2010 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 has 5 recalls, the most serious being airbag inflator defects on both the driver and passenger sides that can rupture in a crash and send metal fragments into the cabin, risking serious injury or death.

Both the driver and passenger frontal airbag inflators are affected by the same underlying hazard: long-term exposure to heat and humidity degrades the propellant inside, which can cause the inflator to rupture violently rather than deploy normally. When that happens, the inflator casing can break apart and scatter metal fragments toward anyone seated in the front. This is a well-documented problem associated with Takata-type inflators, and it is considered one of the more serious defects a vehicle can carry because the airbag itself becomes a source of injury in the very crash it is meant to protect against.

The fifth recall involves the A-pillar trim, which is the structural column running along either side of the windshield. On certain vehicles, the interior trim covering that pillar may not meet federal occupant protection standards, meaning the padding may not absorb enough impact if an occupant's head strikes the pillar during a collision. While this is a compliance-based concern rather than a mechanical failure, it still represents a meaningful reduction in head protection in a crash where the pillar would otherwise be a contact point.