NHTSA recall 03V121000
A recall listed here may apply to a vehicle of this year, make and model. Only the manufacturer can say whether it applies to one vehicle: check the VIN with the official lookups.
| Published by | NHTSA (United States) |
|---|---|
| Campaign number | 03V121000 |
| Manufacturer's number | 2003-040005 |
| Manufacturer | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. |
| Reported | 2003-03-27 |
| Owners notified | 2003-06-16 |
| Component | STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS |
| Units potentially affected | 211000 |
What is wrong
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE HOSE CLAMP USED TO SECURE THE POWER STEERING FLUID COOLING HOSE TO THE POWER STEERING FLUID COOLER MAY NOT PROVIDE SUFFICIENT CLAMPING FORCE FOR THIS CONNECTION.
What can happen
THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING FLUID MAY RESULT IN DIMINISHED POWER STEERING OVER TIME AND ULTIMATELY CAN DAMAGE THE POWER STEERING PUMP.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW HOSE CLAMP ON THE POWER STEERING HOSE TO THE POWER STEERING COOLER. DURING CLAMP REPLACEMENT, THE POWER STEERING COOLING HOSE WILL BE INSPECTED AND REPLACED AS NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 16, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.
Notes
MERCEDES-BENZ RECALL NO. 2003-040005.CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
| 1998 MERCEDES BENZ M CLASS | Built 1998-05-01 to 2002-12-31. |
|---|---|
| 1999 MERCEDES BENZ M CLASS | Built 1998-05-01 to 2002-12-31. |
| 2000 MERCEDES BENZ M CLASS | Built 1998-05-01 to 2002-12-31. |
| 2001 MERCEDES BENZ M CLASS | Built 1998-05-01 to 2002-12-31. |
| 2002 MERCEDES BENZ M CLASS | Built 1998-05-01 to 2002-12-31. |
| 2003 MERCEDES BENZ M CLASS | Built 1998-05-01 to 2002-12-31. |
A vehicle with no link is not in this site's catalog, which covers cars, multipurpose vehicles and trucks by model year. The campaign is from data as of 2026-10-19.
Investigated as PE03006
This recall followed 1 NHTSA investigation. An investigation is NHTSA looking into a possible defect. It is not a finding that a defect exists, and it does not say that any one vehicle is affected.
| PE03006 | Preliminary evaluation, opened 2003-02-13, closed 2003-04-04. POWER STEERING HOSE ASSEMBLY LEAKAGE. STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS; STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:POWER STEERING FLUID. |
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From NHTSA's investigation file, as of 2026-10-19. The JSON has NHTSA's summary of each.
Bulletins for the same vehicles and component
| TB-46-30-13-B | 2013-04-29. Service bulletin. MERCEDES: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. THE LOWER POWER STEERING HOSE AND CLAMP SHOULD BE REPLACE, UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY, DUE TO POWER STEERING LEAKAGE FROM CONNECTION TO POWER STEERING COOLER. MODELS 1998-2003 163.154, (ML320, 430, 55, 500, 350). *PE |
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A bulletin is the manufacturer's note to its dealers. It is not part of this recall.