Most common 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500 problems
Share of the 9 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500 complaints by model year
Best Sprinter 1500 years: 2022, 2023, 2024. Compare all years →
2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500 recalls (17)
Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles. The instrument cluster illumination may not be adjustable and appear too bright in certain lighting conditions.
Remedy: Dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 31, 2025. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267.
Structure › Critical fasteners
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The longitudinal frame members may be missing reinforcement fasteners, reducing vehicle stability and decreasing the structural integrity of the third-row seats.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the frame members as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 4, 2024. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267.
Structure › Critical fasteners
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and 2019-2021 Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The partition wall may be missing bolts, allowing the wall to detach during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and secure the partition wall as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed February 16, 2024. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267.
Structure › Body
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and 2021 Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The topcoat paint formula may cause the windows and interior lashing rails to be insufficiently bonded to the vehicle.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the paint adhesion and repair it as necessary, free of charge. Depending on the extent of any damage, DVUSA may offer to repurchase the vehicle.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2021 Freightliner Sprinter and 2021-2023 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Metris vehicles. The fuel pump may shutdown, which can result in a loss of drive power.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 1, 2023. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267. DVUSA's number for this recall is 4790205.
Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and 2019-2021 Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started.
Remedy: Dealers will update the instrument cluster software on the affected vehicles, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 5, 2023. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267.
Show 11 more recalls
Power train › Automatic transmission › Internal › Park pawl
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles equipped with a manual parking brake and 7-speed automatic transmission. The guide bushing on the parking pawl may fatigue, which can cause the parking pawl not to engage and result in vehicle rollaway.
Remedy: Dealers will update the software of the electronic stability, transmission control, direct select module, and electronic ignition switch control units, free of charge.
Communication › Auto crash notification
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Freightliner Sprinter, Mercedes-Benz Metris, and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles. An error in the communication module's SIM card software can cause a mobile network connection failure, disabling the emergency call (eCall) system.
Remedy: The communication module software will be updated through an Over-the-Air (OTA) update, or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 13, 2022.
Back over prevention › Display function
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Freightliner Sprinter and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles. The rearview camera may not display the rearview image due to a software error.
Remedy: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 20, 2022. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267.
Suspension › Front › Springs › Torsion bar
Daimler Vans USA, LLC. (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles. The shim on the torsion bar was installed incorrectly during assembly.
Remedy: Dealers will correct the position of the shim and replace the torsion bar linkages, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 16, 2022. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267.
Equipment › Other › Labels
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles. The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) may be improperly stated on the tire and loading label.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace, as necessary, the tire and loading information label. Additionally, tires will be inspected for excessive wear and replaced as necessary. All repairs will be conducted free of charge.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The front axle fender liner and brake hose may be too close, allowing the fender liner to contact and damage the brake hose.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the condition and clearance of the brake hose, modify the fender liner trim, and replace the brake hose as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 4, 2022.
Structure
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles. The spring-loaded rear step bolt fasteners were not properly tightened.
Remedy: Dealers will tighten the bolt fasteners and replace the console and attaching hardware, free of charge. Owners notification letters were mailed February 11, 2022.
Electrical system › Wiring
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles. A cable duct may drop out of place due to unlatched engagement hooks inside the battery case. This may cause the starter-generator wiring harness to chafe against the transmission carrier, which could result in an electrical short-circuit.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engagement hooks on the affected cable duct with expanding rivets, free of charge. The recall began on November 2, 2021. Owners may contact DVUSA's customer service at 1-877-762-8267.
Seat belts › Rear/other › Retractor
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Metris, and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles equipped with Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) seat belt assemblies. The seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 21, 2021. Owners may contact DVUSA's customer service at 1-877-762-8267.
Air bags › Passenger side frontal › Cushion
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling 2019-2021 Mercedes Benz Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles equipped with swivel seats. The wiring harnesses for the front seats may have been routed incorrectly and could become jammed and damaged in the swivel seat frames.
Remedy: Dealers will attach the mounting clip to the correct position, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 11, 2021. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267.
Electrical system › Software
Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The MBUX multimedia system software may cause the display to remain black, or reboot after startup. This could result in the rearview camera image not displaying properly.
Remedy: The multimedia system software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. DVUSA issued owners an interim notification on July 23, 2021.
What 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500 owners say
Driver assistance
On UPWARD slope in 4WD on icy intersection ,proceeding less than 5 mph, emergency braking as a car dead stopped at intersection on green light, hit brakes hard and brake pedal and gas pedal both engaged,, van kept moving forward,, pumped once same effect, ran in to rear of stopped car at 2-3 mph.. I was wearing work boots and gas pedal and brake pedal both at same elevation. brake pedal to close to the gas pedal.. Vehicle is a 4 wd 2500 series van. I have used van for 5,000 miles so I am used to the vehicles characteristics. Practiced a recreation a few times with same result, brake and gas pedal both get depressed upon panic hit with foot.
The Distronic Cruise Control stops working and then will start working again several times on long trips. After research it appears if the radar doesn't detect anything in front of your vehicle for an hour it thinks it is inoperable and and shuts the Distronic Cruise Control off and it cannot be reengaged. If it detect a vehicles in front of you for four minutes or more it will reset the radar and your Distronic Cruise Control can be turned on again. This is dangerous as it requires you to follow closely behind another vehicle for at least four minutes to reset. Out west where I live there are a lot of road stretches' where you will have little to no traffic for over an hour. Mercedes needs to change this software bug and provide another method for it's radar check warning.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500 a good car?
Based on 9 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2021 Sprinter 1500 rates average: 1.6× as many complaints as a typical year of the Sprinter 1500 at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500?
The driver assistance — 3 complaints, 33% of all complaints for this model year, most often about adaptive cruise control. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (2) and brakes (2).
How many recalls does the 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500 have?
There are 17 recalls for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500, the most recent from December 13, 2024 (instrument cluster/panel). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2022, 2023 and 2024. See the full Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1500 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 23,000 miles; 100% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.