| Issue ID | 1290075 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10874041 |
| Manufacurer | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| Brand | MERCEDES BENZ |
| Model | S430 |
| Model Year | 2004 |
| File date | 04/06/16 |
| Component | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | My instrument control panel backlighting experienced an electrical malfunction resulting in the failure to illuminate the gauges. The condition was diagnosed by my independent mechanic on 06/06/16. In doing so he informed me of recall campaign number 06v-028. I was told that the remedy is for the manufacturer to replace the cluster module free of charge and that i would need to call mercedes benz corporate to schedule a replacement. I called mercedes and spoke with eric at ext 7806 without any satisfaction at all. As a matter of fact, he discouraged me from escalating my call to his boss for 10 minutes before i became irate and demanded to speak with a manager. At that point i spoke with case manager joe from ext 6299. I was told that it was corporate policy to not give out their last names. After lenghtly verbal sparring that didn't amount to any satisfaction, i was told the campaign expired in 2013. Joe said he could offer me some assistance if i wanted to purchase a new mercedes. (seriously?) i then called the us department of transportation national highway traffic safety administration and got a different campaign assessment. I was told that the campaign expired 10 years from the ruling date of 2006. In this case, that would mean the campaign would end in 2016. With that said, i have no idea where the 2013 expiration date came from. With that being said, i feel the need to make this complaint in hopes of getting to the bottom of this conflicting information. I was told that i should take it to a mb dealership for diagnosis at my cost, followed by a replacement at my cost as well. Customer service was very curt and didn't attempt to care about my plight not even slightly. I'm taking this measure as i cant afford to incur this cost from a mb dealership. Btw, the car was in motion on a highway during a long trip when this occurred. Very frightening! |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 90 |
| Number of Occurences | |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | JERSEY CITY, NJ |
| VIN pattern | WDBNG83J24AXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | N |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | |
| No. of fatalities | |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 60 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |