AI Damage2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500: common problems
Owners of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 filed 37 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 37
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 35% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 32% of all complaints
- 3 Electronic stability control 30% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 11% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 8% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 8% of all complaints
- 7 Wheels 8% of all complaints
- 8 Exterior lighting 5% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 13 complaints (35% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 12 complaints (32% of all).
- Electronic stability control: 11 complaints (30% of all).
- Powertrain: 4 complaints (11% of all).
- Air bags: 3 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 37 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the transmission inadvertently downshifted into third gear and the vehicle stalled with an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed.
When driving the vehicle will accelerate by itself. The brakes will pulsate when you try to stop at the accelerated level you must put the vehicle in neutral to stop. Then 3 lights appear on dash, abs,tire and traction. When the lights appear the vehicle runs fine but cruise control will not work.
During or immediately after this event, warning lights came on in dash for abs, esp, visit workshop, and other warning lights that safety features were disabled such as forward collision, blind spot indicators in mirror, etc.
When each incident occurred, the vehicle will accelerate on its own and at the same time the abs will not allow full braking pressure while underway. You will hear the abs sound like it's sliding on a slippery surface in any condition.
While highway driving, sudden abs and esp warning light with message to go to workshop. Cruise control stops working. Loss of power and shifting ability is intermittent. Was able to drive (without cruise control and with warning lights on) for 100+ miles to shop.
There were no warning lights illuminated. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 31,842.
While going uphill at about 50 mph on a highway the vehicle did a hard downshift and three engine lights came on,esp,abs&asr . I stopped and check tires and air pressure all ok. At times the engine would buck, then speed up. Turned off engine then started it again.
Vehicle became erratic jerking and lurching. I called mercedes and was towed 250 miles to dealer in littleton co. Right rear wheel speed sensor replaced. Lastly this happen again two days ago on I-20 in louisiana.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 6,176 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 17% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Sprinter 3500 has 18 complaints (19 years in the data). This year has 37, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Electronic stability control. ABS/ESC sensors, steering angle, codes after suspension repair.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
- Sprinter 3500 20104 sources
- Sprinter 3500 20118 sources
- Sprinter 3500 201221 sources
- Sprinter 3500 201345 sources
- Sprinter 3500 201455 sources
- Sprinter 3500 2016132 sources
- Sprinter 3500 201788 sources
- Sprinter 3500 201854 sources
- Sprinter 3500 2019183 sources
- Sprinter 3500 2020150 sources
- Sprinter 3500 2021134 sources
- Sprinter 3500 2022100 sources
- Sprinter 3500 2023122 sources
- Sprinter 3500 202494 sources
- Sprinter 3500 202539 sources
- Sprinter 3500 20267 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control. Total complaints: 37. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (27%), unintended acceleration (11%), loss of power / limp mode (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2015 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.