Air Bags › Frontal1 injured
Filed Mar 21, 2002MD
WHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH AND WHEN MAKING A SUDDEN STOP AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT ANY INDICATION, CAUSING INJURY TO CONSUMER'S FACE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
1998 Mercedes Benz 400
Routine
Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling › exhaust system › emission control › catalytic convertor. No safety recall has been issued.
What fails
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control › Catalytic Convertor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Air Bags › Frontal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsEngine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control › Catalytic Convertor
Filed Nov 3, 2000MI
I HAVE A MERCEDES S420 AND HAVE HAD A CONTINUING PROBLEM WITH BAD FUMES IN THE CAR THAT ARE MAKING MY WHOLE FAMILY REALLY SICK. THE PROBLEM STARTED WHEN WE FIRST GOT THE CAR AND RECENTLY HAS BECOME SO BAD THAT I HAVE HAD TO GET AN INHAILER FROM MY DOCTOR TO BREATHE. WE HAD IT AT THE DEALER WHEN WE FIRST GOT IT AND 3 TIMES FOR MANY DAYS AT A TIME RECENTLY AND COMPLAINED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS COMING ON BUT THEY SAID THEY DID NOT THINK THERE WAS A PROBLEM. WE ARE GETTING REALLY SICK WITH OUR EYES BURNING SO WE HAD THE CAR LOOKED AT BCERTIFIED MECHANICS WHO SAID THE "HEAT COIL" IS BAD AND LOOKS LIKE IT MAY BE DEFECTIVE CAUSING COOLANT DRIP OUT AND BURN AND CAUSING FUMES IN THE CAR THAT COULD BE MAKING US SICK. THIS MAY BE A PROBLEM FROM WHEN WE FIRST GOT THE CAR. THE "HEAT SHIELD" ON THE FLOOR OF THE CAR MAY BE DEFECTIVE ALSO SO HEAT AND FUMES FROM THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER MAY BE COMING IN THE CAR TOO. MY LUNGS HAVE BEEN SEVERELY DAMAGED AND WE ARE HAVING GREAT DIFFICULTY WITH THE MERCEDES DEALER GETTING THEM TO HELP US. I JUST WANT HELP FIXING THE CAR AND DO NOT CARE ABOUT COST AND FEEL THEY DON'T WANT TO FIX IT BECAUSE IT IS UNDER WARRANTY BUT MY LUNGS HAVE BEEN SEVERELY DAMAGED AND I JUST DON'T WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO BE HARMED FROM FUMES EITHER AND THOUGHT IT MAY BE HELPFUL FOR YOU TO KNOW IN CASE THERE ARE REAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS MERCEDES MODEL. I HAVE ALWAYS HAD TROUBLE BREATHING IN IT AND RECENTLY IT BECAME SO BAD MY DOCTOR TOLD ME NOT TO RIDE IN THE CAR. PLEASE LET ME KN
2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.