More Takata news from NBC, M-B content
01-09-2018, 03:20 AM
#52
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W204 C63 Coupe, W166 ML350 BlueTEC, 928GT, C5 Z06 & IS300 race cars, EQE 4Matic+ on order
PFL AMG cars are included in the recall so the fertilizer-based Takata inflators did end up in those, but so far I am not aware of anything being circulated internally at MB indicating that the FL C class or other cars that also received an interior facelift with the new steering wheel design are affected. The steering wheels and thus driver airbags are obviously different between the PFL and FL cars, so I gather the airbags were made by a different plant or possibly company. The C, E and ML class are only recalled for PFL years before 2012, the GLK got the facelift in 2013 so years before 2013 are included, and all years of the SLSs - from 2011 to 2014 - are affected as the SLS kept the old steering wheel design throughout the entire production run.
01-09-2018, 08:31 AM
#54
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2012 P31 C63 Coupe Trackrat, 2019 GLE63S Coupe Beast
PFL AMG cars are included in the recall so the fertilizer-based Takata inflators did end up in those, but so far I am not aware of anything being circulated internally at MB indicating that the FL C class or other cars that also received an interior facelift with the new steering wheel design are affected. The steering wheels and thus driver airbags are obviously different between the PFL and FL cars, so I gather the airbags were made by a different plant or possibly company. The C, E and ML class are only recalled for PFL years before 2012, the GLK got the facelift in 2013 so years before 2013 are included, and all years of the SLSs - from 2011 to 2014 - are affected as the SLS kept the old steering wheel design throughout the entire production run.
01-09-2018, 10:55 AM
#55
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C63 AMG, P30
I have an FL steering wheel and thus an airbag out of an SL, I'm assuming since it's factory leather wrapped. Is there any way to confirm whether this airbag is faulty? Are there part numbers out there right now that I could reference?
01-09-2018, 01:23 PM
#56
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I suspect it would be because of the passenger airbag, not the driver one in the steering wheel, and I readily admit to being fixated on my own safety with no regard whatsoever to the (usually empty) passenger seat. 
I don't think the passenger airbag design changed with the facelift so it is quite possible that the NHTSA is recalling every model where the same part number carried over. Transport Canada still shows nothing about any FL cars (regarding faulty airbag inflators, not the clock spring).
I don't think the passenger airbag design changed with the facelift so it is quite possible that the NHTSA is recalling every model where the same part number carried over. Transport Canada still shows nothing about any FL cars (regarding faulty airbag inflators, not the clock spring).
01-09-2018, 05:41 PM
#57
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PFL AMG cars are included in the recall so the fertilizer-based Takata inflators did end up in those, but so far I am not aware of anything being circulated internally at MB indicating that the FL C class or other cars that also received an interior facelift with the new steering wheel design are affected. The steering wheels and thus driver airbags are obviously different between the PFL and FL cars, so I gather the airbags were made by a different plant or possibly company. The C, E and ML class are only recalled for PFL years before 2012, the GLK got the facelift in 2013 so years before 2013 are included, and all years of the SLSs - from 2011 to 2014 - are affected as the SLS kept the old steering wheel design throughout the entire production run.
MBUSA recall for C-Class includes
2005-2011 for Driver's air bag
2008-2014 for Passenger air bag
01-09-2018, 11:58 PM
#58
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Recalls
Today in the mail there was 2 letters. One on the 2015 CLA45 AMG I no longer own and my current car.
While air bag related the issue is common on both cars and certain 2012-2018 Mercedes Benz vehicles. Something called the steering column module clock spring module.
To quote, "If the clock spring on the steering column module is broken, an electrostatic discharge could lead to an inadvertant deployment of the driver front air bag due to insufficent grounding of the steering components. A broken steering column module clock spring will activate a driver airbag warning message in the instrument cluster and illuminate the red airbag warning lamp."
No mention of inflators and the Takata issue.
01-10-2018, 02:45 PM
#59
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I have been watching Transport Canada and my 2013 has not been on any of their lists for air bags under the Takata recall. 2008-2011 yes but not the 2012-2014s.
Today in the mail there was 2 letters. One on the 2015 CLA45 AMG I no longer own and my current car.
While air bag related the issue is common on both cars and certain 2012-2018 Mercedes Benz vehicles. Something called the steering column module clock spring module.
To quote, "If the clock spring on the steering column module is broken, an electrostatic discharge could lead to an inadvertant deployment of the driver front air bag due to insufficent grounding of the steering components. A broken steering column module clock spring will activate a driver airbag warning message in the instrument cluster and illuminate the red airbag warning lamp."
No mention of inflators and the Takata issue.
Today in the mail there was 2 letters. One on the 2015 CLA45 AMG I no longer own and my current car.
While air bag related the issue is common on both cars and certain 2012-2018 Mercedes Benz vehicles. Something called the steering column module clock spring module.
To quote, "If the clock spring on the steering column module is broken, an electrostatic discharge could lead to an inadvertant deployment of the driver front air bag due to insufficent grounding of the steering components. A broken steering column module clock spring will activate a driver airbag warning message in the instrument cluster and illuminate the red airbag warning lamp."
No mention of inflators and the Takata issue.
01-10-2018, 04:13 PM
#60
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The clock spring issue is not related to Takata in any way - it's an issue affecting specific MB cars where there is a rather remote possibility that IF (1) the clock spring in the steering wheel is broken (which would trigger the airbag warning light and "service vehicle" message in the dash), (2) you continuously ignore said warnings on the dashboard and continue to drive the car, (3) you live in an area with very dry air and (4) you, say, have wool seat covers and are wearing a fleece jacket and you then vigorously rub yourself against said seat covers without holding on to the steering wheel, you could then in theory accumulate enough electrical charge (static) that when you then touch the steering wheel, you could in theory set off the airbag. There has never been a recorded incident of this actually happening that I know of, but in theory it could happen so MB is recalling all vehicles on which the clock spring may break which then may lead to the described set of events. It's actually cheaper and less damaging to do a recall than deal with the fallout from one single American idiot who'll keep ignoring said warnings, and then blame everyone and everything (s)he can when an airbag deploys instead of taking personal responsibility for their own stupidity.
That said, Transport Canada has recalled C class cars since 2015 are as follows recognizing other models are also subject to various recalls.
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Clock Spring in steering column
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Air Bag Inflator (Takata)
2008 2009 SRS Control Module affecting air bag deployments, seat belt tensioning etc.
01-10-2018, 08:58 PM
#61
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The clock spring actually is an issue with the design of the steering column modules. There are 3, only one is affected, and the first step of the bulletin is to check which one is installed.
We all agree that it's such a far reach, I can't see how this actually became a recall, but something must have happened to cause concern.
We all agree that it's such a far reach, I can't see how this actually became a recall, but something must have happened to cause concern.
01-10-2018, 09:24 PM
#62
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The clock spring actually is an issue with the design of the steering column modules. There are 3, only one is affected, and the first step of the bulletin is to check which one is installed.
We all agree that it's such a far reach, I can't see how this actually became a recall, but something must have happened to cause concern.
We all agree that it's such a far reach, I can't see how this actually became a recall, but something must have happened to cause concern.
01-10-2018, 11:03 PM
#63
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Thread Starter
Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants,[1] also known as the McDonald's coffee case and the hot coffee lawsuit, was a 1994 product liability lawsuit that became a flashpoint in the debate in the United States over tort reform. Although a New Mexico civil jury awarded $2.86 million to plaintiff Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman who suffered third-degree burns in her pelvic region when she accidentally spilled hot coffee in her lap after purchasing it from a McDonald's restaurant, ultimately Liebeck was only awarded $640,000. Liebeck was hospitalized for eight days while she underwent skin grafting, followed by two years of medical treatment.
Liebeck's attorneys argued that, at 180–190 °F (82–88 °C), McDonald's coffee was defective, claiming it was too hot and more likely to cause serious injury than coffee served at any other establishment. McDonald's had refused several prior opportunities to settle for less than what the jury ultimately awarded.[2] The jury damages included $160,000[3] to cover medical expenses and compensatory damages and $2.7 million in punitive damages. The trial judge reduced the final verdict to $640,000, and the parties settled for a confidential amount before an appeal was decided.
The case was said by some to be an example of frivolous litigation;[4] ABC News called the case "the poster child of excessive lawsuits",[5] while the legal scholar Jonathan Turley argued that the claim was "a meaningful and worthy lawsuit".[6] In June 2011, HBO premiered Hot Coffee, a documentary that discussed in depth how the Liebeck case has centered in debates on tort reform.[7]
[8]
[9]
01-10-2018, 11:25 PM
#64
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It was no joke.
Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants,[1] also known as the McDonald's coffee case and the hot coffee lawsuit, was a 1994 product liability lawsuit that became a flashpoint in the debate in the United States over tort reform. Although a New Mexico civil jury awarded $2.86 million to plaintiff Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman who suffered third-degree burns in her pelvic region when she accidentally spilled hot coffee in her lap after purchasing it from a McDonald's restaurant, ultimately Liebeck was only awarded $640,000. Liebeck was hospitalized for eight days while she underwent skin grafting, followed by two years of medical treatment.
Liebeck's attorneys argued that, at 180–190 °F (82–88 °C), McDonald's coffee was defective, claiming it was too hot and more likely to cause serious injury than coffee served at any other establishment. McDonald's had refused several prior opportunities to settle for less than what the jury ultimately awarded.[2] The jury damages included $160,000[3] to cover medical expenses and compensatory damages and $2.7 million in punitive damages. The trial judge reduced the final verdict to $640,000, and the parties settled for a confidential amount before an appeal was decided.
The case was said by some to be an example of frivolous litigation;[4] ABC News called the case "the poster child of excessive lawsuits",[5] while the legal scholar Jonathan Turley argued that the claim was "a meaningful and worthy lawsuit".[6] In June 2011, HBO premiered Hot Coffee, a documentary that discussed in depth how the Liebeck case has centered in debates on tort reform.[7]
[8]
[9]
Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants,[1] also known as the McDonald's coffee case and the hot coffee lawsuit, was a 1994 product liability lawsuit that became a flashpoint in the debate in the United States over tort reform. Although a New Mexico civil jury awarded $2.86 million to plaintiff Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman who suffered third-degree burns in her pelvic region when she accidentally spilled hot coffee in her lap after purchasing it from a McDonald's restaurant, ultimately Liebeck was only awarded $640,000. Liebeck was hospitalized for eight days while she underwent skin grafting, followed by two years of medical treatment.
Liebeck's attorneys argued that, at 180–190 °F (82–88 °C), McDonald's coffee was defective, claiming it was too hot and more likely to cause serious injury than coffee served at any other establishment. McDonald's had refused several prior opportunities to settle for less than what the jury ultimately awarded.[2] The jury damages included $160,000[3] to cover medical expenses and compensatory damages and $2.7 million in punitive damages. The trial judge reduced the final verdict to $640,000, and the parties settled for a confidential amount before an appeal was decided.
The case was said by some to be an example of frivolous litigation;[4] ABC News called the case "the poster child of excessive lawsuits",[5] while the legal scholar Jonathan Turley argued that the claim was "a meaningful and worthy lawsuit".[6] In June 2011, HBO premiered Hot Coffee, a documentary that discussed in depth how the Liebeck case has centered in debates on tort reform.[7]
[8]
[9]
01-11-2018, 10:09 PM
#65
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Any word on what kind of car she was driving? I am in the frivolous camp. Anyone on the planet who makes coffee knows it is hot and typically around 200F. Then there is this http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5098.htm.
01-13-2018, 11:41 AM
#67
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Unbelievable. Everyone is pointing fingers at each other, while hundreds of thousands of people are driving around with what are essentially grenades where the passenger airbag should be. Every one of these deaths should be a wrongful death lawsuit on the auto manufacturers, but they’re pointing the finger at a bankrupt airbag manufacturer. The auto companies should be stepping up to fix these immediately by sourcing and retrofitting new airbags from a manufacturer that can supply them on their dime. Period. Where are our almighty governments in all this to force a fix? The whole fuking thing is a disgrace.
02-01-2018, 08:56 AM
#70
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■Sept. 24, 2016: Unidentified driver, Johor State, Malaysia, 2009 Honda City.
That's only a year older than mine. Although hot climate which I believe accelerates the degradation.
That's only a year older than mine. Although hot climate which I believe accelerates the degradation.
02-28-2018, 02:11 PM
#72
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Thread Starter
I'm in Priority Category 1 (both sides, hot climate) and called MBUSA today about the Takata repair. They told me parts were not in yet for C Class cars? So clearly airbag repairs are further behind schedule since the last time I spoke to them parts were "on schedule for March installation." Now it looks like May-June at the earliest.
Last edited by bhamg; 02-28-2018 at 02:15 PM.
04-28-2019, 12:03 AM
#74
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You can check status on your vehicle here, using VIN or license plate number: https://www.airbagrecall.com/en/check-your-vehicle
For my 2012 C63, status is Recall INCOMPLETE. Remedy not yet available. That sucks - Mercedes was scheduled to have this fixed a long time ago.
Here's a December 2018 document called "Update on the State of the Takata Airbag Recalls" from "The Independent Monitor of Takata and the Coordinated Remedy Program":
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.do...alls-tag_0.pdf
Summary: 50 pages of what they think is needed to get more of the lazy car owners in to get their airbags replaced. It looks to me like they have completely missed the problem - we're all eager to get this fixed but Mercedes isn't doing it. There's no commentary about progress by each manufacturer, no acknowledgement that some manufacturers are WAY behind schedule and don't seem to be doing anything about it. I understand that there is an established priority (see post 39 above), and I understand that the stock of replacements is appropriately going first into the older and highest-risk cars in hot & humid places, but I do not understand why some manufacturers seem over 90% complete and Mercedes seems to not yet be out of the starting gate.
The only thing of value in the document is the map on the last page that shows locations of inflator explosions. Unfortunately, my car lives on the Gulf Coast and the map just increases my discomfort.
For my 2012 C63, status is Recall INCOMPLETE. Remedy not yet available. That sucks - Mercedes was scheduled to have this fixed a long time ago.
Here's a December 2018 document called "Update on the State of the Takata Airbag Recalls" from "The Independent Monitor of Takata and the Coordinated Remedy Program":
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.do...alls-tag_0.pdf
Summary: 50 pages of what they think is needed to get more of the lazy car owners in to get their airbags replaced. It looks to me like they have completely missed the problem - we're all eager to get this fixed but Mercedes isn't doing it. There's no commentary about progress by each manufacturer, no acknowledgement that some manufacturers are WAY behind schedule and don't seem to be doing anything about it. I understand that there is an established priority (see post 39 above), and I understand that the stock of replacements is appropriately going first into the older and highest-risk cars in hot & humid places, but I do not understand why some manufacturers seem over 90% complete and Mercedes seems to not yet be out of the starting gate.
The only thing of value in the document is the map on the last page that shows locations of inflator explosions. Unfortunately, my car lives on the Gulf Coast and the map just increases my discomfort.
04-28-2019, 07:21 AM
#75
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That website says this for mine.
There are no active recalls in our database for your vehicle.
VEHICLE INFORMATION
Year2010MakeModelC63
