NHTSA investigates rollaway risk in Mercedes vans used for Amazon, other deliveries

There's no more ubiquitous sight these days than delivery trucks rushing through neighborhoods delivering online orders from Amazon and other retailers, and a lot of those vehicles are Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans. But delivery drivers and those around the vans should be using some extra caution and situational awareness, as we're learning that federal safety officials are investigating Sprinters for a potentially "extremely dangerous" situation.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Friday it has opened a preliminary investigation into the vans. It has received 11 reports that some Mercedes Sprinter vans have rolled away shortly after being shifted to park using the Auto-P function. That feature puts the vehicle in park when the driver unbuckles his seatbelt — a convenience for delivery drivers who hop in and out of the vehicle all day.

Of the 11 complaints, eight incidents resulted in crashes, and one person was injured. The agency didn't say how many, if any, of the crashes involved Amazon vehicles.

Sprinter vans are used for every commercial purpose from delivery vans to ambulances to luxury recreational vehicles. The investigation involves 2019 model-year Sprinter 2500/3500/4500 vans. NHTSA did not disclose the total number of vehicles under investigation. Mercedes sold 29,757 Sprinters in the U.S. in 2019.

Daimler and Amazon did not immediately comment.

In March, a driver in Pittsburgh said the vehicle was turned off and in park and "it rolled backwards down a hill on top of someone's car and could have killed someone ... This is my second Amazon-branded Mercedes Sprinter accident on different vehicles, with the same exact faulty brake operating system."

A complaint in February from Manchester, Connecticut, said the issue is with 2019 Sprinter vans rolling out of park after 10 minutes of idling. The complaint said the issue is "potentially an extremely dangerous situation."

A preliminary investigation is the first step before NHTSA decides whether to upgrade its review to an engineering evaluation. NHTSA said "a rollaway vehicle with no operator behind the steering wheel could potentially strike pedestrians, moving or parked vehicles or buildings resulting in injury, fatality and/or property damage."

Includes material from Reuters

Related Video: