Ask an expert

Do you know of any recall of merc 2.7CRD diesels due to fuel return line connection failure?commonly jeep, merc sprinter, Merc ML, campervans too. A dangerous situation exists through loss of power steering because diesel pump is situated above front pulley belts, when the line clips fail (special MB part) it gushes diesel on to belts they slip so you can't turn the wheel at low speed. The plastic clips holding the lines into the pump get brittle when in contact with diesel....go figure that. Also a real of fire risk as hot diesel blows back to red hot turbo as well as dropping a swath of diesel on the road. Wait theres more... you can keep driving unware as it is only returning fuel not required to run the vehicle. Safe or not?

We referred your email onto Mercedes-Benz New Zealand Ltd for comment.

They have confirmed there has been no in-service measures/recalls on the OM612 engine in regards to fuel system leaks in New Zealand.

Our roadservice staff are also unaware of any major or common issues with this engine as far as fuel leak related call-outs are concerned.

While some components may become brittle over time, I would be very reluctant to move away from genuine safety related parts such as fuel lines and connections. It is not unusual for new vehicle manufactures to develop and stock modified/enhanced parts as part of on-going quality improvement during a models life cycle.

If there are any fuel related concerns from owners regardless of make/model, our recommendation would always be to have their vehicle inspected by an authorised service dealer/agent or their preferred repairer.