Steering:Hydraulic Power Assist:Hose, Piping, And Connections
THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING FLUID MAY RESULT IN DIMINISHED POWER STEERING OVER TIME AND ULTIMATELY CAN DAMAGE THE POWER STEERING PUMP.
Remedy & full details
AN EARLIER RECALL REPAIR PERFORMED ON THESE VEHICLES MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT A FUTURE LEAKAGE OR FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING HOSE CONNECTION (PLEASE SEE 03V121). SINCE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE THROUGH INSPECTION TO IDENTIFY SPECIFIC VEHICLES THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY REPAIRED, ALL VEHICLES REPAIRED PRIOR TO NOVEMBER 15, 2003, WILL BE REPAIRED AGAIN. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING NOVEMBER 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.
MERCEDES-BENZ IS RECALLING 125,228 MY 1998-2004 M-CLASS VEHICLES. THE HOSE CLAMP USED TO SECURE THE POWER STEERING FLUID COOLING HOSE TO THE POWER STEERING FLUID COOLER MAY NOT PROVIDE SUFFICIENT CLAMPING FORCE FOR THIS CONNECTION.
Serious99V328000
Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, raises the risk of PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy & full details
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SEAT BELT BUCKLES. IF EITHER THE DRIVER OR FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT BUCKLE IS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE, IT WILL BE REPLACED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE LATCHING MECHANISM ON THE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY WAS NOT ASSEMBLED CORRECTLY. IF THE PLASTIC COVER IS LOOSE DURING THE ENGAGEMENT OF THE BUCKLE TONGUE TO THE LATCH MECHANISM, THE BUCKLE COULD UNLATCH.
Moderate03V121000
Steering:Hydraulic Power Assist:Hose, Piping, And Connections
THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING FLUID MAY RESULT IN DIMINISHED POWER STEERING OVER TIME AND ULTIMATELY CAN DAMAGE THE POWER STEERING PUMP.
Remedy & full details
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW HOSE CLAMP ON THE POWER STEERING HOSE TO THE POWER STEERING COOLER. DURING CLAMP REPLACEMENT, THE POWER STEERING COOLING HOSE WILL BE INSPECTED AND REPLACED AS NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 16, 2003. 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.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE HOSE CLAMP USED TO SECURE THE POWER STEERING FLUID COOLING HOSE TO THE POWER STEERING FLUID COOLER MAY NOT PROVIDE SUFFICIENT CLAMPING FORCE FOR THIS CONNECTION.
Low98V090000
Equipment:Other:Labels
THE REAR GROSS AXLE WEIGHT RATING WAS LISTED AS 3257 LB.
Remedy & full details
DEALERS WILL SEND A REPRESENTATIVE TO THE OWNER'S HOME AND REMOVE THE NON-COMPLIANCE LABEL AND REPLACE THIS WITH A LABEL WHICH IS IN COMPLIANCE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE CERTIFICATION LABEL ON THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE LABELING REQUIREMENTS OF PART 567, "CERTIFICATION."
Complaint volume
Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.
What owners reported happened
1Crashes
0Fires
0Injuries
0Deaths
Across 6 complaints. Severity Index 0.33.
Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.
What owners report most
Structure:Body:Door — 1 reports
Structure:Body:Roof And Pillars — 1 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys — 1 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling — 1 reports
Steering:Hydraulic Power Assist System — 1 reports
Power Train:Driveline — 1 reports
What to do
Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.
Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.
Questions
Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?
Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.
Do I pay for recall repairs?
No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.
Why are there complaints but no recalls?
Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.
From the same data desk
Independent sites, same maintainer, same open-data standards.