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Freightliner Sprinter 3500Years to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 21 owner complaints and 73 safety recalls on record for the Freightliner Sprinter 3500.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years—Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints21Top: Air bagsSafety recalls732001–2022 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

Freightliner Sprinter 3500 years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Sprinter 3500 median. Tap a year for its full report.

'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
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2022Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall2021Not rated–/1001 complaint · 11 recalls2020Not rated–/1000 complaints · 17 recalls2019Not rated–/1000 complaints · 36 recalls2018Not rated–/1000 complaints · 8 recalls2017Not rated–/1002 complaints · 7 recalls2016Not rated–/1001 complaint · 11 recalls2015Not rated–/1000 complaints · 9 recalls2014Not rated–/1000 complaints · 5 recalls2013Not rated–/1000 complaints · 5 recalls2012Not rated–/1002 complaints · 3 recalls2011Not rated–/1001 complaint · 2 recalls2010Not rated–/1003 complaints · 4 recalls2009Not rated–/1000 complaints · 4 recalls2008Not rated–/1007 complaints · 6 recalls2007Not rated–/1000 complaints · 6 recalls2006Not rated–/1001 complaint · 2 recalls2005Not rated–/1001 complaint · 2 recalls2004Not rated–/1000 complaints · 2 recalls2003Not rated–/1002 complaints · 4 recalls2002Not rated–/1000 complaints · 3 recalls2001Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall
Complaints by system

Most common Freightliner Sprinter 3500 problems

All model years combined: 21 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags50
Wheels30
Engine and engine cooling30
Service brakes30
Vehicle speed control30
Fuel/propulsion system20
Power train20
Electrical system21
Exterior lighting20
4 other systems40
73 recalls

Freightliner Sprinter 3500 recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

33%Structure: body23V-874 · 2020 · Dec 21, 2023 · 9 vehicles47%Structure: critical fasteners23V-876 · 2019–2021 · Dec 21, 2023 · 387 vehicles55%Structure: critical fasteners23V-875 · 2019–2021 · Dec 21, 2023 · 3,739 vehicles24%Structure: body23V-806 · 2021 · Dec 1, 2023 · 131 vehicles74%Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel23V-204 · 2019–2021 · Mar 24, 2023 · 6,857 vehicles79%Internal: park pawl22V-796 · 2019–2022 · Oct 21, 2022 · 124,305 vehicles75%Communication: auto crash notification22V-360 · 2019–2021 · May 20, 2022 · 19,937 vehicles82%Back over prevention: display function22V-281 · 2019–2021 · Apr 27, 2022 · 12,086 vehicles65%Electrical system: software21V-972 · 2019–2020 · Dec 15, 2021 · 48,400 vehicles70%Foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings21V-933 · 2021 · Dec 1, 2021 · 98 vehicles67%Seat belts21V-513 · 2021 · Jul 7, 2021 · 1,514 vehicles89%Passenger side frontal: cushion21V-410 · 2019–2021 · Jun 2, 2021 · 4,078 vehicles

Showing the 12 newest of 73 recalls. Each model-year page lists all recalls for that year.

1 investigation

NHTSA investigations of the Sprinter 3500

  1. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · 2007–2018 · still open
    Open