7238 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 21, 2025 / Notices 

statement that the vehicle has been 

exempted from Standard No. 208, 

without an indication that the 

exemption is limited to the shoulder 

belt on side-facing seats, could be 

confusing. A purchaser might 

incorrectly believe that the vehicle has 

been exempted from all of FMVSS No. 

208’s requirements. For this reason, 

NHTSA believes the two labels should 

read in relevant part, ‘‘except for the 

shoulder belt requirement for sidefacing seats (Standard No. 208, 

Occupant Crash Protection), exempted 

pursuant to * * *.’’ 

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 

30113(b)(3)(B)(iv), the applicant is 

granted NHTSA Temporary Exemption 

No. EX 25–01, from the shoulder belt 

requirement of 49 CFR 571.208 for sidefacing seats on its motorcoaches. The 

exemption shall remain effective for the 

period designated at the beginning of 

this document in the DATES section. 

(Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30113; delegations of 

authority at 49 CFR 1.95 and 501.5. 

Issued in Washington, DC, under authority 

delegated in 49 CFR 1.95 and 501.5. 

Sophie Shulman, 

Deputy Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2025–01299 Filed 1–17–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. NHTSA–2025–003] 

Denial of Motor Vehicle Defect Petition 

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Defect Petition DP22–002 has 

been denied. 

SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the 

reasons for the denial of defect petition 

DP22–002, submitted on April 29, 2022, 

by Mr. Sergio Betancourt (the petitioner) 

to NHTSA’s Office of Defects 

Investigation (ODI). The petition 

requests that the Agency investigate 

alleged ‘‘wrong-sized wrist pins’’ in 

Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with 

the M274 engine (including the Metris 

minivan, GLC300, and C300). After 

conducting a technical review of the 

petitioner’s submissions, information 

provided by Mercedes-Benz in response 

to the Agency’s Information Request, 

and data within its own files, NHTSA 

has concluded that there is insufficient 

evidence to warrant further action at 

this time. Accordingly, the Agency has 

denied the petition. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Tariq Bond, Vehicle Defects Division— 

D, Office of Defects Investigation, 

NHTSA 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, 

Washington, DC 20590. Email: 

Tariq.Bond@dot.gov. Phone: (202) 366– 

5472. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

Interested persons may petition 

NHTSA requesting that the Agency 

initiate an investigation to determine 

whether a motor vehicle or an item of 

replacement equipment does not 

comply with an applicable motor 

vehicle safety standard or contains a 

defect that relates to motor vehicle 

safety. 49 U.S.C. 30162(a)(2); 49 CFR 

552.1. Upon receipt of a properly filed 

petition, the Agency conducts a 

technical review of the petition, 

material submitted with the petition, 

and any additional information. 49 

U.S.C. 30162(a)(2); 49 CFR 552.6. The 

technical review may consist solely of a 

review of information already in the 

possession of the Agency or it may 

include the collection of information 

from the motor vehicle manufacturer 

and/or other sources. After conducting 

the technical review and considering 

appropriate factors, which may include, 

but are not limited to, the nature of the 

complaint, allocation of Agency 

resources, Agency priorities, the 

likelihood of uncovering sufficient 

evidence to establish the existence of a 

defect, and the likelihood of success in 

any necessary enforcement litigation, 

the Agency will grant or deny the 

petition. See 49 U.S.C. 30162(a)(2); 49 

CFR 552.8. 

Background Information 

On February 4, 2022, the petitioner 

filed a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire 

(VOQ) designated ODI 11450360 

reporting that the petitioner’s vehicle 

made a popping sound and began to 

lose power while driving on a freeway 

at 70 mph. Petitioner stated that as he 

applied more accelerator input, the 

vehicle began to shake violently and 

began to expel white smoke through its 

exhaust. The petitioner safely exited 

traffic and arranged for the vehicle to be 

towed to a Mercedes dealership, where 

it was determined that the vehicle had 

a cracked piston. The dealer gave the 

petitioner a repair estimate for engine 

removal and diagnosis of a cracked 

piston, along with several repair options 

that included replacement of the 

catalytic converter and oxygen sensors, 

the damaged piston, and, contingent on 

damage identified during the diagnostic 

inspection, replacement of all four 

pistons and an engine rebuild. 

On April 29, 2022, the petitioner 

submitted a petition requesting that the 

Agency initiate an investigation into 

alleged ‘‘wrong-sized wrist pins’’ in all 

Mercedes-Benz models equipped with a 

variation of the M274 engine. The 

petitioner cited Mercedes technical 

service bulletin (TSB) LI03.10–P– 

060916 as the basis for the wrist pin 

concern. The petition included the 

petitioner’s vehicle repair estimate, the 

TSB, and screenshots of web forum 

statements from other Mercedes owners 

discussing either engine durability 

problems or the TSB. 

TSB LI03.10–P–060916 

The first iteration of TSB LI03.10–P– 

060916 was released on February 27, 

2015. The TSB was updated 16 

additional times through January 30, 

2019. The TSB addressed the following 

complaint condition: ‘‘Clattering/ 

rattling or knocking noise from the 

crank assembly of the engine when cold 

at oil temperatures up to approx. 50°C 

mostly heard on engine deceleration’’ 

and listed the cause as under analysis. 

The TSB gave further instructions on 

the collection of information and 

discouraged the replacement of any 

components. 

TSB Version 4, issued on September 

21, 2015, introduced engine build clean 

points (March 27, 2015 or April 20, 

2015 depending on the engine plant); 

cause (unfavorable tolerance of the 

piston wrist pin resulting in enlarged 

end float of the connecting rod in the 

piston); and remedy (compare the 

complaint vehicle sound to an enclosed 

sound file under various operating 

conditions and then if verified, replace 

the pistons, connecting rods, and 

bearings, using updated pistons that 

include updated wrist pins). 

Petitioner Vehicle History 

The petitioner’s vehicle is a 2015 

Mercedes C300 equipped with the M274 

(LS) 4-cylinder 2.0L direct-injected/ 

turbocharged engine fueled by 91 

Octane or higher gasoline. A synopsis of 

the petitioner’s vehicle history leading 

up to the events prompting the petition 

is listed as follows: 

Date Mileage Action(s) 

• Apr 2015 ................................................ ........................ Vehicle manufactured. . 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 21, 2025 / Notices 7239 

1The authority to determine whether to approve 

or deny defect petitions under 49 U.S.C. 30162(d) 

and 49 CFR part 552 has been further delegated to 

the Associate Administrator for Enforcement. 

Date Mileage Action(s) 

• Sept 2015 .............................................. ........................ Titled to Owner #1 

• Mar 2016 ............................................... 3,065 TSB LI03.10–P–060916 performed: R&R 4 pistons and connecting rods.

• Jan 2017 ............................................... 7,618 Vehicle service incl. oil change. 

• Apr 2017 ................................................ ........................ Damage Report: Front; Left; Rear; Minor to Moderate. 

• Nov 2017 ............................................... ........................ Damage Report: Rear; Minor. 

• Dec 2017 ............................................... ........................ Damage Report: Front; Moderate/accident reported. 

• Mar 2018 ............................................... 16,409 Vehicle service incl. oil change. 

• Oct 2018 ................................................ 17,047 Titled to Owner #2. 

• Nov 2018 ............................................... 17,746 Vehicle service—tire pressure TPMS. 

• Feb 2021 ............................................... 26,927 Vehicle service incl. oil change. 

• Feb 2021 ............................................... 27,140 Titled to Owner #3 (Petitioner). 

• Aug 2021 ............................................... ........................ Accident Reported (no details available). 

• Jan 2022 ............................................... 51,672 Engine issue while driving. 

Alleged Defect and Scoping 

The piston wrist pin links the upper 

narrow end of the connecting rod to the 

piston via two holes in the piston skirt. 

Proper operation requires a precise 

enough fit to prevent vibration while 

allowing sufficient lubrication and 

clearance to permit smooth rotation 

relative to the piston as it reciprocates 

within the cylinder bore. Based on the 

latest version of the TSB, customers may 

complain of clattering, rattling, or 

knocking noises from the engine, 

particularly with cold engine oil 

temperatures upon deceleration. This 

condition is attributed to unfavorable 

piston-wrist pin tolerance, leading to 

‘‘enlarged end float.’’ Technicians are 

instructed to compare complaint vehicle 

sounds to a reference sound file and, if 

they match, replace connecting rods, 

pistons, and bearings from a dedicated 

replacement kit. Mercedes has asserted 

that this condition will not cause 

mechanical engine damage (evidenced 

by a lack of any such engine damage 

caused by wrist pin issues in the subject 

vehicles). 

ODI focused its review on the 

petitioner’s vehicle engine 

configuration, which also falls within 

the scope of the TSB: a MY 2015 

Mercedes C300 vehicle manufactured 

prior to May 2, 2015. The subject engine 

includes turbocharging, the requirement 

for 91 Octane fuel, and the inclusion of 

piston wrist pins coated with diamondlike carbon (DLC), whereas the M274 

engine variant included in the Metris 

minivan (cited in the petition) lacks the 

DLC coated wrist pin forming the basis 

of the petitioner’s concerns. Thus, ODI 

did not include Metris vehicles in its 

analysis. 

ODI Analysis 

ODI searched its VOQ data for 

references to wrist pins, symptoms 

comparable to those reported by the 

petitioner, loss of motive power, and 

general engine complaints such as noise 

(safety and non-safety related). Out of 

the 86,112 MY 2015 C300 vehicles 

produced, ODI was able to identify 96 

related VOQs submitted to NHTSA. 

These complaints did not include any 

confirmed cases of wrist pin(s) causing 

a loss of motive power without the 

ability to restart, including the VOQ 

submitted by the petitioner. 

Of the 96 VOQs, eight consumers 

cited ‘‘wrist pins’’ in their complaint 

narrative and only three of those eight 

VOQs alleged symptoms that could be 

interpreted as a reduction of motive 

power, similar to an operational limp 

mode or reduction in performance. 

These VOQs primarily referenced 

engine noises, and one claimed that the 

‘‘engine broke’’ without specifically 

describing any safety-related details to 

associate that complaint with a loss of 

motive power. Two VOQs mentioned 

wrist pins without any explanation of 

symptoms. While some VOQs have 

shown evidence of general engine part 

failure, they are uncorrelated to any 

trend, and further, ODI was unable to 

verify that any of these alleged wrist pin 

issues led to engine failure. 

Finally, the petitioner’s vehicle was 

included within these VOQs that 

mentioned wrist pins, but there was 

insufficient evidence to link any failure 

with wrist pins in the Petitioner’s 

submissions, including repair records. 

Petitioner’s VOQ (11450360) reported 

losing power and shaking while pushing 

the accelerator, and engine power loss 

while white smoke was emitted from 

the exhaust pipe. The description 

further states that the petitioner later 

took the vehicle to a service center and 

the engine was diagnosed with having a 

cracked piston and included an invoice 

from the service center. The VOQ 

further describes that the subject (wrist 

pin) TSB was discovered later and 

implied a correlation between the 

conditions covered by that bulletin and 

the cause of his vehicle’s engine failure. 

However, the petitioner was evidently 

unaware that his vehicle’s engine had 

already received all new wrist pins and 

pistons as per the TSB in March 2016, 

when the first owner of the vehicle 

completed the servicing recommended 

in TSB LI03.10–P–060916 (as shown 

above in the summary of the vehicle’s 

service history). 

Analysis of VOQs and data received 

from Mercedes-Benz indicates no 

relationship between wrist pin repairs 

and engine failure or loss of motive 

power. Broader searches of both data 

sources for engine stalling related to 

engine durability were not identified. 

An additional search of a commercial 

vehicle repair and diagnostics database 

for engine stalling related to engine 

durability for the 2015 Mercedes C300 

revealed no wrist pin-related engine 

mechanical damage allegations of any 

kind. 

Based on the nature of wrist pinrelated piston skirt wear and the 

absence of a field data trend showing an 

engine stalling condition linked to wrist 

pins in particular or broken pistons in 

general, ODI has determined that no 

formal investigation is warranted. 

Accordingly, the Agency is denying the 

petition. As with all potential motor 

vehicle safety risks, NHTSA will 

continue to review any new information 

or incidents as they are submitted to the 

Agency. 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30162(d); 

delegations of authority at CFR 1.95(a) 

and part 501.1

Eileen Sullivan, 

Associate Administrator, Enforcement. 

[FR Doc. 2025–01351 Filed 1–17–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1