NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Recall Query RQ08-002: POWER STEERING HOSE LEAK
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Recall Query RQ08-002 on March 11, 2008 and closed it on September 17, 2008. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1998–2003 Mercedes Benz M-Class for it and links recall 08V-465 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- RQ08-002 (also written RQ08002)
- Investigation type
- Recall Query An investigation into whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or whether its remedy works, run much like a Preliminary Evaluation.
- Status
- Closed September 17, 2008
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
- Components
- Steering — Hydraulic Power Assist System; Steering — Hydraulic Power Assist — Hose, Piping, and Connections; Steering — Hydraulic Power Assist — Power Steering Fluid
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 08V-465: POWER STEERING HOSE CLAMP, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 1998–2003 Mercedes Benz M-Class
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Recall Query RQ08-002.
MERCEDES-BENZ USA (MBUSA) WILL NOTIFY CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1998 THROUGH 2003 M-CLASS OWNERS OF THE NEED TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES INTO DEALERS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE PREVIOUSLY CAMPAIGNED UNDER MBUSA RECALL 2003-040005 (NHTSA RECALL 03V-121).
THE MBUSA CAMPAIGN, WHICH ODI IS DESIGNATING RECALL 08V-465, WILL REPLACE THE POWER STEERING COOLER HOSE AND CLAMP IN ALL VEHICLES THAT RECEIVED THE ORIGINAL RECALL REMEDY FOR 03V-121 AND WHICH HAVEN'T RECEIVED A SUBSEQUENT REPAIR TO INSTALL A REVISED HOSE AND CLAMP.APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF THE VEHICLES THAT RECEIVED THE ORIGINAL REPAIR PROCEDURE AND PARTS RETURNED FOR SUBSEQUENT SERVICE FOR LEAKAGE FROM THE HOSE FITTING AND, IN APPROXIMATELY 10 PERCENT OF THESE VEHICLES, COMPLETE SEPARATION OF THE HOSE FROM THE COOLER.A REVISED SERVICE PROCEDURE FOR 03V-121, WHICH INVOLVED REPLACING THE OLD HOSE AND CLAMP WITH MODIFIED PARTS, HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RATES OF RETURN REPAIRS.MBUSA WILL APPLY THE REVISED SERVICE PROCEDURE FROM 03V-121 TO THE VEHICLES COVERED UNDER 08V-465.
ACCORDINGLY THIS RECALL QUERY IS CLOSED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Recall Query RQ08-002. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Mercedes Benz VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for RQ08-002
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.