jolleydm

Does anyone have any updated info to share?

I am still waiting on the recall letter. Has anyone had a dealer agree to do the recall replacement yet (or received a refund for an earlier replacement)?

Jayhawk

Still waiting... I have an A service coming up, in about 3k miles, and hope to combine the two when I go in. Will not start to worry until June 20 though. If I have heard nothing I will ask the dealer to find out.

jolleydm

Sadly, I've been told that my 2001 S430 is not included in the recall group. This despite the fact that my instrument cluster actually failed. (You'd think that this would go a long way toward showing that my cluster was defective, but not the case.)

I was told that my exterior weather stripping is subject to a current recall and will be replaced by the dealer free of charge, but I will have to eat the $1200 cluster replacement.

gunnyalex7051

I called Mercedes Benz and was informed the same information. I would like to find the series numbers of the one recalled. I have already paid for mine to be replaced and would love to be reimbursed for my costs.

Jayhawk

My dealer is in the dark too, so I called MBUSA and they said that NHTSA had put out information that MB has not been informed of. In fact, she said they do not even have a list of VIN's involved, so they don't know what to tell us. Apparently, there is a communication's problem between the govt. and MB. Why am I not surprised. She seemed to imply that they had not even started sending letters because they didn't know which vehicles were involved. Wierd...

Skylaw

Jayhawk,

Apparently MB's left hand doesn't keep in touch with its right. The three documents in the link at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr...fsDocId=06V028 make it very clear that MBUSA is aware of the recall. Two of the three letters are from Frank Diertl, with the letterhead identifying him as General Manager, Engineering Services, MBUSA LLC.

Diertl's February 1, 2006 letter to NHTSA says "Pursuant to the requirements of 49 C.F.R. Part 573, and on behalf of our parent company, DaimlerChrysler A.G. (DCAG), this letter advises you of a voluntary recall for certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles." The letter then goes on the describe the instrument cluster problems in detail and list the month/year of manufacture of the affected S- and CL- class cars.

On February 9, 2006 NHTSA acknowledged the recall, informed MBUSA (Mr. Diertl) of the content of the public notice of the recall it would put out (these are posted in the Federal Register and on the safercar.gov website), and asked MBUSA to make any corrections.

Diertl's letter of March 2, 2006 responding to the February 9 NHTSA letter states that notification to customers would commence on or about June 10, 2006. That in turn gets us to the very first post in this string.

Thus, NHTSA has put out absolutely nothing that MB is not aware of. The documentation shows clearly that MB initiated its own voluntary recall under the Department of Transportation/NHTSA rules under the Code of Federal Regulations. It shows that MBUSA is telling NHTSA that it has identified a series of problems with instrument clusters and telling NHTSA what MBUSA intends to do under the governing regulations. MB's own response to the NHTSA letter says notice to customers of the recall would begin on or about June 10, 2006.

While the February 1 MBUSA letter indicates dates of manufacture of certain cars and not VINs, it stretches credibility past the breaking point for MBUSA to say they don't know which vehicles are involved. I have seen too many MB records indicating that certain VINS were manufactured on certain dates. Whomever you spoke with at MBUSA is either ignorant of what is going on or just plain lying.

This isn't a matter of a "communications problem" between MB and the government. The communications are quite clear. It is also apparently untrue that MB isn't sending recall notices - see benznodubz' June 2 post above. They are slow about it - I speculate perhaps because of parts availability (more than 36,000 cars are affected, according to Mr. Diertl) - but I hope you will call whomever you spoke to at MBUSA and make them painfully aware of the facts.

Now, getting them to act may be an entirely different matter.

Pristine

I called MBUSA cutomer service couple of times to get status on the recall. Both times I was told that they are not aware of this recall, nor do they see it in their system. Their standard response is that once they know, they will mail us the notice. The local dealers don't seem to be aware of it either. Makes me wonder if they really don't know or wheather they are just keeping thier mouth shut on this issue for now.

Vader55

Correction, My letter was not for the cluster.. apologies.

Jayhawk

Thanks Sky! I am sure you are correct: I am getting the runaround. The gal I spoke w/ didn't give me her name, so not sure I can go back at her. What she told me was that "NHTSA has not given MB the list of cars involved." I said shouldn't you be providing the list, and she said that's not how it works. She also said "they were very aware of the recall, and were getting a lot of calls," but they could not notify us until they had the list. I suspect you are correct too about availability of parts being an issue. She sounded very concerned and somewhat frustrated by all of this, and may very well have been telling me what her boss told her.

Jayhawk

Then no one has received a recall letter...

If anyone has, please let us know. In fact, scan it into a .jpg file and post it for us to see. MB can't argue w/ that!

Skylaw

Now, that absolutely tops the list for BS. NHTSA doesn't "give" MB a list of the VINs to recall. MB does that for itself. MB knows the dates of manufacture of the affected cars (and listed them in its letter); MB's own records identify the VINs.

NHTSA's role is to identify problems reported to it by the public to a manufacturer;the manufacturer may have identified the same problems through its own service departments. If not, NHTSA would order the manufacturer to work to identify the extent of the problem. Even in that case, the manufacturer would be required to identify the vehicles. if NHTSA thought a recall were necessary and the manufacturer did not, then NHTSA could order an involuntary recall.

In most cases, as it seems here, manufacturers initiate voluntary recalls, regardless of the source of information. In this particular case, it seems MB self-identified the problem, and its extent, in the February 1 letter; and notified NHTSA that it was initiating a voluntary recall. No NHTSA "intervention" or order was required.

And since you can provide your VIN to any MB dealer and they can tell you the car's date of manufacture (as well as its engine, color, options, and a host of other info), I am equally certain MB can access the VINs of their cars from date of manufacture, in their own database.

MBUSA is feeding you garbage, Jayhawk!

jolleydm

To be clear, when I called MB, I gave them my VIN and then I was told that my car is not currently subject to a recall involving the insrument cluster. Maybe this just means that nobody's VIN has yet been approved for the instrument cluster recall.

I have new hope now that when (and if) MB ever gets around to implementing this recall, my 2001 S430 with the failed instrument cluster may in fact be included.

Jayhawk

Don't hold your breath...

fcalero

I have a 2000 CL 500 that was originally sold in Canada. I am looking to replace the KM/H speedometer to MPH version. I know that digital readout can go both ways but the numbers are KM/H only since it is a Canadian car. I was wondering if somone has a broken cluster they want to sell me (for cheap since it's broken). I will attempt to replace the face only so I dont care if the cluster electrical components are not functioning. I believe S and Cl are interchangeable.

Thanks,

fredcalero@comcast.net

Jayhawk

I thought our clusters could be changed from kmph to mph and back w/ the flip of a switch on our COMAND menu. I am wrong?

fcalero

I cant speak for all Canadian CL's but mine only has KM/H on the number display. I can change the digital readout to both KM/H and MPH. I did go to the dealer and they confirmed that I need to buy a new cluster for over $1500 plus 2 hours to program it. I'm pretty sure I can just replace the front readout. I noticed that US versions do have the MPH in large nubers and the KM/H in small numbers. Mine only has KM/H in large numbers.

hawk20

Worth checking with dealer as it depends whether what they fitted was the post recall type or the pre recall type.

hawk20

BTW according to my dealer the recall does not apply in UK where different type of cluster is used compared to US. Anyone in UK heard different from that, please??

KevinJ

Took mine to the dealer and they checked if Goodwill would be done and the answer was NO.

Still waiting for the BBE Reman company here in the UK to obtain the chips needed to fix the faded, flickering cluster.

hawk20

I'd be tempted to get on to Merc Customer Service and mention US recall. Could be part of same problem???

justbecause

No, The large KMH outer ring is there for good,there is a smaller MPH inner ring on most Canadian cars, (just as most cars sold in USA have a smaller KMH inner ring in case you drive in Mex or Can.
The only think you can flip between via command(kilos or miles)is the odometer for distance travelled.

normrkey

Does anyone know how to decode the date of manufacture or is there a location on the car that indicates this?

I am not sure if my car is part of the recall.

Jayhawk

Don't feel bad. If you believe MB dealers, they don't even know which cars are included. I'm getting the feeling they just don't want to do it.

highdeserthiker

My experience with MB is that they rarely step up to the plate and admit fault, let alone compensate you unless forced to do so.I love these cars , but hate the dealerships. I am sure, like many others on here that own these cars , we love theses cars; but own other cars too,(we have a Hyundai Tucson, and to be frank, their after sales and service set up is so much better than MB. I feel we often allow ourselves to accept high service fees,poor service , shoddy standards ,ect, because of a number of reasons,(maybe I would look like a fool for buying a car that costs so much time and money to keep on the road?) kinda interesting that Jags now appear to be in many areas( JD Powers ect) a better buy the last few years.

Jayhawk

I suspect that the dealers are not the problem. They are only as knowledgeable as MBUSA allows them to be. I think they are often at the mercy of MBUSA and cannot tell us any more that they know. And MBUSA is sometimes out of the loop w/ regard to these recalls. After all I believe MBUSA actually initiated this recall. So it may be that they just don't have the replacement parts and are stalling until they do.