On Jan. 12th, Mercedes-Benz USA announced that it has initiated a recall of about 16,255 model-year 1997
E-Class sedans manufactured between November 1996 and February 1997. The side
airbags in these vehicles could deploy inadvertently because of a supplier
quality problem in the airbag module. No serious injuries or accidents have
been reported as a result of this issue.
MBUSA is notifying owners of all affected vehicles, requesting that they
contact their retailer as soon as possible to schedule this service.
Replacing the side airbags is expected to take about two hours per car, and
this work will be performed at no charge to clients.