Acceleration complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500. While approaching a stop light at 40 MPH with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated without warning as if the accelerator pedal were depressed. The contact depressed the brake pedal harder to stop the vehicle. In addition, the air bag warning indicator remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Mercedes-Benz of pleasanton (located at 5885 owens dr, pleasanton, ca 94588, [phone]) to be diagnosed, but a failure code could not be located. The vehicle was not repaired and the failures recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 5,628.
The ESP and ABS warning lights went on suddenly after what sounded like a thud. The car had not run over anything. There was some initial brief chattering of the break pedal, and that subsided. The car was not near a suitable and available repair shop at the time. It was driven to complete a trip. There were several instances of break pedal chattering that led concern about the controllability of the vehicle. During the trip, it was taken to a brake shop, and the technicians felt it was likely safe to drive. Eventually after the servicing dealer first replaced the front speed sensors, the ESP unit was found to be shorted. This event is of concern because the speed sensors on the rear have been replaced on recall and the front speed sensors have been granted an extended warrantee. Both feed into the ESP unit that failed. …
Rmp sensor failed causing vehicle to lose anti lock brakes, traction control and cruise control. Plus forced vehicle into limp mode so it would barely move to rest area to call for assistance. I've been to three dealerships with this issue and they are all very aware that these faulty sensors exist. They have been and issue for years putting 100s if not thousands of Sprinter owners at extreme risk with loss of anti lock brakes and traction control at the same time. Mercedes Benz needs to correct this faulty part and recall all vehicles and fix
trucks cut speed limit 65 to 10 normal highway i do understood %35 degrees slow down but its only %2 degrees uprise there is no power at engine rpm is shows less then 1 rpm and even if press the gas pedal all the way the truck does not accelerate like truck is lock right there very dangers any one drive back of me they are not accept that much speed change they are in dangers scarr to drive truck be couse same one get git back of truck and can get kill
I own an rv on a Mercedes 3500 Sprinter chasis. I have experienced numerous failures that cause the rv to speed up rapidly and I have to take emergency action to avoid an accident. Usually, I shift into neutral to disengage the transmission. I have ~43,000 miles on my rv and I have experienced this issue and Mercedes has replaced the wheel sensors 6 different times. All maintenance performed on the vehicle has been provided by a Mercedes dealer service center. Doesn't seem to matter if I am driving on the freeway or city streets, when the failure happens, the vehicle starts to accelerate rapidly, rpms skyrocket, the dashboard gets three trouble indicator lights that come on, the check engine light comes on. I am picking up the vehicle from the local Mercedes dealer today after just having another sensor failure. I was driving on I-10 when the most recent failure occurred. …
We were traveling on flat, open interstate roadway in rainy weather at night with cruise control set when the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated quickly. I noticed the vehicle felt like it downshifted and felt like it was accelerating hard. I looked at speedometer and speed had increased by more than 5 MPH over what cruise was set in a matter of 4 seconds or so. I then applied pressure to brake pedal at which point the vehicle felt like brake system pulsed 4 times, and cruise control did not appear to disengage. I then hit brakes again, and pushed the cruise control level toward dash and cruise disengaged this time. During or immediately after this event, warning lights came on in dash for ABS, ESP, visit workshop, and other warning lights that safety features were disabled such as forward collision, blind spot indicators in mirror, etc. …
In October of 2018 at 28,860 odometer miles, the passenger rear wheel speed sensor failed while driving from atlanta, ga to west palm beach, fl. Causing the EPS, ABS, anti_collision and cruise control system to stop functioning with warning messages displayed on the dash. I experienced erratic speeds while manually driving home. On October 3, 2020, at 39,214 odometer miles, the same issue happened again, only this time it was the front passenger wheel speed sensor that failed with all the same warning lights and disabled EPS, ABS, anti-collision and cruise control systems being shut down. In both cases the failed sensors were replaced under the Mercedes-Benz emission warranty. I am very concerned that these failures are common with this model vehicle and I will continue to experience failures of these sensors after the warranty expires. …
Frequently asked questions
Which Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2013 (12), 2015 (12), 2014 (11), 2016 (10) and 2012 (5) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 27% of all complaints for the 2013.
Is there a recall for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for any Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 25,000 miles; 94% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the cruise control (4 mentions), followed by the accelerator pedal (1).
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.