Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.: Electrical System › 12v/24v/48v Battery
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. reported this defect to federal regulators on Dec 4, 2001 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 65,731. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HOPPECKE BATTERIES. THE BATTERY MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE COULD BE LESS THAN NEEDED TO MAINTAIN PROPER ELECTROLYTE LEVELS.
The risk
THE LOW ELECTROLYTE LEVELS RESULT IN ACCELERATED BATTERY GRID GROWTH, INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR INTER-CELL RUPTURE AND SPARKING, AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A BATTERY EXPLOSION.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BATTERIES, INCLUDING FLUID LEVELS. SOME BATTERIES MAY BE REPLACED IF NECESSARY, ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. IN ADDITION TO THE BATTERY INSPECTION, THE ADDITION OF LABELS IN THE VEHICLE OWNER'S MANUAL AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT WILL BE INCLUDED TO CONSPICUOUSLY REMIND OWNERS AS WELL AS DEALER AND SERVICE PERSONNEL OF THE NEED TO PERFORM BATTERY MAINTENANCE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN FEBRUARY 20, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Mercedes Benz C Class | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1998 Mercedes Benz C Class | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 01V366000.
Full record for the 1999 Mercedes Benz C Class → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →