2003 Sprinter 3500 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 3500 years
- Not enough data 5th of 8 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Sprinter 3500. That ranks 5th out of 8 3500 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is seat belts (1 complaints, 50%), typically at around 120,250 miles. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 2owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2003 Sprinter 3500 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts | 1 | 50% | 120,250 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 50% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2003 Sprinter 3500 recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Equipment adaptive/mobility
Problem: Daimler buses of north carolina (dbnc) is recalling 334 my 2005-2006 sprinter 2500 and my 2003, 2005-2007 sprinter 3500 buses equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These buses fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, "platform lift installation in motor vehicles." the threshold warning system may not detect the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user in a certain spot within the defined threshold area.
Risk: The user of the lift could be injured should the lift move unintentionally.
Fix: Dbnc is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e095). Owners may contact ricon at 1-818-267-3000 or dbnc at 1-905-403-7807.
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: On certain vans, a capacitor within the electronic control unit for the air bag can crack and the air bag may not activate as designed. This condition is signaled to the driver by the srs-warning lamp.
Risk: The air bag may not deploy correctly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury to a seat occupant.
Fix: Dealers will replace the electronic control unit for the air bag. Owner notification began on april 14, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler international at 1-704-655-1052.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Passenger seat belt kept locking while van was moving and then would not retract at all. Driver side retracts but very slowly. *tr
2003 sprinter 3500 shc, unit 1 and unit 2 were westbound on the turnpike when a set of dual tires came off unit 1 and struck unit 2. Both units subsequently pull over on the north shoulder. *bf the left rear duals sheered off the hub. (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0062-89)*jb updated 03/29/11 *bf
Other Sprinter 3500 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 3500 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 3500 | 3 | 0 |
| 2008 3500 | 6 | 1 |
| 2007 3500 | 1 | 2 |
| 2006 3500 | 21 | 4 |
| 2005 3500 | 14 | 2 |
| 2004 3500 | 2 | 1 |
| 2003 | 2 | 2 |
See all Sprinter 3500 problems by year, every Sprinter model, or the VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Sprinter 3500?
Owners most often report seat belts, tires problems. The top one, seat belts, accounts for 1 complaint.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Sprinter 3500?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2003 Sprinter 3500 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other 3500 model years, the 2003 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.