Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the equipment. It has been recalled 1 time.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Child Seat › Tether › Connector/Clip | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defect. BOLTS USED FOR THE BRAKE STRUT SUPPORT DO NOT MEET SPECIFICATIONS AND MAY BREAK.
Risk. THE FAILURE OF THE BOLTS MAY RESULT IN A DETERIORATION OF VEHICLE STEERING AND BRAKING WHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND AN ACCIDENT.
Remedy. REPLACE HEX NUT BOLTS WITH BOLTS THAT MEET SPECIFICATIONS.
NO TETHER ANCHORAGES ARE PRESENT ON THIS VEHICLE AND NO TETHER ANCHORAGES HAVE EVER BEEN PRESENT ON THIS VEHICLE. THE OWNER'S MANUAL AND MBNA SERVICE BULLETINS STATE THAT THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH TETHER ANCHORAGES FOR USE WITH CHILD RESTRAINTS THAT HAVE A TOP TETHER STRAP. TETHER ANCHORAGES ARE NEEDED TO PROPERLY ATTACH MY FORWARD-FACING CHILD RESTRAINT. MERCEDES-BENZ-USA AND MERCEDES-BENZ OF EUGENE, OR STATE THAT THIS VEHICLE DID NOT COME EQUIPPED WITH THE TETHER ANCHORAGES. WERE/ARE TETHER ANCHORAGES REQUIRED TO BE ATTACHED TO THIS VEHICLE FOR THIS VEHICLE TO BE SOLD IN THE USA AT TIME OF SALE PER FEDERAL STANDARDS AND/OR BECAUSE THE OWNER'S MANUAL AND SERVICE BULLETINS STATE THAT THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH TETHER ANCHORAGES? THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE. *NM
ON OCT. 20, 2005, I ASKED MERCEDES BENZ OF USA AND MERCEDES BENZ OF EUGENE(OR), TO SHOW/TELL ME SPECIFICALLY WHERE THE TETHER ANCHORS ARE IN MY 1990 420 SEL MERCEDES. ALSO,ON OCT. 21, 2005, I FILED A SIMILAR COMPLAINT, BY EMAIL, AT THIS SITE OF NHTSA. TO DATE, I HAVE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE FROM MBNA OF USA. ALSO, MB OF EUGENE HAS NOT, APPARENTLY, BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET OR ATTACH THE ANCHORS THAT ARE TO HAVE BEEN ALREADY INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE, ACCORDING TO THE "OWNER'S MANUAL". MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE ANCHORS WERE/ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS VEHICLE TO BE IMPORTED AND SOLD IN THE USA. APPARENTLY, THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN MBNA 91/4B PERTAINING TO THIS ISSUE. I NEED THE EVENFLO TRIUMPH SEAT TO BE PROPERLY INSTALLED FOR THE SAFETY OF MY GRANDDAUGHTER. PLEASE INFORM ME OF WHAT TO DO FOR THE SAFETY OF MY GRANDDAUGHTER. *JB
THE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR MY 1990 420 SEL, ON PAGE 46, STATES:"THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH TETHER ANCHORAGES FOR USE WITH CHILD RESTRAINTS THAT HAVE A TOP TETHER STRAP. CONSULT YOUR AUTHORIZED MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER FOR THE EXACT LOCATION OF THESE ANCHORAGES." AFTER REPEATED PHONE CALLS, EMAILS AND FAXES AND A VISIT TO THE DEALER, NEITHER THE EUGENE DEALER, MERCEDES BENZ OF EUGENE, OR THE MERCEDES-BENZ OF USA, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TELL/SHOW ME THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE ANCHORAGES. ALSO, THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AT MERCEDES BENZ OF EUGENE AND THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AT MERCEDES-BENZ OF USA TOLD ME THAT THE 1990 420 SEL DOES NOT HAVE THE ANCHORAGES. ON MY OWN RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED SERVICE BULLETIN # 91/4B THAT INDICATES INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANCHORAGES WHICH I REPORTED TO MERCEDES BENZ OF EUGENE. THE ANCHORAGES APPEAR TO NOT BE PRESENT ON MY 1990 420 SEL. I NEED THEM TO PROPERLY ATTACH AN EVENFLO TRIUMPH CAR SEAT. *JB
3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.
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.
Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Most recent recall on file: Jan 26, 1990. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.