Mercedes-Benz bulletin LI14.20-N-073867
What it saysComplaint Complaint A: The engine is jolting/bucking between 1700 and 1900 rpm. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Mercedes-Benz filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 15, 2026, received Jun 6, 2024, about the engine — 6 documents under this number. It names 10 model years (2016–2025). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
Get the next Mercedes-Benz Sprinter bulletin by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationComplaint Complaint A: The engine is jolting/bucking between 1700 and 1900 rpm. Complaint B: One or more mechanical related fault codes for EGR Valve stored in CDI control unit, with possible Check Engine Light. Review list of mechanical fault codes in table below. NOTE: If one or more electrical related fault codes for EGR Valve are also present in CDI, utilize Complaint C. Review list of electrical fault codes PDF document in attachments. Complaint C: One or more electrical related fault codes for EGR Valve stored in CDI control unit, with possible Check Engine Light. Review list of electrical fault codes PDF document attached. NOTE: This LI supersedes LI14.20-N-073813, which is no longer valid. Cause Cause of Complaint A: Increased friction between the EGR Valve blade and seat due to soot deposits causing a delay of the EGR Valve being able to reach the target value of the EGR Valve position controller. NOTE: This causes the EGR Valve blade and potentially the boost pressure controller to oscillate. Cause of Complaint B: Soot deposits between the EGR Valve blade and seat leading to the EGR Valve no longer being able to meet the de-sired target of the EGR Valve position controller. Cause of Complaint C: Internal EGR Valve or other electrical faults related to the EGR Valve function. Remedy Remedy for Complaint A: Perform the following steps: 1. Disable the EGR Valve (Y27/17) by disconnecting the electrical connector. 2. Perform a test drive to check if the jolting/bucking issue resolves. 3. If the jolting/bucking is resolved, proceed to Remedy for Complaint B. 4. If jolting/bucking is still present, proceed with diagnosis to determine the root cause. Consider checking the follo-wing, but not limited to: •EGR system including the EGR Cooler, EGR Bypass Flap, EGR Temperature Sensor, and pipes for proper operati-on, excessive sooting and/or clogging, as well as EGR Bypass Flap vacuum element, switchover valve, and vacuum system. •Visually check the leak oil line or T-piece; reference LI07.00-N-059118.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LI14.20-N-073867 | Service bulletin | Jun 15, 2026 | 11034410 | PDF, 43,446 KB |
| LI14.20-N-073867 | Service bulletin | Jan 16, 2026 | 11028113 | PDF, 43,444 KB |
| LI14.20-N-073867 | Service bulletin | May 9, 2025 | 11018920 | PDF, 43,437 KB |
| LI14.20-N-073867 | Service bulletin | Apr 25, 2025 | 11017565 | PDF, 43,436 KB |
| LI14.20-N-073867 | Service bulletin | Mar 10, 2025 | 11016423 | PDF, 43,435 KB |
| LI14.20-N-073867 | Service bulletin | May 24, 2024 | 11001114 | PDF, 44,409 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
Email me new Mercedes-Benz bulletins for the Sprinter
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Mercedes-Benz files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 10 model years this bulletin names have filed 547 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 137 of them name Power Train, Engine, Fuel/Propulsion System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the 14 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 24,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
SAFETY DEFECT REPORT & RECALL NON-COMPLIANCE: 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 (VIN: ) This complaint involves an uncorrected emissions system defect that causes a sudden, dangerous engine shutdown and low-speed countdown limp mode on live roadways, combined with manufacturer recall non-compliance by Mercedes-Benz USA and its authorized…
2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 6, 2026 · ODI 11755370
At high altitudes (it's happened over 5000ft and not under that) while in 4x4 mode, the car occasionally just simply does not respond to throttle input while in drive. This is usually from a start while shifting from park or reverse into drive, but there is zero power which has now been dangerous a few times for us while on inclines or…
2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jan 4, 2025 · ODI 11634134
on 08-03=23, I as driving MB sprinter van on highway Route 84 east toward Connecticut, when I was near Southington exit smoke was coming out of AC vent, I took exit to route 10 and stopped van right after exit on the road, and opened hood, there was active fire near lower left side engine, with help of drivers who stopped behind me, I…
2020 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 22, 2023 · ODI 11539986
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the engine
Source: same model, same component group32 other manufacturer communications filed against the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Mercedes-Benz list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| LI20_10-N-080868_2_en | Service bulletin | Sep 2, 2026 | Coolant warning light (MIL) lights up on the display Complaint The coolant warning lamp may be displayed in the instrument cluster. The malf… |
| LI09_41-N-079165_2_en | Service bulletin | Aug 3, 2026 | Complaint Low Coolant warning with possible engine misfire caused by a leaking Charge Air Cooler (Intercooler), accompanied by one or more o… |
| LI07.16-N-080731 | Service bulletin | Jun 18, 2026 | Complaint The customer reports an exhaust odor from the engine compartment, potentially accompanied by a check engine light and/or engine mi… |
| LI09.41-N-080666 | Service bulletin | Jun 3, 2026 | Check engine light with reduced power –P300A6D due to charge air system contamination Complaint The check engine light is activated, accompa… |
| LI05.30-N-080518 | Service bulletin | Jun 3, 2026 | OM654 Extended engine crank or starting concerns and/or poor running characteristics Complaint One or more of the following may be reported:… |
| LI4910-N-060969 | Service bulletin | Apr 18, 2026 | Complaint Rattling noise from underneath the vehicle. Cause One or more of the following conditions may be present: 1. The exhaust bracket f… |
| LI49.20-N-075995 | Service bulletin | Mar 23, 2026 | Vehicles with SCR Generation 4: SCR/AdBlue® warning message cannot be reset with fault code P13DF00 or P300685 Complaint SCR or AdBlue warni… |
| LI4920N078838 | Service bulletin | Feb 24, 2026 | Check engine light or Adblue warning with fault codes P206B31, P203B31, or P300494 present in AdBlue (SCR) control unit (N118/5) Complaint T… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Mercedes-Benz, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Mercedes-Benz LI14.20-N-073867 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the LI14.20-N-073867 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Mercedes-Benz warranty extension on file lists the ones Mercedes-Benz has filed.
Which vehicles does LI14.20-N-073867 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 10 model years: 2025 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, 2024 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, 2023 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, 2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, 2020 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.