Adi-Benz

Tesla has a low vehicle count with those airbags, Honda is most widely affected. It would make sense they are at the top.

MB has the least risk and therefore is last, obviously its still a problem but not as bad as honda/acura.

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bhamg

Now you have. Both sides of my car are affected.

Dear Valued Mercedes-Benz Owner: This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Mercedes-Benz USA has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain Model Year 2005–2014 MercedesBenz vehicles, based on the defect decision of TK Holdings, Inc (“Takata”) regarding certain airbags produced by Takata. I want to assure you that Mercedes-Benz USA, through our parent company Daimler AG, is taking all necessary measures to remedy this situation for you.

The Mercedes-Benz vehicles mentioned above are equipped with driver-side airbags provided by Takata. During normal airbag deployment, under certain circumstances, the driver-side airbag inflator housing in your vehicle may rupture due to excessive internal pressure. This condition is more likely to occur if your vehicle has been exposed to high levels of absolute humidity for extended periods of time. A driverside inflator rupture during deployment could result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, possibly causing serious injury or death.

In late January 2016, Takata, the manufacturer of your driver-side airbag inflator, informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the problem. We quickly went into action to work with NHTSA and Takata, to define a remedy. Unfortunately, unlike other parts used in manufacturing, redesign of an airbag module is a time-intensive effort given the time needed for sourcing, design, testing, certifying and manufacturing requirements. As a result, it will take us time to go through these stages in a manner that ensures the highest level of safety, durability and quality that we can provide to our customers.

As soon as a suitable replacement part is tested and available for your vehicle’s driver-side airbag, we will send a second letter notifying you to bring your vehicle in to your local Authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer to have this work done free of charge. Until this time, there is no action required on your part.

zcct04

That's not good news.
What year and model is yours? Does the recall mention what others years are impacted?

ItalianJoe1

Didn't say it wasn't happening, just that I haven't seen one. Still haven't see it personally lol

I'll try to pull the recall bulletins, it should show the number of cars affected, maybe a VIN or year range.

roadkillrob

Ya my W204 has the grounding thing also (2013 C63) 495,000 vehicles affected https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/201...7V627-1748.pdf


Oct 06,2017
Manufacturer Recall Number2017100005
NHTSA Recall Number17V627
Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet availableSummaryDaimler AG (DAG), the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, has determined that on certain B-Class electric, C-Class, E-Class and CLA, GLA, GLC, GLK-Class vehicles (242, 204, 205, 207, 212, 117, 156, 253 platform) an electrostatic discharge, when combined with a broken steering column module clock spring and an insufficient grounding of the steering components, could lead to an inadvertent deployment of the driver airbag. A broken steering column module clock spring activates a driver airbag warning message in the instrument cluster, as well as the red airbag warning lamp. An inadvertent driver airbag deployment may cause a risk of injury to the driver and might increase the risk of a potential crash.

Alex.currie44

I have yet to hear anything about my car but I tend to keep an eye on the industry as a whole.
I am not apologiing for Takata but they have a hell of a problem from a capacity perspective. Think about it.
They have nearly 7 million Hondas alone in trouble world wide and they still have to supply current production.
They are prioritizing - according to them - humid climates but that does not explain why my wife's 2004 Matrix is done in the Toronto area.
I decided to leave my connected on the premise that it that it might still save me but not kill me and having seen the results of these puppies firing in real time with my late wife at the wheel of a 2003 W211 E class it is worth the risk which, let's face it, on a statistical basis is pretty low.

Adi-Benz

I just received a letter from MB.

zcct04

And here's the MBZ recall site . . .

zcct04

Here's a better link. This one is actually functional, and allows you to enter your VIN and view current status.
https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/recall

Unfortunately, it doesn't tell me anything new.
It notes that the recall was reported Jan 10, 2017 (less than a year ago, which is probably part of the reason that we have seen no action yet).
The "Recall starts" column is blank.
The status column says "Recall INCOMPLETE. Remedy not yet available."

My 2012 coupe, registered in hot-n-muggy Houston, doesn't have a Priority Group assigned yet so is apparently not scheduled for repair any time soon.

Adi-Benz, could you check this with your VIN and see if it tells you the same thing, or if it tells you what your recent letter does?
Also, is the letter you posted from Mercedes about your 2010 C300 in Milwaukee?

Alex.currie44

Just checked Transport Canada and my 2013 is not recalled for this issue and MBC has no specific web link I know of. Also Transport Canada has a by manufacturer page and MBC is not available.
Classic MBC behaviour.

Vladds

did they use Takata for the Canadian market?

Alex.currie44

Yes they do. The W204s from 205 through 2011 and W211 E class are on the list. It is possible they got alternate suppliers for some model years.

bhamg

C-Class: 2005 C230 Kompressor / C320, 2006-2007 C230, 2008-2011 C300 4Matic, 2006-2011 C350, 2009-2011 C63 AMG, 2012-2014 C-Class

E-Class: 2010-2011 E350 / E350 4Matic / E550 / E550 4Matic, 2011 E350 Cabriolet / E550 Cabriolet, 2010-2011 E63 AMG, 2012-2017 E-Class Coupe / E-Class Cabriolet

GL-Class: 2009-2010 GL320 BlueTec 4Matic, 2011-2012 GL350 BlueTec 4Matic, 2009-2012 GL450 4Matic / GL550 4Matic

GLK-Class: 2010-2012 GLK350 / GLK350 4Matic, 2013-2015 GLK-Class

M-Class: 2009-2010 ML320 BlueTec 4Matic, 2009-2011 ML350 / ML350 4Matic / ML550 4Matic / ML63 AMG, 2010-2011 ML450 4Matic Hybrid

SLK-Class: 2007-2008 SLK280 / SLK350 / SLK55 AMG

SLS AMG: 2011-2015 SLS AMG, 2012 SLS AMG Cabriolet, 2013-2014 SLS AMG GT, 2015 SLS AMG Cabriole

Sprinter: 2007-2009 Dodge Sprinter 2500 / 3500, 2007-2013 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 / 3500, 2010-2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 / 3500

R-Class: 2009-2010 R320 CDI 4Matic, 2009-2012 R350 t4Matic, 2011-2012 R350 BlueTec 4Matic

Current as of mid-2016. The complete list that this info came from is no longer available at the .gov site.

zcct04

Here's some info on the NHTSA's plan and how it impacts us, from their latest (Dec 2016) rulemaking.
I did a bunch of copy & paste here, mostly from https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.do...-annex_a_1.pdf


NHTSA has defined 12 Priority Groups based on four risk factors. Each car is assigned to a Priority Group. NHTSA has defined a parts availability deadline for each Priority Group, and manufacturers have to complete a defined percentage of the cars within each quarter thereafter.

Risk Factors

· Age (older inflators are more likely to rupture than newer inflators)
· Geography and climate (vehicles that have spent significant continuous time periods in areas of high absolute humidity, such as the Gulf Coast region and Puerto Rico, are at higher risk of rupture than vehicles that have been used in less hot and humid climates)
· Inflator position (driver-side inflators are more likely to cause fatal injuries than passenger-side inflators)
· Presence of two recalled inflators (vehicles with recalled inflators on both driver and passenger sides represent elevated risk and unique recall completion challenges)

Priority Groups
a. Priority Group 1 – Highest risk vehicles that were recalled May through December 2015.
b. Priority Group 2 – Second highest risk vehicles that were recalled May through December 2015.
c. Priority Group 3 – Third highest risk vehicles that were recalled May through December 2015.
d. Priority Group 4 – Highest risk vehicles that were recalled January through June 2016 .
e. Priority Group 5 – Second highest risk vehicles that were recalled January through June 2016.
f. Priority Group 6 – Third highest risk vehicles that were recalled January through June 2016.
g. Priority Group 7 – Vehicles scheduled for recall by the Affected Vehicle Manufacturers in January 2017 that have ever been registered in Zone A
h. Priority Group 8 – Vehicles scheduled for recall by the Affected Vehicle Manufacturers in January 2017 that have not ever been registered in the Zone A region during the service life of the vehicle.
i. Priority Group 9 – Vehicles scheduled for recall by the Affected Vehicle Manufacturers in January 2018.
j. Priority Group 10 – Vehicles scheduled for recall by the Affected Vehicle Manufacturers in January 2019.
k. Priority Group 11 – Vehicles ever registered in the HAH or Zone A that were previously remedied with a “like for like” part under a recall initiated by an Affected Vehicle Manufacturer during calendar year 2015 or before.
l. Priority Group 12 – Vehicles previously remedied with a “like for like” part and are not covered in Priority Group 11.

C-Class Priority Groups
First column is Priority Group
2nd column is Model Years
3rd column is Inflator Position (PAB - Passenger Air Bag, DAB - Driver Air Bag)
4th column is Zone = the part of the country, where A = a specific list of southern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, plus California and South Carolina). The list originally defined "A" and everything else was "Non-A". The "Non-A" later got broken up into B and C. It appears that they base this on the car's history more than current location - a car in Maine might be considered Zone A if it had been previously registered in Texas at some point in the past.

4 2005 - 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class DAB (A)
4 2008 - 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class PAB (A)
5 2010 - 2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class DAB (A)
5 2005 - 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class DAB (Non-A)
5 2010 - 2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class PAB (A)
5 2008 - 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class PAB (Non-A)
6 2010 - 2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class DAB (Non-A)
7 2012 - 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class PAB (A)
8 2008 - 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class PAB (C)
9 2013 - 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class PAB (A)
9 2010 - 2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class PAB (B)
9 2009 - 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class PAB (C)
10 2014 - 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class PAB (A)
10 2011 - 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class PAB (B)
10 2010 - 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class PAB (C)

Mandated Launch Dates
Here's info on when the parts are required to be made available and manufacturers are required to launch a 'Remedy' program for each Priority Group. You'll note in the posts above that Mercedes has just launched Group 4 in December, almost 9 months behind schedule. It appears that parts availability remains a problem and most manufacturers are running behind schedule.

Priority Group 1 March 31, 2016
Priority Group 2 September 30, 2016
Priority Group 3 December 31, 2016
Priority Group 4 March 31, 2017
Priority Group 5 June 30, 2017
Priority Group 6 September 30, 2017
Priority Group 7 December 31, 2017
Priority Group 8 March 31, 2018
Priority Group 9 June 30, 2018
Priority Group 10 March 31, 2019
Priority Group 11 March 31, 2020

ItalianJoe1

Takata also makes more than one inflator design, if they built some of them with the other design, they will not be subject to the recall.

Diabolis

Nope - not the facelifted C63s in Canada and quite possibly all of the AMG variants including PFL W204 cars as well as other AMG models. Some/all US-made non-AMG models and vehicles did, but not ours. Here's a searchable Transport Canada recall database: http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/....aspx?lang=eng and here's the Takata list: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehicle...ions-1433.html. I have a 2013 as well and the only recall applicable to mine - for which I did receive a recall notification - is the clock spring in the steering wheel.

I don't know what your beef with MB is or why you consider it to be "classic" MB behaviour. While there arguably are things that Daimler AG could improve upon and others that may have been swept under the proverbial rug, safety certainly isn't one of them. Besides, why would you expect MB Canada or anyone else to notify you of something that doesn't affect your vehicle?

bhamg

Good stuff, thx.

m a x i m u s

Just got a letter from MBUSA. Replacement parts should be available 3/2018 for Group 4.

bhamg

I called MBUSA today. For my Priority Group 1 vehicle airbag/igniter delivery is on schedule so replacements will commence in 4/18. They said no more recalls are anticipated and all affected vehicles have been identified. It's a good feeling to hear the end is in sight! It's actually a full year sooner than I was expecting.

zcct04

I got a "TAKATA SAFETY RECALL INFORMATION UPDATE" letter from MBUSA today. It reports that my 2012 passenger air bag is, as expected, in Group 7. NHTSA's published target date for parts availability was a couple days ago. Per the letter, "NHTSA recently granted an extension for Priority Group 7 vehicles to allow MBUSA to develop sufficient final remedy parts to complete your airbag inflator replacement."

Replacement parts are now expected to be available by Dec 31 2018, a year behind schedule.

I didn't find anything about an extension request when I was searching last week. I'll see if I can turn up info on deadline changes for other priority groups.

zcct04

Interesting feedback from a MBUSA FAQ document. There's no date on it, so we can't tell how old it is.

Have there been any reported injuries from faulty airbags in Mercedes-Benz vehicles?
We are not aware of any incidences worldwide with the PSDI-5, SDI, PSDI-2 or SPI inflators in Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner vehicles.

If a customer requests it, can the driver airbag be disabled?
No. First of all, Federal Regulations prohibit airbag disablement. Also, as a leader in the safety field, we believe that the driver and passengers are always safer with the protection of the airbag when a collision event warrants a deployment. The airbag is designed to supplement the seatbelt and other restraint components. For these reasons, we will not allow dealers to disable airbags.

more at https://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/Digital.../takata-pc.pdf

zcct04

Here's the document with the request for extensions. The summary of the MBUSA request begins on page 7 and ends on page 9, and there are a couple of exhibits attached at the end that are the actual documents MBUSA submitted. Lots of footnotes and details, but the key info is the revised dates which are below.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.do...t_to_cro_2.pdf

Priority Group--------Original date----------------Revised date
Priority Group 1----March 31, 2016
Priority Group 2----September 30, 2016
Priority Group 3----December 31, 2016
Priority Group 4----March 31, 2017---------------March 31, 2018
Priority Group 5----June 30, 2017-----------------June 30, 2018
Priority Group 6----Sept 30, 2017-----------------Sept 30, 2018
Priority Group 7----Dec 31, 2017------------------Dec 31, 2018
Priority Group 8----March 31, 2018---------------June 30, 2018
Priority Group 9----June 30, 2018-----------------March 31, 2019
Priority Group 10--March 31, 2019----------------Sept 30, 2019
Priority Group 11--March 31, 2020----------------No change

There are also some changes in Priority Group. 2008 C-Class that is not in the southern states was in Group 8 for passenger air bag. It will now be remedied in Priority Group 5 in order to address passenger and driver airbags in one workshop visit. (pg 58 of 81).

One of the stipulations of the extension is that the manufacturers would have to notify all owners of the revised schedule within 45 days, so we should all be getting letters pretty soon.

There's also this interesting note at the bottom:
"Please note that the timelines described herein assume that the global demand for [REDACTED] inflators remains relatively unchanged from current projections. Should another country implement a wide-ranging recall similar to the U.S. recall, all development and supply timelines will be greatly impacted." Have owners outside the US not been included in this?

Diabolis

AFAIK all of the affected vehicles have airbags or inflators made by Takata's plant in Mexico which used ammonium nitrate as the propellant. The vast majority of vehicles sold elsewhere very likely would not have airbags or inflators produced at that particular plant. Following the recall, BMW for example continued to use Takatas but with inflators made in Takata's plant in Germany, so it is largely a USA problem. Outside of the US there has been only one recorded incident, on a vehicle in Malaysia where IIRC the inflator was also determined to be of Mexican origin.

Diabolis

Here's a story I found on Jalopnik - it specifically mentions the Mexico plant:

https://jalopnik.com/the-complete-st...-re-1780143347

bhamg

And a faulty Takata igniter exploding in slo-mo as being tested by Battelle.