Mercedes-Benz bulletin LI82.35-N-078930
What it saysWarning Lamp "Washer Fluid Empty" Yet Reservoir Is Not Empty Complaint: Warning lamp "washer fluid empty", even thought the washer fluid reservoir is full Cause: Insufficient electrical conductivity of the washer fluid… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Mercedes-Benz filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 10, 2025, received Apr 3, 2025, about the visibility/wiper. It names 17 model years (2016–2024). 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 communicationWarning Lamp "Washer Fluid Empty" Yet Reservoir Is Not Empty Complaint: Warning lamp "washer fluid empty", even thought the washer fluid reservoir is full Cause: Insufficient electrical conductivity of the washer fluid, as the washer fluid was mixed with distilled water. Tip: The washer fluid sensor detects the electrical conductivity. If air is present without electrical conductivity between the measuring points, as is the case with an empty tank, an empty tank is detected by the sensor. Distilled water also does not have electrical conductivity, meaning that the sensor detects an empty tank, even if this is not the case. Remedy: Fill reservoir with standard washer fluid and water (no distilled water) in an adequate ratio in order to ensure electrical conductivity. Exchange of the reservoir with a welded-in sensor is only required if filling with conductive washer fluid has not provi- ded a remedy. This can be made certain by utilizing water with a light amount of salt dissolved in to it for stronger con- ductivity.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LI82.35-N-078930 | Service bulletin | Mar 10, 2025 | 11016430 | PDF, 35 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 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 17 model years this bulletin names have filed 755 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 24 of them name Visibility/Wiper — 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 2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris, the 18 owners who gave an odometer reading for Visibility/Wiper reported it at a median of 1,500 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
We were driving on Rt. 32 north of Canaan Valley State Park in West Virginia. Suddenly the dashboard display began flickering on and off, displaying numerous multiple warning errors and alarms, and the windshield wipers began working and would not shut off. Turn signals would not function.
2020 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Nov 12, 2024 · ODI 11624745
Ever since we got this vehicle we complained that the mirror is too small, which makes it extremely hard to make turns. I tried to search online, and right away found a Metris forum with many many posts about this same issue.
2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Jul 27, 2017 · ODI 11011127
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 visibility/wiper
Source: same model, same component group2 other manufacturer communications filed against these Mercedes-Benz models under the same component group (visibility/wiper), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013120011 | Service bulletin | Dec 13, 2023 | Mercedes-Benz AG, the manufacturer of Sprinter vehicles, has determined that on certain Sprinter (907 platform) vehicles, the chemical compo… |
| 2013120001 | Service bulletin | Dec 13, 2023 | Mercedes-Benz AG, the manufacturer of Sprinter vehicles, has determined that on certain Sprinter (907 platform) vehicles, the chemical compo… |
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 LI82.35-N-078930 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 LI82.35-N-078930 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 LI82.35-N-078930 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 17 model years: 2023 Mercedes-Benz Metris, 2022 Mercedes-Benz Metris, 2021 Mercedes-Benz Metris, 2020 Mercedes-Benz Metris, 2019 Mercedes-Benz Metris, 2018 Mercedes-Benz Metris and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.