Business Standard

US probes Mercedes vans for sensor issues causing unwanted acceleration

The probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers about 160,000 Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vans from the 2011 through 2018 model years

Mercedes-Benz

There were no reports of crashes or injuries in documents posted on Friday on the agency's website.

AP Detroit

US auto safety regulators are investigating speed sensor problems with Mercedes-Benz Sprinter full-size vans that could cause unwanted acceleration.

The probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers about 160,000 Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vans from the 2011 through 2018 model years.

The agency says it has 44 complaints of rear wheel speed sensor problems that caused large fluctuations in speed and erratic transmission shifting.

Owners also reported the vans went into limp-home mode mode, and dashboard warning lights were activated. There were no reports of crashes or injuries in documents posted on Friday on the agency's website.

The majority of the complaints were about vans converted to recreational vehicles, which account for about one-third of the Sprinter population.

 

The agency says 11 owners reported multiple sensor replacements. It says the problems may be caused by moisture getting into the sensors. A message was left Friday seeking comment from Mercedes.

NHTSA says it will investigate how often the problem happens and the safety consequences. The probe could lead to a recall.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel

First Published: Sep 25 2020 | 10:05 PM IST

Explore News