Talk about trying to cover your own backside. I received an urgent safety recall notice today re the Takata airbags from MB Oz. The note tells me the car can kill and the bag needs replacing but they don't have any parts. If I consider the motivation for this it is so if the thing goes off and there is some form of an incident then MB can say they told the owner it was unsafe to drive. Interesting to think what the insurance company would do if it did go off under speed and a claim was forthcoming? I am guessing they would say "you were warned and should not have driven it thus we deny your claim".
how has this been handled in US and other markets?

 

Poorly.

I received a letter from MB-USA almost a year ago and they still haven't done anything with it. I ask my service adviser about it regularly, and he just keeps saying they don't have the parts.

If it's unsafe and they don't want me to drive my car, then they should have to provide me with a loaner until the parts are available.

 

I finally had the airbag recall done after waiting 3 years for the parts. My granddaughter had a several year old Mazda 6, out of warranty, that was also subject to the Takata recall. She was given a loaner car to drive for several months while they waited for new parts to arrive.

 

That does sound like a legal loophole letter, but I'm no lawyer. It took me a year to have my bags replaced so I guess I should feel lucky that it only took that long.

 

3 years to repair is mind boggling. It is a real conundrum knowing what to do ie do you leave it in the garage, trade it in or just keep driving and hope all is well?

 

The problem with trying to sell or trade it is no one - particularly no dealer - will take it with the open recall because they can't resell it like that.

 

That is exactly right. I considered trading my 21,000 mile E550 cab in at a MB dealer and they told me they would have to wholesale it off due to the open recall. No thanks.

 

I traded my 2017 E400C4 on Black Friday, and the dealer sold it the same day-- not a M-B dealer.

 

I thought that was illegal.

 

I agree, I thought that was illegal too. BTW Rick what did you trade for? Your profile still has the one you traded in.

 

finally had the air bag changed today by MB. Only took a couple of hours.