- 2005-'06 Mercedes-Benz E-Class cars are under investigation by the NHTSA because airbags may not deploy properly in crashes.
- The NHTSA said it has received four complaints so far.
- An official recall has not yet been issued.
WASHINGTON — An estimated 100,000 2005-'06 Mercedes-Benz E-Class vehicles are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) because airbags in the cars may not deploy properly in crashes.
The safety watchdog has opened a preliminary evaluation into the affected E-Class vehicles, which sometimes is the precursor to a recall.
"The steering column wiring harness containing the wiring to the driver's frontal airbag module may be too short for the telescopic movement of the column," according to documentation filed with the NHTSA. "The wire ends may pull out of the connector block causing an open [sic] in the driver airbag circuits."
The NHTSA said it has received four complaints about failures in the module-wiring harness of the steering column, which can result in airbags failing to inflate in frontal crashes. No crashes, injuries or fatalities have been reported.
In addition, the NHTSA notes that the technical service bulletin on the E-Class also covers the 2003-'09 E-Class and 2006-'10 CLS-Class. Although the agency has not received any complaints involving these vehicles, the NHTSA says it will inquire about all vehicles covered by the technical service bulletin.
Inside Line says: If you own the aforementioned E-Class, be aware that the feds are investigating a potential airbag problem. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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mercedesfan says:
07:02 PM, 05/20/2010
@mieden,
Actually NHTSA did investigate that issue (action #PE07021) but never issued a recall. It is not a widespread issue and tends to only affect high mileage cars in snowy climates. There is also a TSB out from Mercedes, so people can request the dealer to inspect the spring perches at any time. I think the main reason no recall was issued was because every recorded incident has happened at speeds below 10mph with no injuries or property damage reported. A good friend of my father has a W210 E430 and did a lot of research on the issue so I just happen to have knowledge of it.
mieden says:
06:49 PM, 05/20/2010
Very true mercedesfan. Any opens or shorts in the SRS system will trip the SRS system MIL upon startup and initial system check. I find it interesting the NHTSA will make a fuss about this OBVIOUS problem, but hasn't said a word about ALL the dramatically failing W210 and W202 spring perches...
mercedesfan says:
12:25 PM, 05/20/2010
I think that it is important to note, which this article doesn't, that this will not happen without warning. This is a problem that the car is programmed to recognize. Once the wire becomes unattached it sends a warning message via COMAND that comes up in the malfunctions menu. Every time the car is started the warning will flash and a chime will sound.
I talked to a mechanic friend of mine out of concern because my wife drives a 2008 E-Class.