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NHTSA campaign 20V426000

2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter: suspension recall

The incorrect leaf spring shims may negatively affect vehicle handling, increasing the risk of a crash.

high26 vehicles affectedFMVSS 12685% reported repaired

What was reported

Source: manufacturer filing, 49 CFR Part 573
ProblemDaimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2019 Mercedes Benz Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The incorrect leaf spring shims may have been installed between the rear axle and the leaf springs possibly affecting the vehicle's handling. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."RiskThe incorrect leaf spring shims may negatively affect vehicle handling, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDVUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the leaf spring shims on both sides, renew the spring brackets, check the rubber buffers for wear, renewing them if necessary, and adjust the headlamps, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a schedule for recall notification. DVUSA issued owners an interim notification on September 18, 2020. The recall began October 1, 2020. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267. DVUSA's number for this recall is VS3LEFSPRI.

Reported to NHTSA Jul 27, 2020 by Daimler Vans USA, LLC, owners notified Oct 1, 2020.

Which vehicles are covered

Source: NHTSA campaign 20V426000
Model yearClassSafety SignalRecalls on file
2019 Mercedes-Benz SprinterVanF51

Those are the model years inside WhichTrim's range, 2016 onward. The campaign may cover others outside it, and the only thing that settles whether one specific vehicle is included is its VIN.

How much of it has been fixed

Source: manufacturer quarterly report, 49 CFR 573.7
Reported repaired85%

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

NHTSA has not published the scanned filings for this campaign, or has not published them yet. The campaign record itself is on their site.

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 20V426000 · the manufacturer calls it VS3LEFSPRI

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. 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 here reads as still under development.

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 the manufacturer. 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.