2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 problems
NHTSA has received 96 complaints about the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500, and 15% of them involve brakes. After that come air bags (12%) and drivetrain & axles (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 96 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 15% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 5 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 8 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 17,000 miles 75 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 52 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 15 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 7 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 0 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 75 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 17,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 14,000 miles (14 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 5 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 8 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2016 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 with enough data (89 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 16 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
While driving on a mountain road the vehicle began to send fire, smoke and steam from the motor compartment under the dash board and over the wind shield, causing the motor to stop running and subsequently causing the brakes to fail sending my wife and I down a winding mountain and ultimately resulting in a near fatal crash into a mountain retaining wall. The vehicle was completely destroyed.
Tl* the contact owns 2016 mercedes-benz sprinter 3500. While driving 40-45 MPH, the contact was involved in a crash with a school bus traveling north at 30 MPH. The air bags did not deploy. The contact was not injured; however, several children on the school bus sustained minor injuries. Three students sought medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene to a local tow lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified.
This mb sprinter 3500 3.0 diesel is the chassis for a 2018 thor chateau 24fs rv. 2018-07-06 - 8485 miles: left rear speed sensor replaced. 2018-09-14 - 9488 miles: right rear speed sensor replaced. 2020-05-22 - 14127 miles: left rear speed sensor replaced. In all cases the traction, skid, and ABS lights come on along with the check engine light intermittently. When this occurs, the transmission can shift many times per sec when turning a sharp corner (and cause the rv to "buck").
The contact owns a 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V042000 (Electronic Stability Control) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while driving over a railroad track at a slow speed, the vehicle independently accelerated with the ABS, check engine, and traction control warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to safely stop the vehicle and shut-off the vehicle.