Brake Booster Recall - Mercedes-Benz

Compulsory Brake Booster Recall

Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific and Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia Pacific are conducting a compulsory safety recall for certain vehicles equipped with Brake boosters in accordance with the Recall Notice issued by the Assistant Minister to the Treasure Hon. Michael Sukkar.

Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Australia ARE NOT fitted with "Alpha" Brake boosters, which are the high-risk inflators you may have heard about in the media.

We will continue working with the ACCC on the recall rollout schedule and timelines mandated by the compulsory Recall Notice. The affected airbags will be replaced in stages, as the replacement airbags are currently in production. The staged recall is designed to prioritise the oldest vehicles and those located in High Humidity/High Temperature areas Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. This will ensure an orderly and responsible use of parts availability and give priority to those vehicles that may have an increased degree of risk. If your vehicle is included in the compulsory recall then your vehicle’s affected Brake booster inflators will be replaced as part of a staged approach according to vehicle age and location factors.

Specific details of the staged approach with regard to the Priority Factors from the Recall Notice of the affected vehicles can be found in the links below, for the Recall Initiation Schedule and Recall and Replacement Timetable.

1800 074 939 131450

FAQ

Find my VIN

What vehicle models and year range are affected?

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The recall relates to the brake booster fitted to certain Mercedes-Benz ML-Class, GL-Class (164 platform) and R-Class vehicles (251 platform) model year 2005 – 2012, or up to 2016 for privately imported R-Class vehicle. The table below shows which models and the year range affected by this recall :

Model	VIN 1st 6 Digits	Year
ML 280	WDC164	2005 - 2011
ML 300	WDC164	2005 - 2011
ML 320	WDC164	2005 - 2011
ML 350	WDC164	2005 - 2011
ML 500	WDC164	2005 - 2011
ML 63	WDC164	2005 - 2011
GL 320	WDC164	2006 - 2012
GL 350	WDC164	2006 - 2012
GL 420	WDC164	2006 - 2012
GL 450	WDC164	2006 - 2012
GL 500	WDC164	2006 - 2012
R 280	WDC251	2005 - 2016
R 300	WDC251	2005 - 2016
R 320	WDC251	2005 - 2016
R 350	WDC251	2005 - 2016
R 500	WDC251	2005 - 2016
R 63	WDC251	2005 - 2016

Why does the VIN search result show a different model year to what I expected?

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The VIN search result shows the “model year” of your vehicle. It is possible that your vehicle was produced in a different year to the model year – this is known as the “production year”. However, the VIN (and not the model year or production year) will ultimately determine whether your vehicle is affected by the recall.

How do I locate the VIN on my vehicle?

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The VIN number of your vehicle can primarily be found on the inside of the driver’s side B-Pillar, near the door lock latch. It is a 17-digit vehicle identifier that contains a combination of letters and numbers. The first six digits of the VIN for vehicles affected by this recall start with WDC164 or WDC251, depending on the model.

Open the front right-hand (drivers) door. You will see the vehicle identification plate ①.

OR

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) can be located on your latest vehicle registration papers.

Are other Mercedes-Benz models also affected by this issue?

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No. Mercedes-Benz Australia has been informed that all vehicle models affected by this issue are included in this recall measure.

How will owners be contacted?

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Owners will be sent a letter to their postal address. The address used will be that listed in information we obtain from state or territory registration authorities or our own owner data. In order for us to be able to contact you if and when your vehicle may need to be recalled, we strongly encourage you to update your contact details directly with us here and with your state or territory registration authority.

Can I continue to drive my vehicle?

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The owner of a vehicle affected by this recall should stop operating the vehicle immediately and use it only again after this recall measure is completed. Accordingly, it is important to organise an inspection at an authorised Mercedes-Benz service centre as soon as possible.

Do l have to do this recall?

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We strongly recommend the repair to be carried out and advise you to stop operating the vehicle until the recall measure is completed.

Is there any advance warnings that there may be a concern?

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In some instances, the driver might notice a change in the brake pedal feel and/or hissing/airflow noises when applying the brake, which may indicate that there may be a concern. In any case however, owners of affected vehicles are advised to stop operating the vehicle even if they do not notice any changes until the recall is completed.

What effects can be expected?

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After extended time in the field and in conjunction with significant water exposure, this corrosion might lead to a leakage of the brake booster. In this case, the brake force support might be reduced, leading to an increase in the brake pedal forces required to decelerate the vehicle and/or to potentially increased stopping distance.

Additionally, in rare cases of very severe corrosion, it might be possible for a particularly strong or hard braking maneuver to cause mechanical damage in the brake booster, whereby the connection between brake pedal and brake system would fail. In such a very rare case, it would not be possible to decelerate the vehicle via the service brake.

Thus, the risk of a crash or injury would be increased.

The function of the foot parking brake is not affected by this issue.

What action is required as part of the recall?

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Mercedes-Benz Authorised Service Centres will check the condition of the brake booster on the affected vehicles and depending on the result of this inspection, will replace it where necessary.

Do l have to pay for the recall?

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No. The work required to complete the recall is free of charge to the customer.

What costs will be incurred by the customer?

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The work required to completed this recall measure will be carried out free of charge for the customer.

How did Mercedes-Benz AG become aware of this issue?

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Mercedes-Benz AG was made aware of this issue through feedback from customers and by the worldwide product observation via its service organizations.

How will Mercedes-Benz AG inform its customers?

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Owners of affected vehicles will be sent a recall letter by mail. Please ensure that contact details with your state registration authority are up to date.

In addition, depending on availability of information, other communication channels may be used to address customers directly in order to contact customers as quickly as possible.

Why could customers first been made aware of this recall by the media, and not directly by Mercedes-Benz AG?

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As a vehicle manufacturer Mercedes-Benz AG is obliged to provide the authorities with the relevant information, and these in turn have the right to issue information or a press release in the case of a recall. It may therefore be that customers are made aware of a recall by the media, before they are contacted directly by Mercedes-Benz AG.

Has there been any case of material damage or personal injury in connection with this issue?

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Mercedes-Benz Australia has been informed by Mercedes-Benz AG that it is not aware of any case of material damage nor personal injury in connection with this issue. Nevertheless, we advise all owners of affected vehicles to book an inspection as soon as possible and stop operating their vehicles until the recall measure is completed.

How many customer complaints are known to Mercedes-Benz AG?

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Mercedes-Benz Australia has been informed by Mercedes-Benz AG that it is aware of isolated customer complaints regarding this concern. Nevertheless, we advise all owners of affected vehicles to book an inspection as soon as possible and stop operating their vehicles until the recall measure is completed.

How do I find further information or raise a concern about this recall?

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If you have any concerns relating to this recall, you can contact us on 1800 074 939 between Monday – Friday, 8.30am and 5.00pm AEST.