Known Recalls

Model year record

1998 MERCEDES BENZ C Class

1 recall campaign on file for this model year. 7 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 01V366000

Electrical system: 12V/24V/48V battery

Component
Electrical system: 12V/24V/48V battery
Manufacturer
MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC.
Vehicles affected
65,731
Reported to NHTSA
2001-12-04
Owners notified
2002-02-20

Defect description

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HOPPECKE BATTERIES. THE BATTERY MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE COULD BE LESS THAN NEEDED TO MAINTAIN PROPER ELECTROLYTE LEVELS.

Safety risk

THE LOW ELECTROLYTE LEVELS RESULT IN ACCELERATED BATTERY GRID GROWTH, INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR INTER-CELL RUPTURE AND SPARKING, AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A BATTERY EXPLOSION.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BATTERIES, INCLUDING FLUID LEVELS. SOME BATTERIES MAY BE REPLACED IF NECESSARY, ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. IN ADDITION TO THE BATTERY INSPECTION, THE ADDITION OF LABELS IN THE VEHICLE OWNER'S MANUAL AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT WILL BE INCLUDED TO CONSPICUOUSLY REMIND OWNERS AS WELL AS DEALER AND SERVICE PERSONNEL OF THE NEED TO PERFORM BATTERY MAINTENANCE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN FEBRUARY 20, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Air bags1—
Child seat1—
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly1—
Structure: frame and members: underbody shields1—
Suspension1173,000 mi
Suspension: rear1—
Visibility: windshield1—

The 1997 model has about 1.5 times as many complaints as this one. The 1999 model has roughly the same number of 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.