2022 MERCEDES-BENZ Sprinter 2500

Active distance assist inoperable, active brake assist functions limited, adaptive cruise control not working, lane keeping assist glitching. I was driving the vehicle home after purchase and the lane keeping assist was glitching, it was actively pulling the wheel to the left, like I was over the fog line (I wasn’t) and it was hard braking, Making driving very unsafe. I slowed down and got off at the next exit at a gas station to figure out what was happening. I put the vehicle in park and consulted the manual. I tried to turn off and back on all the systems, through the menu, noting worked. I shut the vehicle off and cleaned the areas around the sensors and the windshield, like the manual suggests. I went in to start the vehicle, and the message “service required do not shift gears” came on the dash. It was stuck in Park. I tried to get a tow truck, but had to wait 4 days, in a gas station parking lot before a tow company with a big enough truck, and skids, (because it was stuck in park) could come on Wednesday May 27. I got it towed to a repair shop. It shows the Code P179A77 direct select redundancy malfunction, they couldn’t fix it. It needs Xentry level diagnostics. The intelligent Servo Module, or direct select module failed/won’t shift from park. There is a recall that wasn’t fixed, I got a carfax from the dealer saying that there were NO active recalls. The recall is to update an all service modules. Yes it’s available for inspection, but it’s stuck in Park at the repair shop that can’t fix it in Riverton Wyoming. I called Mercedes Benz, and tried to get help because the active recall should fix these problems. They would not help. They will not sell me the part and code it to the vehicle because it’s part of their theft deterrent system. This has cost me thousands in flights, hotels, and countless hours trying to figure it out. The nearest Mercedes Benz dealership is 270 miles away, and towing will break me.

The Cross Wind Assist feature on the Mercedes Sprinter is extremely flawed and dangerous. It is also the only assistance system you cannot disable. We have brought it up to Merceds Benz mechanics and dealers and they are aware of the issues, but say there is currently no fix from corporate. I have had the system activate hundreds of times on short windy drives. The last incident was driving through Nebraska from Omaha to the Colorado border. The system engaged 600-800 times. It was windy, but the danger wasn't the wind, it was the cross wind assist feature. When the system engages (which appears to be random at times) it brakes one of the front wheels in the direction opposing wind gusts. When this happens your front nose dips sharply in that direction and makes the van rock violently. It does this particularly when other cars or semi-trucks are passing. Sometimes it does it back to back as if the system is engaging to correct itself. It's truly dangerous. I don't know how they released a vehicle with this feature. I was hoping a brand new van of this quality would make long drives feel safer. My experience has been the opposite.

The contact owns a 2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds with the cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking, with the traction control warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times while the cruise control was activated. The contact stated that the failure worsened over time. The contact stated that the failure ceased after turning off the cruise control feature. In addition, the contact stated that the Forward Collision Avoidance feature was disabled and failed to operate as needed. The dealer was notified of the failure; but the manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 6,800.

I drove on the freeway with Cruise Control engaged. Suddenly, the control kicked off, and the meter board displayed the following warnings: "Active Brake Assist Functions Limited. See Operator's Manual" and "Active Distance Assist Inoperative." I immediately contacted Mercedes-Benz road assistance, and it took them 13 hours to tow my vehicle to the Mercedes-Benz dealer in Las Vegas. It is closed on Sunday. They just drop us on the driveway. The temperature was scorching at 105 degrees Fahrenheit. I drove very cautiously to a nearby parking lot, parked my vehicle under the shade of a tree, engaged park position, activated the emergency brake, and kept the engine idling with the air conditioning on for approximately 10 minutes. Unexpectedly, the vehicle suddenly started moving forward and accelerated, ultimately colliding with a tree about 5 feet in front. The front end of my vehicle sustained severe damage, but Mercedes-Benz has refused to take responsibility for this incident.

The distronic cruise control system cuts out after a period of seeing no vehicles in front, sometimes an hour, sometimes two hours. But when this happens, it then begins disabling other safety systems like emergency braking. There is no way to quickly reset the system. I spoke with the Mercedes Benz Dealer about this (van is brand new and this happened twice on my first trip) and I was told that this is both common in the 2019 and older Sprinter Vans, and that it is just a idiosyncrasy of the system. How is this safe? How have there not been any changes to this system in 3 years?