Sprinter Van swivel seat: Seatbelt/airbag wire repair

If you have a Mercedes Sprinter van with swivel seats, you might want to inspect the wire that connects your car's computer with the seatbelt/airbag. Ours got crushed in the swivel mechanism. Our neighbor came to the rescue and repaired it and shared his story about an Audi dealer that charged him $700 to repair the wire harness on his Audi.

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[davidpayne]

You're fortunate to have such a handy neighbor. Good Job

[lorentryon]

We had a similar issue with a 2017 cutaway MB chassis on our 2018 Leisure Unity. The drivers seat has a similar wiring harness and was cut with the swiveling action. The MB dealer and Leisure blamed each other but fortunately the Mercedes dealer did not charge me and said they would work with Mercedes to resolve the payment. It was approximately $650.00 to replace the sensor/switch on the drivers seat. Ultimately I added a couple of zip ties as in the video to hold the cable in place and I regularly, as in every time I swivel the seat, check that the cable is not at risk of being damaged. I have warned a couple of owners of MB motorhome to be on the lookout for this issue. Thanks for videos. We both enjoy your travels as we are fulltiming in a 25 foot Leisure Unity. Best of luck and stay safe.

[rickbaker]

Really a very well done video, and glad you have a neighbor that is handy with the soldering iron and heat gun. I was happy to see how to properly splice, solder, and heat shrink the repaired wires. It is always good to learn something new, and seems when owning an RV this type of skill is necessary. Thank you. BTW, my wife is a nurse and is working extra right now to take phone calls from people who are nervous and scared about the unknown issues surrounding the coronavirus. You are smart to stay home for the time being, and you are setting a good example for the rest of us to follow. Good luck to you and John.

[barbaradickey]

Thank you for your video, and your neighbor for showing us how easy it is to repair. We have a 2017 MB Sprinter RV and went to the dealer when the passenger side airbag light stayed on even with a passenger in the seat. They discovered the driver side seatbelt wire was cut in two. Their fix was to order a new part at the cost of $400. That didn’t include fixing it. We will have our son in law fix it tomorrow with the help of your video. Many thanks and safe travels to all.

[rrowdyrogers]

I always enjoy your travels, but especially your tips, mods and fixes videos. Thank your neighbor for me for the soldering and shrink wrap lesson. I used the Audi method to wire in new speakers in my vehicle and will now go back and properly solder the wires. I didn't realize it was that easy.

[GaryNichols]

I was Director of Quality for one of the world's largest airbag manufacturers for a few years prior to 2002. So this information I am about to give is that old and airbag circuitry designs could have changed since then. But at that time, all the airbag functional operations were powered through the clockspring wire harness and not through the seating wires. Those airbag wires under the seats are merely for the weight sensor which deactivates the airbag if the seat is unoccupied. But the default mode for that circuit is a failed-safe condition, which means that if the seat wires are cut, then the airbag circuitry assumes the seat to be occupied and the airbag is still functional. So all that would have happened in an accident is that the airbag would have been deployed regardless of whether anybody was in the seat. --- Enjoy your time off. We'll be here whenever you decide to post again.

[angpb]

Gotta love a helpful neighbour! Thank you for the information and a reason to go sit in the van tomorrow. Sudden subject change: love your shirt! Take good care.

[tdadventures]

What a nice neighbor you have. Love the music and the ending. Stay safe and well.

[TravelsofRedRover]

We are glad that you and John are home. Thank you for the tip. I had to go out and check our own van. We are also at home trying to get videos up. All the best.

[lindatreggett]

I watch a LOT of YouTube videos during this lockdown. I so enjoy your videos, especially the DIY.

[pamt]

Great video, thanks for sharing the fix to your problem. We can’t wait to get out and about when this is all over.

[johnathanjackson]

Yes. it has happened to me in my 2017 Sprinter drivers side. I can see the break its severed.

[lostintime]

Excellent video as usual! Glad you brought attention to that issue that many of us must have already had. Agree it should be a recall. Nice job, neighbor! *Mercedes of Boerne is the bomb, btw!

[johnettew]

Great instruction. TY. I believe we spoke with you at RVillage Rally. Didn't know about your videos then. We are two grey haired ladies in a 1992 Ford Econoline. We, too, were surprised with the showers, however we were in horse camping. LOL

[ourjourneyvickiandjon]

We had the same problem back in May of last year .. The Mercedes dealer blamed pleasure way and pleasure way said it was Mercedes. They had our van for 3 weeks ! They had to call a corporate tech in Germany because they could not figure it out. Our warning light did come on too. I can't remember the code. They couldn't clear it because they could not figure it out. They finally gave us a rental so I could pick up my Dad and Sis at the airport. June 20.. My Dad was so excited to see our van and we finally picked it up on the 22nd of June. The experience was terrible to say the least .. We've had several others too Lol. Tough first year but we still love our Luna

[lorielisabeth]

Hi Debbie, thanks for bringing this issue to everyone’s attention. I always look forward to your videos. The PWRVCW Rally has been postponed to Oct 5-8. Would love to go to the Rally by the Sea, hopefully next year. Enjoy your time at home.

[darrylwelch]

Thanks for the information. I had to have Mercedes fix mine and will appeal to Mercedes as you suggested. This is clearly a manufacturers defect.

[thesunnyspot]

Not only a great PSA but also tutorial. Break, break...here's a lesson-learned from my last trip: As part of my de-winterizing checklist, I've added the following: "Ensure ALL mousetrap glue plates have been removed before loading the cat in the van." Eeesh, what a mess, and the poor guy has been permanently traumatized. Not to mention, he now sports a very modish new style in cat grooming.

[ericolsen]

The recommended electrical splice varies from application to application. Wire nuts for household wiring, soldering for electronics, and crimp connectors for vehicles. Soldering is not the recommended splicing technique for vehicles because it makes the wires stiff and more likely to break instead of just flexing at the soldered connection when there is movement. Crimp connectors in this application (connections subject to motion as in a car or boat) allow the wires to flex more without breaking. If you check the type of connectors used for the wiring to your motor and battery, you will see they are crimp connections not solder connections.

[camperab]

Thanks for your video. - In all my driving life, I have had only two German cars/vans: a VW Bus T3 Multivan 4x4 and a VW Bus T4 Multivan 4x4, originally equipped by VW, and those had their problems, tables were blocked, fridges emptied the battery too fast, ... . Mercedes in those days was not better either. I still find German price-quality-service relation totally inadequate - at least here in Germany. - My 7-year-old FIAT campervan fully does its purpose and the HYMER furniture is excellent. I had ordered the van with the least amount of electronic/digital equipment. No naviceiver. I can read/understand roadmaps and a simple cheap Garmin is good enough etc... A cheap AM/FM radio for € 49 was built in, good enough for traffic radio. I am sure nobody would break in and steal those ... - Greetings from Bavaria, Germany.