2003 Sprinter 3500 Recalls, Complaints & Specs
2 safety recalls list the 2003 Sprinter 3500, and owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
2 safety recalls for the 2003 Sprinter 3500
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Equipment adaptive/mobility
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…
Remedy: 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.
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Air bags: sensor/control module-inactive
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.
Remedy: 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…
2 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2003 Sprinter 3500 have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 120,250 miles. Complaints peaked in 2011 with 1 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“Passenger seat belt kept locking while van was moving and then would not retract at all. Driver side retracts but very slowly. *tr”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, January 20, 2013 · Seat belts
“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 le”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, March 21, 2011 · Tires
Compare Sprinter 3500 model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Sprinter 3500 model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 Sprinter 3500 | 2 | 2 |
| 2004 Sprinter 3500 | 1 | 2 |
| 2005 Sprinter 3500 | 2 | 14 |
| 2006 Sprinter 3500 | 4 | 21 |
| 2007 Sprinter 3500 | 2 | 1 |
| 2008 Sprinter 3500 | 1 | 6 |
| 2010 Sprinter 3500 | 0 | 3 |
| 2011 Sprinter 3500 | 1 | 0 |
Checking a specific 2003 Sprinter 3500
How do I know if my 2003 Sprinter 3500 has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 2 campaigns currently list the 2003 Sprinter 3500; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Sprinter dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 03V082000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other Sprinter models
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.