall. In fact, the only common denominator happens to be the manufacturer that makes both air bags. But as I will address below, this does not imply that both air bags are made to the same standards.

i.e. Acura quality & standards =/= Mercedes quality and standards

OK... So now you are no longer quoting the parties that are directly related to these recalls... Meaning you are no longer quoting (or making up quotes on behalf of) the vehicle manufacturers (meaning Acura & Mercedes Benz)... Nor are you quoting the airbag manufacturer (that being Takata)... And I certainly don't see you posting any NHTSA links either. Instead, you are quoting an unrelated third party whose article itself, proves that they have no idea what they are talking about.

The text in bold are referencing things that are not related to the Mercedes Benz recall. That paragrah which you quoted from Consumer Reports says nothing about the Mercedes Benz recall. All references that are made in that article are made with regards to the Acura/Honda recall.

But it won't serve you well to realize (or admit you know this), because you think you'll be better off complaining about not getting something you know you have no entitlement to.

But let me address your contentions, even with as ridiculous as they may be. Actually, with regards to "quality control", Mercedes IS in total and complete control of that. They initially submit plans, including all aspects of the end product from materials used, to "how long that part is expected to last" time estimates. They provide other manufacturers with specs, tolerances, fitment measurements... They get to dictate performance standards, establish testing procedures, percentage of defect rate during testing and development... etc. And if a product happens to fall short of the minimum standards that are acceptable to Mercedes Benz, then those parts get rejected and returned as substandard... Similarly, Honda gets to decide their own standards and minimums.

Now, while it may be true that Takata may have failed to conform to MB's minimum quality standards, this does not change the fact that there has been zero incidents in MBs case... which also means zero injuries and zero deaths, which by U.S. Federal code, NHTSA requirements, and by the virtue of the fact that a "mandatory recall" requires there to be a safety issues that might impact driver or passenger, this alone brings us back to this being a voluntary recall for Mercedes Benz, and a mandatory recall by Acura/Honda (amongst other manufacturers).

As a result, there is no urgency in Mercedes' recall, and just like all the other Mercedes Benz owners whose vehicles are subject to the recall, you will have to wait until Mercedes Benz tells you to schedule an appointment to have the airbags in your vehicle replaced. This is obviously one contributing factor that is causing you to get all "paranoid"... It makes very little sense to assume that two different manufacturers (Mercedes and Honda) established the same manufacturing standards for their parts!

As for the second element that you bolded, the "high heat & humidity" part, it is actually referred to as "High Absolute Humidity" or "HAH" in the document I linked above. (Here it is again)

It defies logic as to why Consumer Reports chose to use its own terminology in an attempt to inform us ("all we need to know") about this recall. Which tends to undermine any credibility they may have regarding their knowledge about this issue.

This element, "High Absolute Humidity", is the primary cause that resulted in the mandatory recall by 14 manufacturers INCLUDING Acura/Honda but EXCLUDING Mercedes Benz.

Even then, and even for manufacturers included in that list, not all their cars are impacted by this mandatory recall. Instead, only cars that were originally sold or ever registered in several states where humidity is high. (States are listed here: States are listed here)

The manufacturers included in that list are part of what is referred to as the "Priority Group" and ONLY those listed in that group are obligated to handle the replacement of air bags in their vehicles in the manner described by Acura in the link you provided. So only the 14 manufacturers listed in that Priority Group are obligated to either repair vehicles ASAP or in cases where the replacement parts are not yet available, they must offer loaners no matter how long it will be before the parts are available.

While I can see that the Mercedes name appears 3 times in that Consumer Reports article, it doesn't require a genius to see that the criteria placed upon he Acura recall differs completely from those placed upon the Mercedes recall.

Once again, that article is referring to the 14 car manufacturers listed in the "Priority Group", a list which does not mention the Mercedes Benz name.

I am not "trying to say"... I am saying that Mercedes Benz is NOT in the same boat nor is it under the same requirements as Acura/Honda with regards to the airbag recall. If you disagree, you are free to contact he NHTSA and file a complaint with them. Because to continue to convolute the issue into something it isn't on an online forum is not going to change much of anything. Especially when you are the only one who seems to misunderstand what is going on.

And "misconception"? The only misconception is the nonsense that you are misquoting, misinterpreting and pretending to misunderstand. The facts are clear. But "facts" do nothing to serve whatever purpose you have for continuing to prove how closed minded you are.

Once again, the Mercedes Benz name does not appear in the list of 14 manufacturers listed under and described as the "Priority Group(s)". And to assume or suggest that they should then be subject to the same conditions, has no basis and is preposterous... Why is it that the NHTSA isn't as observant as you are?

I'm not sure how you'd benefit from bashing the Mercedes Benz name or how you gain from bad mouthing them. If anything, you are actually harming the potential resale value of your car by continuing to bad mouth it and Mercedes Benz name.

Since the Mercedes Benz air bags have been recalled, they would be included under the 28.8 million that... (wait for it)... have been recalled.

You see how that works?

There have been no fatalities reported by any Mercedes Benz owners and/or drivers. So that paragraph does not apply to Mercedes Benz.

Only in your own mind...

You are free to file a complaint with the NHTSA... After all, this issue is not regulated by Mercedes Benz. Instead, Mercedes Benz MUST conform to the Federal statutes regulating how these matters must be handled. The fact that Mercedes Benz is handling the recall in the manner you are complaining about does not imply any careless behavior on their part, not does it suggest that they are taking he issue lightly. Instead, t simply indicated a clear and unmistakable misunderstanding on your part, and one that could be easily resolved if you would pay attention.

If this was as serious a defect as you are suggesting, then the NHTSA would have forced Mercedes Benz to issue a recall and it would have included Mercedes Benz in the list of Priority Group of manufacturers that are not only obligated to replace these defective air bags ASAP, but also as part of a list of manufacturers that must provide for replacement vehicles for those vehicle owners who's vehicles are affected by this recall. But you see, none of this has happened. So what does that tell you...

So go ahead... File a complaint with the NHTSA... Tell them you think Mercedes Benz is taking this issue lightly because they don't care about your safety. As I offered before, it will not get you much... Well, may be except for a confirmation email the they have received your complaint (assuming you file it online). Otherwise, you have several options that you can use if in fact you are so concerned about your own safety. You can simply wait your turn just like everyone else is, you can garage your car and your other one; you can even sell your car if you think Mercedes Benz does not care about your safety...