Air Bags May Not Deploy

Affected vehicles (1)

Component / system

Defect

Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2020 and 2022-2023 Mercedes-Benz Metris right-hand-drive vehicles. Water may accumulate on the air bag control unit, which can cause the air bags not to deploy as intended.

Risk / consequence

An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will install a cover on the air bag control unit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning April 10, 2026. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267. DVUSA's number for this recall is VS2KORSRS. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning February 13, 2026.

Chronology of events

1. August 2024

   MBAG noticed an increased number of reports relating to the illumination of the airbag warning lamp in delivery operation in August 2024. A formal technical analysis into the anomaly was initiated in October 2024. Between October 2024 and February 2025, detailed investigations were carried out on the suspect vehicles and several affected parts from those vehicles were retrieved for analyses. In the course of these investigations, corrosion traces were found on the electrical connectors of the airbag control unit. MBAG theorized that condensation might have formed on the AC air distribution housing and seeped onto the control unit. To assess this hypothesis, MBAG conducted several environmental tests during the first half of 2025, including tests under different climate conditions, to understand the behavior of affected components under varying environmental and operational conditions. No anomalies were detected under usage behavior to be expected during regular vehicle operation. Further, condensation could only be proven under extreme conditions. Starting in June/July 2025, potential impacts were investigated. In particular, this included a study between August and December 2025 that evaluated the progression of corrosive processes without continuous water exposure. Additionally, MBAG was able to reproduce a very specific operation scenario under which the conditions for the formation of a larger volume of condensation can occur. In parallel MBAG identified potentially affected vehicles and analyzed whether any further vehicles might be affected by the issue. On January 30, 2026, MBAG determined that a potential safety risk cannot be ruled out and decided to conduct a recall. MBAG is currently aware of 50 field reports received from June 28, 2021 to May 13, 2025. There are no reports from outside the aforementioned vehicle operation scenario.

Notification schedule

Dealer notification

Feb 13, 2026 - Feb 13, 2026 No Dealers

Owner notification

Apr 20, 2026 - Apr 20, 2026 Phased Recall