2012 Mercedes-Benz C300 Airbag Problems

Which parts fail

• Frontal
  1
• Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
  1

Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  16%
• 25k–50k
  739%
• 50k–75k
  739%
• 75k–100k
  317%
• 100k–150k
  00%
• 150k+
  00%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that the driver's side air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who cleared the code. The failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,541.

I was driving normally last week when the driver's head restraint system (known by Mercedes as Neck Pro) unexpectedly and without warning blew at my head. The noise was very loud, and the headrest slammed against my head. Luckily, I was driving approximately 20-25 miles per hour, daytime, on a residential street without too many other vehicles. I was able to pull over to investigate what happened and ensure I wasn't injured and did not collide with any objects in the road. If this had happened on the highway at highway speeds with a less attentive driver, I could see this potentially resulting in a major collision. The road was fat, no bumps, weather was clear. There is no reason why this happened. From what I can tell, the system looks like it failed (plastic clips broke off) and the system did not intentionally deploy. It has not been repaired and is available for inspection. …

3 signal Signal light comes one saying abs, another SRS MALFUNCTION, also crushed control inoperable. Car will come one as normal next day car comes on no lights not 1 button work turn signals didn't work then my car fan came on in the engines the also the when they the electric isn't working i have to manually shift the gear

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the air bags deployed which caused the driver to be unable to view the road or control the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a tree. A police report was filed. The driver and passenger were injured. The driver sustained injuries to his right hand, neck and left leg. The passenger sustained injuries to her neck. Both parties injured required immediate medical attention. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 5,000.

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact's vehicle rear ended another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy and the seat belt pretension did not function. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. There was one injury that required medical attention. The contact sustained short term memory loss, a seizure, and liver damage. The contact had to remain hospitalized for five days. The failure mileage was 66,000.

Upon starting the vehicle I receive airbag warnings. One for the driver side and another one for the passenger side. I can click on "OK" to clear them out but with the airbag recall and no resolution I am fearful of a malfunction. I had my car to the Mercedes dealer two times and was told they would need to investigate it, at my expense, which could be anywhere between $500-$4500 depending on what they find. With a safety issue at risk I think the responsibility is on Mercedes to investigate and correct this at no expense to me. I will have to sell the car and lose money over it. I keep waiting for the airbags in recall to come in and have been living with it like this for over a year but I am seeing no end in sight to the recall being resolved anytime soon.

Takata recall we do not know if the bag will malfunction to the detriment of the passenger. For an average consumer, there is no way to test that. As a result, the car cannot be driven with a passenger seat occupied, and since this is a 4 door car, the intent is to have multiple passengers. The manufacturer just provided a recall notice (received by us mail 3/18/2017 after being notified by Takata in January 2017. Mercedes should have had a solution ready (loaner vehicles of similar class) for the affected owners. It is not acceptable to be put at risk for the 3-4 years that they knew that the vehicle contained Takata airbag, 3 months since formally notified by Takata and then still not have a solution.

Tl* Takata recall. The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that the air bar warning indicator remained illuminated while driving. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V017000 (air bags); however, the part needed for the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer informed the contact that the part was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 64,643. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that the driver veered into oncoming traffic and the vehicle rolled over. The driver then crashed into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained fatal injuries and the passenger was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage lot. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25000. Updated 09-04-14 updated 09/10/2014.updated 10/28/14..updated 04/08/15 updated 8/30/2017

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact was recently notified by Mercedes of an unknown recall regarding the passenger side air bag. The contact called Mercedes-Benz of wappingers falls (134 old post rd, wappingers falls, ny 12590, [phone]) and was informed that they were still waiting on a remedy for the air bag. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.

Related recalls

NHTSA investigations

Airbag complaints in other C300 years