The contact owns a 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the ABS warning light and the electronic stability control warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the motorhome was making abnormal clunking sounds. The contact was able to continue to drive at less than 30 MPH. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that one of the wheels must have failed to patch the ground. The manufacturer advised the contact to turn the vehicle on and off three times using the ignition key for the warning lights to disappear. The contact stated that he did so and the warning lights and warning messages disappeared; however, they reappeared the next day. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH and towing his Volkswagen vehicle, the transmission disengaged and the vehicle made an abnormal clunking sound. Then the transmission reengaged and disengaged causing the vehicle to lurch forward. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle the failure reoccurred. The RV was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the rear axle speed sensors, knock sensors needed to be replaced, and the recall repair for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V042000 (ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL) was completed. The contact also stated that the dealer cross-fired the speed sensors which caused the computer to not allow the vehicle to drive more than 35 MPH. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that while driving at 5 MPH, the vehicle leaned on his right side and crashed into a street sign. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was not filed. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, The warning lights reappeared and the vehicle leaned and hit the curb. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was not filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and offered the contract to trade the vehicle. The vehicl
2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 brakes problems
14 complaints (23% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 17,000. 2 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 23%
- typical mileage
- 17,000
- crashes
- 2
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Antilock: ABS warning light1
- Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: wheel speed sensor/tone ring1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 brakes problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 brakes
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Rear Wheel Speed Sensor Failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) analyzed complaint data provided by Daimler Vans USA, LLC (Daimler) as well as complaints submitted to ODI from consumers to identify incidents related to Rear Wheel Speed Sensors (RWSS) failures. ODI's analysis identified 6,710 incidents of RWSS failure (unique VINs) in MY 2012-2018 Mercedes- Benz and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles upfitted to campers or recreational vehicles (RVs) representing 81 percent of all Sprinter RWSS reports. Complaint and warranty analysis indicated that the majority of incidents (approximately 99%) were related to RWSS moisture intrusion condition in the Sprinter 3500 5-ton variant, which accounts for 98 percent of upfit campers, where moisture build-up and crystal dendrite formation develop in parked RVs and lead to sensor failures. According to the Daimler Information Request (IR) response, if the wheel speed information is detected as implausible by the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) control unit, the ESP system enters a failsafe mode where:-Driver torque requests are no longer accepted;-Cruise control, if used, would be deactivated; -The ESP/ABS system shuts off; and -Multiple warning lamps and messages advise the operator to take the vehicle to the workshop. While the majority of reports involved only ABS and/or ESP warning lights and messages on the instrument cluster due to faulty sensor signals triggering a failsafe mode, some reports cited intermittent sensor failures resulting in increased vehicle speed while in cruise control and degraded ABS or ESP. Degraded ESP functionality may impact driving stability of the 5-ton vehicle.On Feb 3, 2021, following discussion with ODI, Daimler submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to the federal safety agency describing a defect in the RWSS disabling the ESP control unit functions in approximately 48,667 MY 2012 through 2018 Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter 3500 vehicles manufactured from Jan 4, 2012 through Oct 25, 2018 (Recall 21V‑042). In its DIR, Daimler indicated that RWSS sensor failures are prevalent in camper vans due to sustained periods of non-use, during which time the moisture may not dry out, remaining inside the plastic housing package. If the moisture within the RWSS dries and the RWSS returns to normal operation, the failsafe mode and the warning lights will disappear at the next ignition cycle, but the sensor fault remains stored within the ESP control unit and can be accessed through a diagnostic evaluation. ODI will continue to monitor field experience in Sprinter non-RVs and Sprinter 2500 RVs 3-ton and 3.5-ton variants (approximately 626 vehicles).Daimler will notify owners of the recalled vehicles and advise them to take their vehicle to a Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner Sprinter dealer, who will replace the RWSS with a repackaged sensor with high robustness against moisture intrusion. Daimler began notifying dealers and owners in Feb 2021. This Preliminary Evaluation is closed.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at under the following ID numbers:11352380 11351299 11350521 11348969 11342776 11342464 11341988 11341151 11340388 11338230 11337921 11331832 11331829 11331476 11331427 11331066 11328671 11325768 11325693 11322814 11322346 11320295 11319376 11317336 11311647 11310621 11308318 11254223 11253828 11252220 11196530 11194330 11164250 11145019 11141273 11139000 11138785 11124129 11094122 11394837 11390889 11390039 11389262 11387883 11387713 11386418 11383887 11383866 11382947 11377384 11376615 11376973 11375781 11375403 11374997 11374151 11373892 11373111 11366293 11365920 11365594 11365355 11365194 11364253 11364346 11363990 11363787 11362948 113629
PE20014
What 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Rear wheel speed sensor had to be replaced at 30,000 miles and now both front wheel sensors are faulty at 50.000 miles. In my reading this is a commonly faulty part and it cost $ 760.00 to replace both sensors. Fortunately the first sensor was under warranty. It would be greatly appreciated if you will look into this issue. Because you cannot afford to trade an rv. I was on a trip when the indicator lights came on on dash and I was able to drive 7 hours homes. My owners manual expressed I should seek technical assistance asap.
Both left and right rear wheel speed sensors failed resulting in transmission limited to 2nd gear and back up. Vehicle has driven 9800 miles total.
When I went to try the 4 wheel drive the following things happened: a clunking sound in the rear of the vehicle. Numerous warning lights came on . Abs, collision avoidance, cruise control, check engine, ESC or esp. Over time the lights cleared but came back on weeks apart. I am a retired nasa safety/reliably engineer. In my opinion all of these lights come on as a result of failures of one or more wheel speed sensors. This is a major safety problem as when there is a failed or intermittent operation of a failed speed sensor. All of these safety systems fail when the one sensor fails. This failure could occur unexpectedly at any time. Leading to loss of lives and vehicle. I have not received any warning letters on this major safety failure. According to the dealer mercedes is aware of this issue. After the vehicle is out of warranty mercedes says they will charge the owner to fix it. At the very least the issue clearly necessitates that this issue be elevated, to consumers, and that the issue be fixed . A warning that describes the issue and mercedes status on a fix should go out to all the appropriate parties immediately. The vehicle was stopped put in neutral then 4 wheel drive was engaged, immediately when moving there was a big clunk and the warning lights came on. They went out then came back on intermittently for months. One time they came on just sitting at the light. Failure of multiple safety systems due to a sensor failure is unacceptable. I believe a design fix is urgently needed and should be pressed for hard by the government. Currently there is no fix. And mercedes is not adequately warning the public of the issue. Until I pressed mercedes hard on this intermittent problem I was not made aware of what exactly the problem was. The failure of one sensor speed causes multiple safety systems to not work.
Third-time speed sensor failed while driving ' all 3 times while driving on highway. Causes the vehicle to speed up / slow down and lurch with the engine doing high revs. Cruise control become inoperable. Abs, forward collision, and parking sensors become inoperable. Brakes perform erratically for several moments and then ABS indicates it is inoperable. Van becomes hazardous to drive while the electronics attempt to sort out what is going on. Very glad I was not in congested traffic each time this happens as the van becomes unstable. M-benz solution is to replace sensor ' this does not seem safe nor viable long term fix.
Driving along in cruise control around 65 MPH all of a sudden cruise control stops working and vehicle bucks quite a bit,very startling.then I notice on dashboard the so called three stooges lights appear.this was my first encounter around 18,000 mi.august 2020.problem fixed in ct under warranty. Two months later driving through virginia,same stooge lights appear in the mountains shifting erratically.called m b tech, very helpful,directed me to mercedes benz of fredericksburg va 77 miles away.inconvenienced but grateful work was done under warranty.I believe this is a hazard on the roads and should be a recall.
Wheel speed sensor failure caused vehicle to disable cruise control, ABS brake system and put the transmission in limp mode. Cannot accelerate more than 25 MPH on the interstate. Was travelling at 62 MPH when event occured. Frightening experience!
Abs/esp/ceck engine warning lights all came on at once. Mercedes dealer diagnosed problem as left rear RPM sensor. Made repair. Understand from owner forums sensor failure is very common on these vehicles. Only had 22,700 miles. Mercedes needs to work on improving these parts or make repairs at no charge.
Driving along on cruise control. Cruise control deactivates, anti-lock, traction control and anti-skid lights come on. I stop the vehicle, the transmission wanders between gears jerking. I go to mb dealership they replace r rear speed sensor mileage:9659miles. At 12,060 miles the same thing happens. I drivea five hour round trip to mb dealer, they replace the l rear speed sensor. At 17,000 miles (now off warranty) all the lamps are on again, the transmission will not shift into drive and I face a 133 mile tow to knoxville, tn mercedes dealership.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 mercedes-benz sprinter 3500. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle accelerated and the ABS, esp, traction control, and check engine warning indicators illuminated. In addition, when the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle continued to accelerate. The contact shifted into neutral, pulled off the road, and powered off the engine. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred three times down the road. The vehicle was towed to mercedes-benz of the woodlands (16917 I-45, conroe, tx 77385, (936) 206-7500) where it was diagnosed that the rear driver and passenger side speed sensors had sporadic readings. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 18,763.
Questions about the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 brakes
Does the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 have brakes problems?
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the brakes of the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500, 23% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 brakes problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 17,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 brakes?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 have bad brakes?
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 model years with the most brakes complaints are 2014 (15 complaints) and 2016 (14 complaints).
Other 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 problems
Transmission 14Driver assistance 13Airbags 12Acceleration 10Electrical 9Wheels 7Engine 5Body 2Fuel system 2Lights 1Locks 1Steering 1Suspension 1
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