@

MERC EOE S·BENZ USA. LLC

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Dealer Principa ls, Genera l
Managers, Sales Managers, Service Managers,
Parts Managers
RE : Recall Campaign 2012080006 Replace Accessory All Weather Floor Mats, If
Installed, Model 166, Model Years 201 22013

To :

F ROM: Tho mas Brunner, Department Manager,
Vehicle Compliance and Analysis, Engineering
Services

DATE :

December 21, 20 12

IMPORTANT RECALL INFORMATION
This Recall Campaign is being launched today and the 32,756 affected vehicles are flagged in VMI.
On Monday, August 13, 2012 dealers were notified that Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) will conduct a voluntary
Recall Campaign on certain accessory All Weather Floor Mats for the Model Year 2012 - 20 13 ML-C lass ( 166).
Approximately 8,879 accessory All Weath er Fl oor Mats have been sold in the United States. This notificatio n is
posted on the NHTSA web site and may generate some customer question s.

Background
The issue relates to all-w eather floor mats that we began offering as an accessory on MY 20 12 and 20 13 ML-Class
models ( 166). It does not involve the velour floor mats that all ML-Class vehicles have as standard equipment.
Mercedes-Benz has determined th at the subj ec t al l-weather flo or mat, which may have been purchased as an
accessory from an authorized Mercedes-Benz dea ler for use in the M-Class, may have the potential to t emporarily
interfere w ith the gas pedal of this vehicle under certa in circ umstances . These all-weather floor mats may not fully
conform to the contour of the vehicle's floor pan as intended. In cases where the mats do not properly conform,
the des igned clea ran ce between the ma t and gas pedal may be red uced. In extreme cases, the poss ibil ity ca nnot
be ru led out th at the clea rance could be reduced to a level where a tempora ry interfere nce between the subject
floor mats and the gas peda l could occur whe n the gas pedal is in the fully depressed position. This might lead to
delayed gas pedal retra ction. If this w ere to occur, the vehic le may not decelerate as expected when the driver's
foot is lifted from the gas peda l, which could increase the ri sk of a crash. The Mercedes-Benz electronic Bra keOveride-Fun ction is standard equipment in all current Mercedes-Benz models. Th erefore, drivers can bring the
vehic le to a stop by continuously press ing the brake peda l, even if the gas pedal is fully depressed due to
interfere nce with the all-weather fl oor mat.
MBUSA is conduc ting a voluntary recall campaign for the subj ect all-weather floor mats. The reca ll campaign will be
cond ucted to collect the subject accessory floormats from customers who purchased them, replace the subject mats
with mats that cannot interfere with the gas pedal, and provide customers with the option of a full refund if they do not
want replacement all-weather mats.

Given t his notice, it is a violation of Feder al law for a dea ler to ret ail the following part number s of All
Weather Floor Mat / Tray: A 166680104 8 9051 & A 1666801048 7J07 and BO 668 0719 & BQ668 0720.
Any existing stock on hand must be ret urned immediately to your facing PDC.

(1) Merc edes-Benz - are registered trademarks of Daimler, Stuttgart, Germany

0

MERCEDES-BENZ USA. U C

Mercedes-Benz

11

update
Parts - A Dealer allocation of two sets (black) per affected dealer will arrive at the dealers shortly.
Dealers may order additional sets of bl ack and brown as required, however parts are in very limited
supply and should not to be ordered for shelf stock or initially used for customers other than those
affected by the recall. Parts replacement rate is 100%.
Owner Notification - Owner notifications will be sent approximately one week after recall launch.
A copy of the campaign bu lletin is attached, and may also be found on StarTekl nfo.
When scheduling customers for an appointment please ensure that you are aware of any open campaigns in VMI so
that the customer is advised about the time necessary to complete all campaigns.
Note: VMI must always be checked before performing campaigns to verify that the campaign is required on a
specific vehicle.
Dea lers may also identify vehicles subject to a campa ign through NetStar by selecting "Campaign" under the
Control ling tab. On ly veh icles that have been reta iled by the respective dealer will be displayed within this
program.
While we regret any inconvenience this may cause, MBUSA is determined to maintain a high level of vehicle quality
and customer satisfaction.
Please refer all customer inquiries to the Customer Ass istance Center at 1-800-FOR_MERCedes ( 1-800-367-6372).

Cl) Mercedes-Benz· are registered tradema rks of Daimler, Stuttgart, Germany

Campaign No. 2012080006 , December 2012

TO :

ALL MERCEDES-BENZ CENTERS

SUBJECT:

Model 166
Model Years 2012 and 2013
Replace Accessory All Weather Floor Mats, If Installed

This Recall Campaign has been initiated because Daimler AG (DAG), the manufacturer of MercedesBenz vehicles, has determined that the subject all-weather floor mat, which may have been purchased
as an accessory from an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer for use in M-Class (166 platform), may have
the potential to temporarily interfere with the gas pedal of this vehicle under certain circumstances. The
all-weather floor mats designed for the M-Class vehicle may not ful ly conform to the contour of the
vehicle's floor pan as intended. In cases where the mats do not properly conform, the designed
clearance between the mat and gas pedal may be reduced. In extreme cases, the possibility cannot be
ruled out that the clearance could be reduced to a level where a temporary interference between the
subject floor mats and the gas pedal could occur when the gas pedal is in the fully depressed position.
This might lead to delayed gas pedal retraction. If this were to occur, the vehicle may not decelerate as
expected when the driver's foot is lifted from the gas pedal, which could increase the risk of a crash.
MBUSA is con ducting a voluntary recall campaign for the subject all-weather floor mats. The recall
campaign will be conducted to collect the subject floor mats from customers who purchased them ,
replace the subject mats with mats that cannot interfere with the gas pedal, and provide customers with
the option of a full refund if they do not want replacement all-weather mats.
Attached is a sample copy of a letter which owners of the affected vehicles will receive.

Prior to performing this Recall Campaign:
•

Please check VMI to determine if the vehicle is involved in the Campaign and if it has been

•

Please review the entire Recall Campaign bulletin and follow the repair procedure exactly as

previously repaired .
described .
Please note that Recall and Service Campaigns do not expire and may also be performed on a vehicle
with a vehicle status indicator.
Approximately 32,755 vehicles are involved (8,879 rubber mats and trays).
Order No. T-RC-2012080006
This bulletin has been created and maintained in accordance with MBUSA-SLP S423QH001 , Document and Data
Control, and MBUSA-SLP S424HH001 , Control of Quality Records.

2

Work process flow chart

Check If Mercedes-Benz all-season floor mats are installed in
driver's footwell with any one of the following part numbers:

A16668010487J07 or A16668010489051(Figure1 ) or
806680719 or 806680720 (Figure 2).

Yes

No

••
Check if customer wants new floor
mats or reimbursement (customer
does not want new Mercedes Benz
floormats)
New floor mats

Install new
floormats (refer to
parts table)

Reimbursement

Reimburse
customer (refer to
reimbursement
table

T-RC -2012080006

Procedure is
complete

3

Procedure
1.

Check part number on the reverse side of the floor mat in the driver footwell (Figures 1 and 2):

•

If Mercedes-Benz all-season floor mats are installed in driver's footwell with any one of the following part
numbers: A16668010487J07 or A16668010489051 (set numbers) (Figure 1) or 806680719 or
806680720 (Figure 2) proceed to step 2.
Note: Original equipment velour (carpeted) floor mats DO NOT qualify for reimbursement under this campaign.

•
2.

If the floor mats with part numbers listed above are not installed: Procedure is complete.
Check if the customer wants to have the floor mat replaced or if the customer would rather be
reimbursed for the floor mat:

•

If the customer chooses to have the floor mat replaced , replace with a new floor mat (refer to parts
table). Be sure to replace with the same color.

•

If the customer chooses reimbursement: Reimburse the customer for the floor mat, refer to customer
reimbursement table on page 3 for price of the floor mat reimbursement.

Only the part number A 166 680 1548
will appear on reverse side of actual mat.
Figure 1 (Part number: A16668010487J07 or A16668010489051)

Figure 2 (Part number: 806680719 or 806680720)

T-RC-2012080006

4

Note:
• Customers must be informed that there should not be more than one floor mat installed in the
footwell area and the floor mat must be installed using the provided attachment points.
Ensure that the floor mat does not interfere with the accelerator pedal's radius of movement.
•
Do not remove or reimburse customers for non-Mercedes-Benz part number floor mats.
Reimbursement only for part numbers (old ones) indicated in step 1.
•
Warranty claim will only be paid upon receipt of eligible driver side part number floor mat.
Dealers will not be reimbursed for ineligible or non-Mercedes-Benz part number floor mats.

Customer Reimbursement Parts Information
Qty.
Part Name
Local Purc hase Number

Reimbursement
Amount
Floor mat (refer to Figure 1) RUB16000
$160 (includes sales tax)
Floor mat (refer to Figure 2) TRA 12500
$125 (includes sales tax)
• Please claim 1 of the above local purchase numbers to reimburse customer depending on which part is
removed. Includes cost to reimburse customer for the original part and sales tax. This part will be
requested by the QEC to ensure accuracy. The Dollar amount indicated is the amount to be reimbursed
to the customer.

Primary Parts Informat ion
Qty.

Part Name

Part Number

Estimated Replacement
Rate

~~~~~~~r_1_
oo
_r_1_
n_
a_
t _
b_
la_c_
k~~~~~~~A
~
16_6_6_8_
0_
3_
5_
0_
1_
9_
0_
5_
1 ~ 25%

F- loor 111at brown

A 1666803501 7J07

T-RC-2012080006

s
Note:
•
Please be aware that only the part number(s) referenced in the Campaign Bulletin is
approved for use to repair the vehicle. Repairs performed using any other part(s) will not
have been performed in accordance with the campaign. Accord ingly, warranty claims
submitted with reference to an improper part number(s) will be denied.
•

The following allowable labor operation should be used when submitting a warranty claim for
this repair:

Warranty Information
Re air 1
Operation:
Dama e Code
S8 980 3S 8

Re air 2
Operation :

Dama~e Code
S8 980 3S 7

Check floor mat in driver footwell (02-7967)

0 eration Number
02-7967

Model Indicator s
1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, SA

Check floor mat in driver footwell (02-7967)
Replace or remove floor mat in driver footwell (02-7968)
Ooeration Number
02-7967
02-7968

Model lndicato r(s\
1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, SA

Note
Operation code times are subject to ch ange. Please refer to StarTime for current labor times

T-RC-2012080006

@ Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
URGENT SAFETY RECALL 2012080006
All-Weather floor mats for MY 2012-2013 M-Class Gareth Joyce
NHTSA Recall #12E-028

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