53 of the
480 complaints filed about the Mercedes Benz Sprinter 3500
are about the throttle and cruise control —
11% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2014.
53
Complaints
11%
Share of all complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
Acceleration & Cruise Control complaints by model year
Vehicle suddenly lost ability to accelerate. After driving narrow mountain roads with a lot of downshifting and upshifting, vehicle was on a long, gradual downgrade, then approached a long, slight (4%?) upgrade. Vehicle would not maintain speed and began to decelerate. Pushing the accelerator to the floor did nothing. Attempted to manually shift gears, but transmission would not downshift, or upshift. This almost resulted in being rear-ended by a semi. The speed limit was 55 and vehicle had decelerated to ~25 mph by the time I found a place to pull over. I stopped and was able to shift into Park. Revved engine and it behaved normally. I shut off engine for 1 minute and then restarted. Transmission and all other systems worked fine and continued to work normally for several hundred miles since then. There was no CEL, or other warning. There was no indication that it entered "Limp Mode." I suspected that something went wrong with the logic in the electronic transmission. Mercedes Benz dealership could NOT find any codes logged in the OBDC. The service manager told me, "It might have been some kind of computer glitch." This was a 2-lane, country road. The semi was behind me, and several cars were behind the semi. For about a mile there was no place to pull over. One impatient driver passed both the semi and my Sprinter in a "no passing" zone. We were all fortunate that there was no collision.
NHTSA complaint #11633414 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My van has periodic lack of acceleration or dead pedal. There are no warnings that this will occur. This shows itself when trying to advance from a stopped position. When I push the accelerator the van either does not move at all or barely crawls forward. This can last 15-45 seconds. There are no RPMs from the engine. Once the pedal starts to respond, the issue will resolve. The problem is you need to get to that point where the engine can make rated power. Once you put in in drive, and if you're able to idle away from the parking spot, you may find that when you need power to move up a hill or through an intersection, it just isn't there. You can't wait a minute with your foot to the floor when you're in the middle of an intersection. sometimes it will slowly accelerate. This has caused multiple situations where I thought I was going to die due to being out in cross traffic and failing to be able to move. It happens both in reverse and forward. It happens even though I have warmed up the engine for 5 minutes or more. It seems to happen more at altitude but has also happened at sea level. It doesn't seem to matter if the outdoor temperature is warm or cold. The dealer can not detect a problem. I have read many accounts of this happening on MBZ forums. This must be a known issue with MBZ yet they have failed to solve it. Some think it is a sensor initiation issue after a cold soak. Someone is going to die because of this problem if MBZ is not forced to fix it.
NHTSA complaint #11625256 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Mercedes Benz 3500 XL Sprinter motorhome, 2020 chassis. May 2023 MB did several recalls & software updates which MB USA headquarters said those changes could've affected the Cruise Control & Adaptive Cruise Control because these systems worked excellently until May '23, in my local MB Sprinter service. These systems have not worked more than 2% of the time. MB keeps changing items with no improvement. I told them to test on I-95 or The turnpike, as that's when we use it safely. Service tech said they're not allowed to test it there; we told them that's when it won't work, when we need it. Dozens of trips keep proving MB needs a permanent fix for the safety features we paid & need. I KEEP TRYING TO ADD MY 10 SECOND VIDEO CLIP BELOW BUT YOUR SITE WON'T TAKE IT. IT SHOWS the Cruise Control 3 blinking BLANK cursors on dash monitor where the mph Cruise miles #s setting should display. I showed this to my local MB service who sent video to MB USA HEADQUARTERS. Under my active Warranty they need to CHANGE the WHOLE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM. THESE bandaids are exhausting time & resources for all of us. Now their engineers say it could be the seat sensor. I've hamstring pain & need a seat cushion while driving. This EXCUSE is FAULTY like their FAULT CODES, as randomly I don't use my seat cushion & Cruise Control & thus Adaptive Cruise Control won't work. Thank you for your help! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11581506 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Emergency brake assist, distance sensing and adaptive cruise control randomly and intermittently deactivate while driving. In a recent 8-hour highway trip this deactivation occurred 7 times, sometimes correcting itself with no driver intervention, and other times remaining disabled for hours and hundreds of driving miles. Durning motor off and restarting occasionally reset the issue, but many times it did not. When these systems disable, the van’s speed rapidly decreases and may cause other vehicles to hit the rear of the van, or cause van drivers to panic and/or lose control of the vehicle. Random and unpredictable electronic failures such as this are a definite hazard and need to be addressed by the manufacturer.
NHTSA complaint #11554151 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The ESP and ABS warning lights went on suddenly after what sounded like a thud. The car had not run over anything. There was some initial brief chattering of the break pedal, and that subsided. The car was not near a suitable and available repair shop at the time. It was driven to complete a trip. There were several instances of break pedal chattering that led concern about the controllability of the vehicle. During the trip, it was taken to a brake shop, and the technicians felt it was likely safe to drive. Eventually after the servicing dealer first replaced the front speed sensors, the ESP unit was found to be shorted. This event is of concern because the speed sensors on the rear have been replaced on recall and the front speed sensors have been granted an extended warrantee. Both feed into the ESP unit that failed. It seems possible the previously suspect parts may have damaged the ESP unit. There appears to be a safety issue with faulty break performance in this situation. The vehicle only had about 13,000 miles on the odometer. at the time of the event. Service an repair records are available upon request
NHTSA complaint #11539850 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I'm getting wheel sensor errors and the vehicle goes into limp mode and disables the cruise control, even after replacing the sensors. Very frustrated with this dangerous situation!
NHTSA complaint #11529306 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
We have a 2019 motorhome on a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter chassis. We are concerned about the wheel speed sensor failing. Three out of 4 sensors have already failed and been replaced on ours and Mercedes will not replace the 4th sensor until it fails. When this sensor fails it affects the ABS brakes and the braking distance is increased which can cause an accident. The cruise control is also affected and could increase speed on its own. The ESP can also be affected and can increase the risk of skidding and accidents. We have spoken to many other motorhome owners with the same chassis and they have also had problems with the sensors. Mercedes is aware of this problem and we feel they should replace all the sensors before they fail and cause a serious accident and injury or death. We would like to travel to remote areas of our country but haven't done so because there is no place to get the sensor replaced if it fails. We have spoken to Mercedes Benz of Sarasota FL and Mercedes Corporate and they are unwilling to do anything to replace the 4th sensor.
NHTSA complaint #11508752 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN SENT TO MERCEDES CORPORATE CUSTOMER SERVICE All of the following has started happening since an exhaust recall was done by Mercedes. In September 2022, we were driving cross country to Denver Colorado and enough codes piled up in the background that we went into limp mode in the middle of 70 MPH highway traffic. This happened without warning and was an extreme safety concern. But I was lucky to be near an exit and already in the right lane. I reset these codes and finished going to Denver the next day. The two Sprinter dealers in Denver were backlogged several weeks; so we spent over $600 trying to troubleshoot the issues with Colorado Fleetworks, a qualified Sprinter specialist. He checked codes too; ran other diagnostics; replaced the fuel filter and air filter even though they had been done only 10,000 miles earlier; and performed a forced DPF regeneration. He also replaced the DPF pressure sensor. This work did not help change the daily multiple code problems. We had to reset them every day coming back from our trip. When we returned home we took it to the dealer. They confirmed the codes, reset them, and test drove it 25 miles. Since codes didn't return, they said, "There is nothing we can do if we don't witness active codes." I said, "How active do they have to be? I will have codes in the next 20 to 30 miles like I do every day I drive it." These never happened in the 6 years prior to the recall wok. Either the programming is confused, some of the new sensors are faulty, or something. A totally separate problem is the faulty factory crimps on the connector of the rail pressure sensor. This is a known defect; and we've had the exact same symptoms and code as noted in Xentry TSB MC-10135520-9999. The engine has actually cut off when turning into traffic a few times. This is an extreme safety concern.
NHTSA complaint #11505086 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
trucks cut speed limit 65 to 10 normal highway i do understood %35 degrees slow down but its only %2 degrees uprise there is no power at engine rpm is shows less then 1 rpm and even if press the gas pedal all the way the truck does not accelerate like truck is lock right there very dangers any one drive back of me they are not accept that much speed change they are in dangers scarr to drive truck be couse same one get git back of truck and can get kill
NHTSA complaint #11440985 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
NHTSA complaint #11427430 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ON OR ABOUT MARCH 11TH, I WENT TO MERCEDES BENZ OF 4000 N. MAIN STREET, GAINESVILLE FL. TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE SAFETY RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 21V042000 ON MY 2012 SPRINTER 3500 ( VIN WDA PF4CA2C9519207,PRODUCTION DATE 04/12/2012). I MET WITH MICHAEL POTTEIGER, ASST. SERVICE MANAGER. TO MY DISMAY, MR. POTTEIGER INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS NO SUCH RECALL AND THAT MERCEDES ADDRESSED THE ISSUE OF FAILED REAR WHEEL SPEED SENSORS BY EXTENDING THE WARRANTEE PERIOD. IN OTHER WORDS, THE SENSORS COULD ONLY BE REPLACED AFTER THEY FAILED. SINCE NHTSA PART 573 SAFETY RECALL REPORT 21V-042 DATED FEB 03, 2021 INDICATES THAT THE PLANNED DEALER NOTIFICATION DATE WAS FEB 22, 2021 THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF THE RECALL AND DELIBERATELY REFUSED TO PROVIDE THE REMEDY AS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL REPORT. REQUEST THAT YOU TAKE NECESSARY ACTION TO IMMEDIATELY CORRECT THIS VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW TO PREVENT POSSIBLE FUTURE ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES. THANK YOU.03
NHTSA complaint #11403923 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE SURGED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE DROVE AS DESIGNED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V042000 (ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SEVERAL UNKNOWN LOCAL DEALERS TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR WHEEL SPEED SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
NHTSA complaint #11403082 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHEEL SPEED SENSOR ON VEHICLE HAS MALFUNCTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES. WHEN SPEED SENSOR MALFUNCTIONS THE VEHICLE SPEED SURGES AND OPERATES ERRATICALLY ON ITS OWN. CONDITION HAPPENS WHEN VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. CONDITIONS HAPPEN AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS
NHTSA complaint #11398890 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHEEL SPEED SENSORS KEEP FAILING. I HAVE HAD EIGHT SENSORS FAIL IN THREE YEARS OF OWNERSHIP. TRANSMISSION SHIFTS ERRATICALLY, SPEED SURGES, ABS, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND BRAKING IS IMPAIRED. THIS HAPPENS WHEN VEHICLE IS IN MOTION.
NHTSA complaint #11390889 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHEN TURNING A CORNER,ENGINE RACED TO 45 MPH WITHOUT MY FOOT ON THE THROTTLE.ALMOST LOST CONTROL.HAD TO PUT VEHICLE,MEREDES SPRINTER 3500,INTO NEUTRAL TO STOP IT.HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD THE DEALER REPAIR SPEED SENSORS THREE OTHER TIMES.WARNING LIGHTS COME ON AND I LOOSE CRUISE CONTROL.DANGEROUS CONDITION.MB SHOULD RE ENGINEER THE PART AND INSTALL IN AFFECTED VEHICLES.DEALER CONTINUES TO INSTALL DEFECTIVE PARTS.
NHTSA complaint #11390039 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FOR THE THIRD TIME THE ESP AND ABS SYSTEM WARNING MESSAGE IS SHOWN, AT FIRST THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE INCREASES, IN THIS CASE FROM THE SET 60 MPH TO 70, AT WHICH POINT I SHUT THE CRUISE CONTROL DOWN. FROM THEN ON FOR THE REST OF THE DAYS TRAVEL C.A.200 MILES AND FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP (450 MILES) CRUISE CONTROL WAS INOPERATIVE. EACH TIME IT HAPPENS A MECHANIC VISIT IS NECESSARY. THE VEHICLE IS A WINNEBAGO NAVION
NHTSA complaint #11389262 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I OWN AN RV ON A MERCEDES 3500 SPRINTER CHASIS. I HAVE EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS FAILURES THAT CAUSE THE RV TO SPEED UP RAPIDLY AND I HAVE TO TAKE EMERGENCY ACTION TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. USUALLY, I SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL TO DISENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION. I HAVE ~43,000 MILES ON MY RV AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ISSUE AND MERCEDES HAS REPLACED THE WHEEL SENSORS 6 DIFFERENT TIMES. ALL MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY A MERCEDES DEALER SERVICE CENTER. DOESN'T SEEM TO MATTER IF I AM DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY OR CITY STREETS, WHEN THE FAILURE HAPPENS, THE VEHICLE STARTS TO ACCELERATE RAPIDLY, RPMS SKYROCKET, THE DASHBOARD GETS THREE TROUBLE INDICATOR LIGHTS THAT COME ON, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. I AM PICKING UP THE VEHICLE FROM THE LOCAL MERCEDES DEALER TODAY AFTER JUST HAVING ANOTHER SENSOR FAILURE. I WAS DRIVING ON I-10 WHEN THE MOST RECENT FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE, RPMS WENT VERY HIGH. VERY SCARY SITUATION. THE "WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN" DATE I'VE ENTERED IS FOR THE MOST RECENT FAILURE. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ISSUE NUMEROUS TIMES.
NHTSA complaint #11387156 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.