Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
Registered from 1993 to 2023.
About this model
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light commercial vehicle (van) built by Mercedes-Benz Group AG of Stuttgart, Germany, as a large van, chassis cab, minibus, and pickup truck. In the past, the Sprinter had been sold under the Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, and Freightliner nameplates. In the U.S., it was built from complete knock down (CKD) kits by Freightliner. Re-badged and re-engined Sprinters were also sold by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles as the Volkswagen LT and the Volkswagen Crafter. They are now primarily marketed by Mercedes-Benz.
From the Wikipedia article Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2014 2.1 diesel. 237 of 1,284 tests failed, 18%.
Better than 43% of 2014 cars. The typical one fails 17%, across 870 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 66% | 157 |
| Lights and electrics | 25% | 59 |
| Visibility | 19% | 44 |
| Suspension | 17% | 40 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 12% | 29 |
| Tyres and wheels | 12% | 29 |
The defects inspectors cite
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value
- Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
- Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
Where it stands out against its peers
- Brakes: failed more often than 99% of 2014 cars — 66% of its 237 failed tests, where an ordinary 2014 car has 25%.
Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.
NHTSA's investigations are American; no European regulator publishes an equivalent record, so this section has nothing to draw on for a European car. There is no European equivalent of the service-bulletin register either.
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Brakes — 66% of its failures
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
- Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value
- Suspension — 17% of its failures
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Exhaust and emissions — 12% of its failures
- Tyres and wheels — 12% of its failures
- Lights and electrics — 25% of its failures
- Visibility — 19% of its failures
- Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
- Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
When it starts failing
At 200k+ miles this one fails 22% of its inspections, against the 24% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–20k miles | 13% | 7% | 46 | |
| 20–40k miles | 9% | 11% | 108 | |
| 40–60k miles | 16% | 15% | 121 | |
| 60–80k miles | 12% | 19% | 130 | |
| 80–100k miles | 19% | 21% | 154 | |
| 100–120k miles | 19% | 23% | 171 | |
| 120–140k miles | 20% | 23% | 152 | |
| 140–160k miles | 22% | 23% | 139 | |
| 160–180k miles | 24% | 23% | 90 | |
| 180–200k miles | 28% | 23% | 57 | |
| 200k+ miles | 22% | 24% | 116 |
1,284 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 100k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.
Specification
| Year | Measured |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 2.1 diesel · 148 hp · 2583 kg · 3760 mm wheelbase · 10.0 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2021 | 3.0 diesel · 188 hp · 2690 kg · 3853 mm wheelbase · 11.2 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2020 | 2.1 diesel · 151 hp · 2546 kg · 3718 mm wheelbase · 10.0 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2019 | 2.1 diesel · 161 hp · 2645 kg · 3723 mm wheelbase · 7.6 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2018 | 2.1 diesel · 151 hp · 2522 kg · 3754 mm wheelbase · 7.2 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2017 | 2.1 diesel · 165 hp · 2444 kg · 3507 mm wheelbase · 7.3 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2016 | 2.1 diesel · 149 hp · 2455 kg · 3667 mm wheelbase · 7.1 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2015 | 2.1 diesel · 148 hp · 2435 kg · 3684 mm wheelbase · 7.2 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2014 | 2.1 diesel · 148 hp · 2399 kg · 3676 mm wheelbase · 7.2 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2013 | 2.1 diesel · 147 hp · 2419 kg · 3694 mm wheelbase · 7.8 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2012 | 2.1 diesel · 145 hp · 2526 kg · 3663 mm wheelbase · 8.1 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2011 | 2.1 diesel · 134 hp · 2512 kg · 3740 mm wheelbase · 9.4 L/100km (NEDC) |
Recalls
Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.
A12/00551/22
A defect in the park pawl of the transmission could make the vehicle move unintentionally if the manual parking brake is not activated and cause an accident. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/00552/22
A defect in the park pawl of the transmission could make the vehicle move unintentionally if the manual parking brake is not activated and cause an accident. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/00564/22
The wiring harness of the generator may have been erroneously swapped with the wiring harness of the electric steering during assembly. Consequently the steering wiring harness would be secured with the generator fuse (fused too high), and the generator wiring harness with the steering fuse (fused too low). In the event of an additional electrical fault (e.g. damage to the steering wiring harness) the mix-up of the two differently fused wiring harnesses could lead to the steering wiring harness becoming overloaded, increasing the risk of fire. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/00589/23
Cracks in the area of the connection part of the coupling support could lead to the detachment of the coupling device, creating a risk of an accident. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/00865/23
The fuse for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system may be faulty, which can cause excessive contact heat generation, increasing the risk of fire or injury. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/00990/23
Fluid could enter into the amplifier, causing an internal short circuit and creating a risk of fire. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/01072/22
A coding of a control unit may not match the individual vehicle equipment so that the affected control units may malfunction. As a result, some functions of the electronic stability program control unit may not be fully available, thus changing the braking and control behavior, increasing the risk of an accident. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/01360/21
The seat cable harnesses may be incorrectly installed.As a result, the side airbags may be activated for no reason, increasing the risk of injury.
Recall of the product from end users
18 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.