The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, FAILURE OF ONE OF THE SIDE BRAKE LIGHTS CAN OCCUR. THE BASE OF THE SOCKET CAN BE SUBJECT TO THERMAL DEFORMATION OVER TIME.
The risk
THIS DEFORMATION CAN CAUSE MOVEMENT IN THE SOCKET-TO-BULB CONNECTION, WHICH COULD LEAD TO A LOOSENING OF THE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS IN THE SOCKET, AND FAILURE OF THE BULB TO ILLUMINATE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR LAMP MODULES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2006, TO APPROXIMATELY 8,200 OWNERS. PHASE II MAILING IS SCHEDULE ON OR ABOUT NOVEMBER 3, 2006, AND PHASE III MAILING IS SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY 2007 FOR THE REMAINING OWNERS. OWNERS OF VEHICLES WITH THE UPDATED TRIM (POST-FACE LIFT) WILL GET AN INTERIM NOTICE DURING NOVEMBER 2006, ASKING THEM TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR REAR TAIL LAMP REPLACEMENT LATER IN 2007. HOWEVER, IF THEY EXPERIENCE AN ACTUAL REAR LAMP FAILURE BEFORE THEY RECEIVE THAT NOTICE, THEY SHOULD COME TO THEIR DEALER IMMEDIATELY FOR A FREE REPAIR. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz SLK | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 |
Components: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz SLK | 1998 | 2 | 1 |
| Mercedes-Benz SLK | 1999 | 6 | 1 |
| Mercedes-Benz SLK | 2000 | 3 | 2 |
| Mercedes-Benz SLK | 2001 | 19 | 2 |
| Mercedes-Benz SLK | 2002 | 25 | 2 |
| Mercedes-Benz SLK | 2003 | 9 | 1 |
| Mercedes-Benz SLK | 2004 | 0 | 1 |
Other exterior lighting recalls in 2005
23 of the 562 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2005 concerned the exterior lighting; MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. filed 55 campaigns in all.
| 05V562000 20 Dec 2005 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) |
| 05V559000 13 Dec 2005 | QUALITY COACHES INC. |
| 05V553000 6 Dec 2005 | COAST MACHINERY, INC. |
| 05V530000 7 Nov 2005 | SANTA FE VANS |
| 05V477000 14 Oct 2005 | EXPLORER VAN |
| 05V444000 4 Oct 2005 | WEEKEND WARRIOR TRAILERS INC. |
| 05V410000 15 Sept 2005 | MITSUBISHI FUSO TRUCK OF AMERICA, INC. |
| 05V366000 24 Aug 2005 | MONACO COACH CORPORATION |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2005