Jayhawk

MB launced a very limited recall, but some of us have filed official defect reports w/ the HSTA. It's possible they might expand the recall, but I doubt it unless many many of us file. If MBUSA says your VIN is not on the list, the only hope you have is to file and wait.

e55bliss

After taking my 2001 600 into the dealer, and complaining, they said 3 things which stopped me from proceeding on this:

1. Your VIN would show up in the dealer's computer if it was affected by the recall.

2. This recall was very limited - not the full range of mfr dates in the recall notice.

3. We would definitely receive a recall letter if you are affected. They have your address at the dept. of motor vehicles in your state based on the VIN.

Waiting now, but without any hope.

hbs600

My instrument cluster went out on me last weekend on a trip to NY from DC. Once I got home, I looked to the web for some answers, since replacing the 5v bulb was not the correction to the problem. I found this forum and the information you'll have provided. After going to the NHTSA web site, I called the dealer, then MBUSA (they are only taking down your information and not providing any updates) looking for an answer. MBUSA is dragging their feet on fixing this safety issue on all our cars. With my furstration building, I called "Call for Action" which is a TV channel help line. They called MBUSA and got furstrated and got no where. they were promised a phone call with an update. While I'm not holding my breath for MB do step up and do the right thing quickly, I've scheduled an appointment to take my car in next month to get it repaired ($1400 est). The chance of getting into an accident because you don't realize you left your turn signal on and oncoming traffic thinks your turning when your not. Bang! Your insurance rates are going up because MB didn't step up and provide the corrective service.

Has anyone thought about seeing if the car insurance industry would put pressure on MB concerning this issue? I'm going to call today an inquire.

Is there an address other than MBUSA we can all send letters voicing our concerns?

hbs600

I recieved a call from MBUSA today touting the party line. They said there is no recall for my vehicle yet. Also, to get the car repaired and hold on to the receipt for later reibursement if the car was recalled. The most absurb thing was that if I choose to drive my car without the instrument cluster working, that you be on me. That is when I gave her many pieces of my mind along with a lot of the furstrations I've read in the thread. I'll be waiting like the rest of you for some resolution in the near, not distant future.

Jayhawk

This issue is not new. There is another thread here that started in '04 and ran through last June '06. It provides a lot of additional information. It's interesting in part because most of it took place before the recall was launched. https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w220/82722-instrument-cluster-removal.html

hawk20

Love those wheels. What make???

Darknessph

I also have Manufacture Year(MY) June 2001 S430. It started to flicker when it comes on and off (when it dims on & off when I put the key in or open the door w/ remote). I was affraid if the whole cluster would become insane and kill itself; so I went to the dealership on yesterday (I live in Pacific Canada, BTW) and told them if I was on the recall list. He said I wasn't on the list, and he never heared of the problem. Not only was he indifferent to me, but he had some sort of ignoring tone towards me.. I love the car itself from MB, but its service has been and still falling down to hell like an elevator without a bottom floor. This is unacceptable.

The official document from Transport-Canada (it's like NHTSA):

http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/recal...p?recno=14061&

Certain vehicles may experience instrument cluster backlighting malfunction. There are three distinct failure modes. (1) Vehicles built between 06/2000 and 11/2000 may contain a defective transformer that could cause an electrical short. (2) Vehicles built from 01/2002 to 04/2002 could have incorrect dielectric layers inside a capacitor that could lead to fluctuating current levels. (3) Vehicles built between 05/2004 and 09/2004 may have incorrect light emitting diodes (LEDs). Correction: Dealers will replace the instrument cluster module.

WHY THE F*** is 2001 S class excluded from the recall? this is DUMB AS HELL-

I would have to pay for the damn thing if it goes out - its like ticking timebomb..

The whole thing about this instrument cluster is just big bad




Is there any one with MY 2001 S class who had the cluster go out?

Keyrat

benzlovr

got the recall letter today and spoke to mb usa, the recall was expanded so everyone should call and see if their vin was included. i had to file a complaint with nhtsa and they said many, many more vins were added..

Jayhawk

He has been posting porno-site phone numbers and I would NOT believe anything he says. Check out this thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...03#post1775503

jolleydm

I don't know about porno numbers, but I do know that I finally got my recall letter for the instrument cluster on my 2001 S430 yesterday. I dug up my receipt for when I had to have it replaced back in late 2004 -- $1600.

The letter says they will reimburse past costs for parts, labor, and tax if done at a MB dealership. Hooray!!

Jayhawk

Maybe I was wrong and the **** # was just a mistake. Congratulations! Maybe I'll get one too...

Skylaw

Jayhawk,

I tried to post this a few days ago, but had some minor delays setting up a new ISP account.

The "****" number was an error, I believe - if you look closely, the last 4 digits of the DOT 888 number in the DOT post were transcribed to the 800 number and its exchange in the same post. I doubt if benzlovr did that deliberately.

Jayhawk

You are correct! I figured it was something like that. I have run into a number of spam posts here however, that try to trick us into visiting a particular vendor or trying to increase "traffic" on some sites or phone exchanges. When he said the letter was out (a very big deal around here) and posted a phone number for some "conversation hot line," I just ***-u-me d it was another spammer. Thanks for checking that out...

jolleydm

I took my 2001 S430 into the dealership this morning for reimbursement of my prior instrument cluster replacement ($1600+). I had saved my invoice and credit card receipt, which they needed to process my request. (I left my car at the dealership for weather stripping replacement, for which there is also an outstanding recall in progress.)

When I asked about how long my refund would take, the service advisor at the dealership essentially said this: "Mercedes makes great cars, but they're not so great at putting together processes for making things like this run smoothly. These letters were just sent out last week and they tell the customers to go to their dealers for reimbursement, but Mercedes never gave us any information about how we are supposed to handle refund requests. So all of this may take another couple of weeks to figure out."

Whe I asked if there was some reason why my refund request might not be approved, he said: " Sometimes Mercedes will deny a request if the prior repair wasn't done exactly how they want the recall repairs to be done. So if you didn't have the 'right' model of the instrument cluster put in, they may deny the reimbursement claim." I said that this was rediculous, and that if Mercedes ended up wanting a different type of instrument cluster in my car, they should remove the one they put in, replace it with the new 'right' model, and refund the money I paid the dealership to put in the 'wrong' model. The service guy shrugged and said that we were getting ahead of ourselves.

I will post more when I get more news.

Keyrat

Why doesn't the weather stripping recall show up on the NHTSA website? And what stripping do they replace and why? Good luck with your reimbursement, I hope you get your reimbursement without to much hassle.

Skylaw

As its name implies, NHTSA (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) directs mandatory recalls toward safety-related matters. Some voluntary safety-related recalls are intiated by manufacturers ahead of NHTSA action (e.g., the instrument cluster recall). However, product defect information that does not relate to highway safety does not result in a recall (although NHTSA will post such information when received).

Product defect information may come from complaints by members of the public, or notice from the manufacturers (usually through technical service bulletins - but not all TSBs must be submitted to NHTSA, since they may not be safety related). The weather stripping problem may be a defect, but it has hardly been shown to be safety-related so as to prompt NHTSA to initiate its own action.

What was termed as "recall" above is probably simply a service bulletin issued by Mercedes, directing replacement after the owner complains - and not a safety related "recall" that would result in issuance of letters to owners. And, apparently it has not been serious enough even to prompt an owner complaint to NHTSA (review of owner complaints on the site do not mention it) - likely because most affected owners have not found government action necessary. The problems seem to be resolved between the owner and the dealer, without more.

Mark_K

skylaw,
Where cab we find the service bulletins on-line for our cars?

Jayhawk

Here are a couple hundred since March '06.

http://www.alldata.com/tsb/Mercedes-...ndex-post.html

Keyrat

What was termed as "recall" above is probably simply a service bulletin issued by Mercedes, directing replacement after the owner complains - and not a safety related "recall" that would result in issuance of letters to owners. And, apparently it has not been serious enough even to prompt an owner complaint to NHTSA (review of owner complaints on the site do not mention it) - likely because most affected owners have not found government action necessary. The problems seem to be resolved between the owner and the dealer, without more.



Thanks for the clarification Skyhawk. I wondered about the weatherstripping, because my car seems noisy (roadnoise) to me and I bet the weatherstripping is the cause.

Mark_K

Jayhawk,

How did you get these?
I went to the site but it looks like you need to join as a professional. It that how it works?

I went thru all 200 plus posts.....!!!!!

Thanks

Mark

Jayhawk

I think you do have to be an AllData "member," but am not sure how that works. I am not a member, but have had the URL--which always seems to produce that last several months of bulletins--for a long time. I don't know how to get earlier notices, but I think most dealers are members and could help you if you are looking for specific ones. There may be some folks here too that belong...

Skylaw

To get full access you do have to be a member of Alldata; access is limited, otherwise. I found it useful to subscribe to be able to access bulletins for my '00 S500, but did not renew when I bought my '05. You can subscribe through the site.

jolleydm

An update on my reimbursement efforts.

I took my 2001 S430 to the dealer last Friday for new weather stripping and for reimbursement of the $1600 I paid in January 2005 for a new instrument cluster. When I arrived to pick it up at the end of the day, the service rep told me that Mercedes would reimburse "some or all" of the cost. Unfortunately, Mercedes will not do this unless the dealer can identify the specific serial number of the instrument cluster replacement that was used for my car. The only way to get this number, it seems, is for the dealer to pull out the instrument cluster to read the number off the part, and then reinstall it.

The dealer did not have time to do this last Friday, so I have made a new appointment to take the car back in tomorrow.

They certainly have made this process a pain in the ***. But for $1600, I will keep going down to the dealer until I get my refund.

Jayhawk

Trust me, no MB dealer would put a piece of **** in your car unless they knew the part #. They couldn't get reimbersed by MBUSA unless they did. Such crap. Can't believe you bought into it.