THE DESIGN OF THE PARKING BRAKE GRIP MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO DISTORT THE GRIP AND PINCH THE BRAKE RELEASE KNOB. IF THE RELEASE KNOB STICKS IN A PARTIAL ENGAGE/RELEASE POSITION BECAUSE OF THE PINCHED GRIP, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE LEVER TO RELEASE UNINTENTIONALLY WITH A CORRESPONDING REDUCTION IN PARKING BRAKE FORCE.
Safety risk
IF THE VEHICLE IS NOT PROPERLY PARKED WITH THETRANSMISSION IN THE CORRECT POSITION, AND IF THE VEHICLE IS PARKED ON A GRADE,REDUCTION IN PARKING BRAKE FORCE COULD LEAD TO UNINTENTIONAL ROLLAWAY AND ANACCIDENT.
Manufacturer remedy
REPLACE THE PARKING BRAKE GRIP WITH A NEW GRIP TYPE.
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
Manufacturer
MERCEDES-BENZ USA, INC.
Vehicles affected
65,196
Reported to NHTSA
1987-07-13
Owners notified
1987-07-10
Defect description
IN CASE OF ELECTRICAL FAILURE WHICH BLOWS FUSE NO. 9, THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS WILL NOT OPERATE.
Safety risk
TOUCHING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROLWOULD NOT FUNCTION AS INTENDED.
Manufacturer remedy
USE TWO FUSES IN COMBINATION SO THAT IN CASE OF A FUSE FAILURE, THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM WILL NOT OPERATE.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Air bags: frontal
3
—
Engine and engine cooling: engine: gasoline
1
—
Parking brake: conventional
1
—
Power train: automatic transmission: park/neutral start interlock switch
1
—
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc
1
—
Structure: frame and members
1
—
Suspension: front: control arm
1
—
Suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint
1
—
Suspension: rear
1
—
Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system
1
—
The 1985 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. The 1987 model has about half as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.