Mercedes-Benz bulletin LI46.80-P-079280
What it saysComplaint Rattling/knocking noise from the rear axle steering is audible when driving on rough terrain or cobblestones. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Mercedes-Benz filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 27, 2026, received May 13, 2025, about the steering — 2 documents under this number. It names 18 model years (2021–2025). 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 bulletin for your model 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 Rattling/knocking noise from the rear axle steering is audible when driving on rough terrain or cobblestones. Excessive radial play (green arrows) between the screw-on stud (1) and the plain bearing (2). Cause Diverse functional play in the rear axle steering. Remedy 1. Detach underfloor paneling under rear axle steering. 2. Remove heat shield. 3. Remove large clamps from left bellows. 4. Open small clamps on left using a suitable tool and slide to the side. 5. Slide bellows to the side. 6. A second person sits in the vehicle and, with the drive activated and the automatic transmission in the N position, turns the steering to left lock. Caution! Risk of trapping when steering at the same time! Do not move steering wheel during operation steps 7 and 8! 7. Remove grease from screw-on stud using a clean, lint-free rag. => Up to the area where the stud enters the bearing! Then completely degrease the threaded stud using a lint-free cloth soaked in a suitable assembly cleaner (e.g., A 000 986 56 01); if necessary, clean hard-to-reach areas with the assembly cleaner. => Up to the area where the stud enters the bearing! Important: The surface must be thoroughly cleaned and free of grease! 8. Then apply Hylomar (A 001 989 25 20 09) around the degreased screw-on stud using a new brush. => Up to the area where the stud enters the bearing! 9. Move steering wheel from end stop to end stop 1-2 times. Then, turn the steering to the left lock again. Warning! Risk of trapping when steering at the same time! 10. Apply Hylomar a second time. 11. Move steering wheel from end stop to end stop 1-2 times. Then, turn the steering to the right lock. Warning! Risk of trapping when steering at the same time! 12. Bellows installation: Coat contact surfaces of bellows and rack-and-pinion steering lightly with Renolit (A094 989 38 00). When doing so, ensure that the grease is underneath the edges of the bellows. Replace large clamps (A 001 995 15 35). The small clamp can be reused. 13. Repeat operation steps 3 to 5 on the other (right) side. 14. Then repeat operation steps 7 to 12 for the screw-on stud on the other side. 15. Attach heat shield. 16. Attach underfloor paneling. 17. When relocating the vehicle on the premises, please use Snow Chain Mode through the head unit to limit speed so Hylomar application stays in place. 18. Leave the Hylomar to dry for approx. 90 minutes.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LI46.80-P-079280 | Service bulletin | Mar 27, 2026 | 11030298 | PDF, 317 KB |
| LI46.80-P-079280 | Service bulletin | May 8, 2025 | 11018228 | PDF, 273 KB |
What the document itself lists
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 000 986 56 01 | — | — | |
| A 001 989 25 20 | — | — | |
| A001 995 15 35 | One-ear clamp 2 X | — | eBay Motors → |
| A094 989 38 00 | Complex grease | — | eBay Motors → |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (6 pages), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Mercedes-Benz’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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 themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2023 Mercedes-Benz AMG S 63 E 4MATIC+; 2024 Mercedes-Benz AMG S 63 E 4MATIC+; 2024 Mercedes-Benz Redundant EQE 350; 2023 Mercedes-Benz Redundant EQE 350 4MATIC; 2023 Mercedes-Benz Redundant EQS 450; 2024 Mercedes-Benz Redundant EQS 450.
A 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 one of these models
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 12 model years this bulletin names have filed 284 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1 of them name Suspension — 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.
Mercedes-Benz S580 equipped with 21-inch wheels has experienced numerous tire blowouts over the course of ownership — too many to count. The blowouts occurred during normal driving on typical roads. Several blowouts caused rim damage and created a dangerous situation, including moments where I nearly lost control of the vehicle.
2022 Mercedes-Benz S-Class · Suspension · filed with NHTSA Dec 7, 2025 · ODI 11703501
While driving my 2024 Mercedes-Benz S580, I have experienced multiple serious safety issues affecting both the power train and the wheels/tires. 1.Power Train / Transmission Failure: On two separate occasions at freeway speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost all power and came to a complete stop in the middle of the lane.
2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class · Suspension · filed with NHTSA Oct 22, 2025 · ODI 11694946
While driving, the vehicle’s lane keeping system applied an unintended and aggressive steering input during a lane change. I was merging left when the system suddenly forced the steering sharply to the right without driver command.
2024 Mercedes-Benz EQS · Steering · filed with NHTSA Nov 18, 2025 · ODI 11700001
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 steering
Source: same model, same component group12 other manufacturer communications filed against these Mercedes-Benz models under the same component group (steering), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Mercedes-Benz list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| LI46.10-P-080896 | Service bulletin | Sep 26, 2026 | Complaint Slight creaking noises when steering. Cause Noises may come from one or more sleeves of the horn contact plate. Remedy Remove the… |
| LI46.10-P-077314 | Service bulletin | Sep 25, 2026 | Complaint Noises in the steering column area when steering. See example file in the attachments area: "MRSM‑Schleifgeräusch_SCCMGrindingNois… |
| LI46.35-P-067339 | Service bulletin | Aug 28, 2026 | Complaint During part of the steering movement, it feels heavier or more difficult to steer in the same spot every time. OR Rattling, hummi… |
| LI46.15-P-070510 | Service bulletin | May 22, 2026 | Complaint Noises from the area of the steering column. - Creaking - Squeaking - Chattering - Humming - Grinding Cause At present, there are… |
| LI82.90-P-080159 | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2026 | Complaint Stored DTC C220564 - "There is an internal fault in the steering angle sensor. There is an implausible signal." In the quick test… |
| LI46.15-P-076223 | Service bulletin | Aug 14, 2025 | Complaint: Creaking or humming noise during adjustment of the electric steering column, see video. Cause: The noises occur due to insufficie… |
| LI46.10-P-079582 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2025 | Complaint Valeo Steering Column Module (N80) goes into bootloader after updating software to A2239028729. To verify the supplier and softwar… |
| LI46.10-P-079375 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2025 | Complaint Criteria: • Customer concern for ESP/Brake or Steering yellow instrument cluster message. • DTC's C220564 or P161447 in the Steeri… |
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 LI46.80-P-079280 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 LI46.80-P-079280 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 LI46.80-P-079280 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 18 model years: 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQE, 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQE, 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE, 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS, 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQS, 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.