Known APK problem

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter: lights

On the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter the APK inspector finds lights problems 90% more often than on cars of the same age: at 7–8 years 21.7%, against about 11.4% nationally.

Window: Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · Updated: 16 Oct 2026

What is it?

Broken bulbs, misaligned headlights or damaged light units.

Repair indication: smallusually a small repair, often done with the service.

How to check it at the viewing

Walk around with the lights, indicators, brake lights and rear fog light on. Look for moisture in the headlights.

Ask the seller: Have the headlights been aligned, and has there been moisture in the light units?

By age

Share of inspected Mercedes-Benz Sprinters with this defect, compared with all cars of the same age.

Age	Type	Sprinter	95%-CI	National	Difference	n
3 – 4 years	B	13.1%	11.1 – 15.5%	6.2%	2.1×	884
5 – 6 years	B	15.6%	14.2 – 17.1%	7.8%	2.0×	2,332
7 – 8 years	B	21.7%	19.8 – 23.8%	11.4%	1.9×	1,605
9 – 10 years	B	22.3%	20.1 – 24.7%	13.1%	1.7×	1,219
11 – 12 years	B	20.9%	18.3 – 23.6%	17.4%	1.2×	892
13 – 15 years	B	24.2%	21.7 – 26.8%	24.2%	1.0×	1,091
16+ years	B	29.5%	26.2 – 33.0%	26.8%	1.1×	682

A = structure, safety or costly mechanics; B = fail, usually simple; C = advisory. An age is missing when this defect is not among the most common there.

Comparable cars at 7–8 years

Model	Lights	Vs. national
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter	21.7%	1.9×
Dacia Logan	26.6%	2.4×
BMW 1-serie F21	6.2%	0.6×
Mercedes-Benz E-Klasse W213/S213	6.2%	0.6×

Looking at a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter? Check that car

Enter the plate and see the APK history, open recalls and how this car compares with other Mercedes-Benz Sprinters of the same age.

All weak spots of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter · Lights: which models more often · Checklist for this model

Frequently asked questions

Does the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter often have lights problems?

Yes, more often than average at the APK. At 7–8 years the inspector found a lights defect on 21.7% of inspected Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, against about 11.4% of all cars of the same age (1.9×). Source: RDW Open Data, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026.

How do you check the lights on a used Mercedes-Benz Sprinter?

Walk around with the lights, indicators, brake lights and rear fog light on. Look for moisture in the headlights.

Repair indication: small, medium or large. An indication of the usual repair, not a quote: the real cost depends on the car, the cause and the garage.

Source: RDW Open Data (CC0), analysis CarXray.nl. 6,857,004 inspected passenger cars aged 3 years and older, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026. Each car counts once. How we know