shotgun_banjo

Did anyone got this done? I have not received a call back for the airbags after receiving the initial letter almost a year ago.

dchar

Same. I've been waiting. I took my car to service the other day and the advisor brought up the air bag issue, but checked and said it wasn't my turn yet. I'm in the area (warmer climate) with top priority too.

C300CA

After the initial letter, I got maybe three letters asking me to contact dealer immediately. Every time I called, the service department said there is no part available yet. checked with different dealers and got the same answer. One dealer said so far the bad airbag injuring or killing drivers/passengers hasn't happened to MB cars.

One time I asked why I keep receiving the notice letter multiple times if no part is ready. I forgot what they answered.

Tom in Austin

Rant ... this whole airbag thing is nuts. The replacement they give you is the same basic design with the ammonium nitrate propellant that caused the original problem (and that no other airbag maker uses) ... the only difference is the replacement bag has a dessicant added in an attempt to prevent moisture from making it explosive. The added-dessicant solution is too new to know if it will work over time, so all the millions of replacements may or may not prevent deaths and injuries in coming years.

The whole thing is nuts, read up on it. Wish MBZ had never dealt with Takata!

Cardfan91

Does the airbag thing apply to 2014 models? The reason I ask is that I had a 2007 C230 and got the same letter as everyone is talking about. Never got a letter saying take it in for the repair. Sold the C230 in June and now have th 2014 C300.

Tom in Austin

I believe all or most of the recent C- class cars were built with Takata airbags. I know my car was because I changed my steering wheel and saw "Takata Holdings" on a label on the airbag.

The recall campaign and communications are being 'managed' by the NHTSC to replace the bags over time at a graduated rate. Here's some info from August for MBZ models/years affected:

Mercedes-Benz (1,044,602, including Daimler): 2005–2014 C-class (excluding C55 AMG but including 2008–2012 C63 AMG); 2007–2008 SLK-class; 2007–2017 Sprinter; 2009–2012 GL-class; 2009–2011 M-class; 2009–2012 R-class; 2010–2011 E-class sedan and wagon; 2010–2017 E-class coupe; 2011–2017 E-class convertible; 2010–2015 GLK-class; 2011–2015 SLS AMG coupe and roadster

dennish

still waiting

keith100

Takata has gone bankrupt and any"assets" sold off. Pretty sure this won't include responsibility to replace old bags.

Don't know where this leaves MB, but I suspect MB is probably dragging its feet hoping all affected cars will end up scrapped without too any nasty claims.

rivensoul

Already did mine. No reason to wait to get free safety work done. If the new one is crap I'm sure they'll replace that too.

Tom in Austin

Yes, the big dance is the manufacturers are the ones on the hook for the recall, Takata's just a supplier. However, if they can contrive to keep Takata (or whatever the successor is called) alive and viable, then they can share in the cost. That's why the slow-roll on the recall ... with the NHTSC, who is supposedly protecting American drivers, complicit in the scheme ...

Alfadude

I don't know that I would say anyone is "complicit in a scheme" is why it it is taking so long. Sure, Takata wasn't very forthcoming on the issue when they first knew about it. And now It is just on a scale never seen before. I read something that said it is 100 million inflators with 69 million being in the US affecting 42 million vehicles from 19 different manufacturers. That's a lot of new airbags to make and it's not like there are a lot of different air bag manufactures out there. So, that will take years to sort out and prioritze where the new supply goes to first. An unfortunate situation and a big mess for sure, but at this point I don't think anyone is doing anything nefarious or the manufacturers don't care, just a lack of supply.

shotgun_banjo

This is one of the reason why I garaged my C300 as I don't want to be the lucky one who might get the lottery death grenade. Yes call me a whimp or whatever but since I have the means to drive another car and my greatest insurance is not to use it till I know I have one less probable thing to worry about since I am an accident magnet (gets an average of 2-3 accidents in a year or two and it is ALWAYS not my fault). I really miss driving my C300 and somehow I rarely see a 2009 W204 on the road. One of this days I might tell myself to stop being a drama queen and just drive the dang thing but right now I rather not risk it. I will call my dealer on Monday and ask about the airbag. I am sure they will say they don't have the parts yet.

Alfadude

You have to do what makes you comfortable, but for what it is worth the biggest issue with the air bag is from hot and humid climates.Being in British Columbia the chances of you having a failure are extremely slim. I would venture to guess your area would be one of the last to get their air bags replaced. It wouldn't surprise me if that could take another year or two. If you are going to not drive it regularly for that long I would suggest you still start it and take it out for short drives every week or so and get it up to temperature to excercise it a bit to keep things lubricated and to keep the tires from getting flat spotted and the battery from wearing down. Cars don't like to sit for long periods of time.

You AVERAGE 2-3 accidents A YEAR? And none of them are your fault? Either you do a hell of a lot of driving in dangerous situations or you are the unluckiest person on the world. Maybe your over-cautiousness translates to your driving. If so, that could be a contributor to some of your accident history. Whatever the reasons, if there even are any, I hope you break that streak soon.

shotgun_banjo

Yes I do start her up once every 2 weeks and go around the block to stretch her tires. I live in a city where drivers don't understand what proper driving means heck some of them don't even understand street signs and don't even speak english. One time I got hit by a chinese man who does not speak any english and does not even have a driver's license so go figure. I drive like a normal person but if people around you don't look or don't even signal when they turn or merge into a lane and thinks yellow light means go faster no matter how good and behave you drive you will be hit. I still remember in detail the time I spend 4 hours detailing my car and took it out for a ride to home depot to get some painter's tape and 5 minutes on the road I got T-boned....yup I was teary to see half of my shiny car mangled. After that accident I installed 2 dashcams on all of my rides and those dashcams saved me from very costly premiums as the F*ckrs always say something else to the cops and I just hand over the footage on my dashcams and they get slapped with tickets on the spot. Google it up and look up "Richmond BC bad drivers" and you will see what the internet will show you. So far my C300's accident history cost more than to buy a brand new C-class next is the Mazda 3 which again total repair cost exceeds the amount in buying a new car. I became very good friends with the bodyshop owners in the process as that is how much they see me on their shop and I think I am already a VIP there. One of the reasons why I am not getting rid of the C300 is that all of the panels of the car are new except for the roof and it is always repaired by a MB Corporate owned bodyshop so the repair is like factory finish and all parts used in the repair are MB parts and not aftermarket. I was warned though by the shop that if I get hit again with a damage worth more than 7k the car will be a write-off as the price of a 09 W204 is getting close to sub 10k in my area.

C300CA

I lost count how many notices I received, but last week I received another notice with a different letter format with some big font red letters, from Auto Nation. I called a local MB dealer service department. A lady said she does not understand why I keep receiving the recall notices. They are currently working on 2006 - 2007 year airbag recalls.

C300CA

And it is the same dealer who emailed me two days ago to say "We will perform any repairs subject to the recall notice at no charge. Please contact us for corrective action today."
Very confusing and disappointed.