NHTSA campaign 18V043000
Mercedes Benz Recall 18V-043: Passenger Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Explode
- Recall influenced by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation
NHTSA recall 18V043000 was reported by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. on January 10, 2018, with 132,167 vehicles potentially affected (per NHTSA). NHTSA's record lists the Mercedes Benz C 300, Mercedes Benz AMG C63, Mercedes Benz C350 and more for model years 2009–2010, 2013. Owners were notified on October 31, 2018, per NHTSA.
Updated daily from NHTSA's recall files
Is my vehicle included?
This page lists, by model year, the vehicles NHTSA's recall record names for campaign 18V043000 in the model years try.vin imports (1995 and later); NHTSA's own record can list more. A model year on the list doesn't mean every vehicle of that year is included, and some may already have been repaired.
To see whether a specific vehicle is included and still needs the repair, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Mercedes Benz VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Key facts
- NHTSA campaign
- 18V043000 (also written 18V-043 or 18V043)
- Filed by
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
- Report received
- Potentially affected
- 132,167 vehicles (per NHTSA)
- Component
- Air Bags — Frontal — Passenger Side — Inflator Module
- Owners notified
Repair completion: 93.62% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated October 21, 2026)
NHTSA cautions against comparing completion rates across recalls or manufacturers. How try.vin reads them.
Vehicles listed for this recall
NHTSA's recall record lists these vehicles for recall 18V043000. try.vin imports model years 1995 and later, so NHTSA's own list can be longer. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to it. Build dates are NHTSA's range for a model year (per NHTSA); a vehicle built in that range is not necessarily included.
Mercedes Benz
Mercedes Benz AMG C63
Mercedes Benz C63 AMG
- 2009 · Vehicles built May 30, 2008 – March 2, 2009 (per NHTSA)
Mercedes Benz C250
- 2013 · Vehicles built March 29, 2012 – June 22, 2013 (per NHTSA)
Mercedes Benz C 300
Mercedes Benz C350
Mercedes Benz E 350
Mercedes Benz E550
Mercedes Benz GLK250
- 2013 · Vehicles built August 17, 2012 – June 7, 2013 (per NHTSA)
Mercedes Benz GLK350
Mercedes Benz SLS
- 2013 · Vehicles built June 27, 2012 – May 17, 2013 (per NHTSA)
NHTSA's recall notice
As NHTSA's recall record states it for campaign 18V043000.
Defect description
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2013 C250, C250 Coupe, C350 Coupe 4Matic, C300 4Matic, C350, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG, C63 Coupe, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, E550 Cabrio, E350 Coupe 4Matic, E550 Coupe, GLK350 4Matic, GLK250 Bluetec 4Matic, GLK350, SLS Coupe, SLS AMG GT Coupe, and SLS Roadster vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, MBUSA is recalling certain 2010 C300, C300 4Matic, C63 AMG, E350 Coupe, E550 Coupe, GLK350, and GLK350 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." MBUSA is also recalling certain 2009 C300, C300 4Matic, C63 AMG, and C350 vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI and WY or "Zone C." In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Safety consequence
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Manufacturer remedy
MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. Mercedes issued an interim notification to owners on February 23, 2018. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
Notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Sources
Official NHTSA notice for recall 18V043000
Campaign details come from NHTSA's recall files, which try.vin imports once a day. The plain-language subject and the completion rate come from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Recalls Data dataset. How try.vin reads recall data.