NHTSA campaign 18V043000

2009–2013 Mercedes-Benz AMG C63 and 9 other Mercedes-Benz models: air bags recall

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

high 132,167 vehicles affected 94% reported repaired

Also on this page:

What was reported

Source: manufacturer filing, 49 CFR Part 573

Problem Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2013 C250, C250 Coupe, C350 Coupe 4Matic, C300 4Matic, C350, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG, C63 Coupe, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, E550 Cabrio, E350 Coupe 4Matic, E550 Coupe, GLK350 4Matic, GLK250 Bluetec 4Matic, GLK350, SLS Coupe, SLS AMG GT Coupe, and SLS Roadster vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, MBUSA is recalling certain 2010 C300, C300 4Matic, C63 AMG, E350 Coupe, E550 Coupe, GLK350, and GLK350 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." MBUSA is also recalling certain 2009 C300, C300 4Matic, C63 AMG, and C350 vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI and WY or "Zone C." In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. Risk An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. Fix MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. Mercedes issued an interim notification to owners on February 23, 2018. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.

Reported to NHTSA Jan 10, 2018 by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, owners notified Oct 31, 2018.

Which vehicles are covered

Source: NHTSA campaign 18V043000

Vehicles built Feb 3, 2012 to Jun 22, 2013 — a VIN outside that window is not part of this campaign even if the year, make and model match.

Model year	On WhichTrim
2010 Mercedes-Benz AMG C63	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2013 Mercedes-Benz AMG C63	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2013 Mercedes-Benz C250	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2009 Mercedes-Benz C300	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2010 Mercedes-Benz C300	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2013 Mercedes-Benz C300	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2009 Mercedes-Benz C350	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2013 Mercedes-Benz C350	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2009 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2010 Mercedes-Benz E350	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2013 Mercedes-Benz E350	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2010 Mercedes-Benz E550	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2013 Mercedes-Benz E550	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK250	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK350	every Mercedes-Benz on this site
2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS	every Mercedes-Benz on this site

None of the vehicles this campaign names has a page on WhichTrim: every model year it names is older than the catalogue, which begins at 2016. The campaign record above is complete as filed, and whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by its VIN. Other campaigns on vehicles without a page here →

How much of it has been fixed

Source: manufacturer quarterly report, 49 CFR 573.7

Reported repaired 94%

of the campaign

The final figure: the six quarters of reporting that 49 cfr 573.7 requires have closed.

This is the manufacturer's own cumulative count of vehicles it has inspected and repaired, divided by the vehicles the campaign covers. It files that count with NHTSA every quarter for six consecutive quarters, starting from the quarter in which owners were told a remedy was ready, and then the obligation ends — so a figure on an older campaign is where the count stopped, not where it stands today.

It rarely reaches 100%, and not because the work was not done. The same report asks manufacturers to count vehicles they could not reach at all — exported, stolen, scrapped, or simply never located — and those stay in the denominator. A low number means a lot of these vehicles are still out there unrepaired; it does not tell you which ones.

The federal paperwork

Source: nhtsa.gov

Filed documents

Defect report PDF — The manufacturer's own filing to NHTSA describing the defect, the risk and the affected build range.
Owner letter PDF — The letter mailed to registered owners, in full.
Remedy instructions PDF — What the dealer is told to actually do about it.

Check one specific vehicle

A recall applies to a build range, so year, make and model cannot settle it. NHTSA checks a VIN against the manufacturer's own list and tells you whether the repair is still outstanding on that vehicle.

NHTSA VIN recall lookup →

Campaign 18V043000

Own one, or run a fleet? Recall Watch checks each VIN against every new NHTSA campaign and emails you when one lands, this one's expansions included. Or take a free one-line alert by model year.

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR Part 573

Does this recall repair cost anything?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to remedy a safety defect or a compliance failure at no charge, for vehicles up to 15 years old measured from the date of first sale. A dealer that asks you to pay for a recall repair is in the wrong.

How do I know whether my vehicle is included?

By VIN, not by model year. This campaign covers vehicles built Feb 3, 2012 to Jun 22, 2013. The manufacturer files a build range with NHTSA and only vehicles inside it are covered, so two identical-looking cars from the same year can differ. NHTSA's own lookup checks a VIN against the manufacturer's list.

What if the repair is not available yet?

It happens, and often. Manufacturers must notify owners when a defect is found even if the parts or the software are not ready, then notify them a second time once the remedy exists. The remedy filed for this campaign is described above.

What did the manufacturer say was wrong?

The problem, risk and fix quoted on this page are the manufacturer's own words as filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR Part 573. WhichTrim does not paraphrase them.

Who started this recall?

NHTSA's record credits NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. A recall can begin with the manufacturer's own testing, with a defect investigation, or with a compliance test against a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.