vinkodex.

Mercedes-Benz Vito Vito short 116 CDI common faults.

2010–2014, van, diesel, 163 HP.

The fault list covers: OM651DE22LA engine, MB7226, MB7229 transmission.

What you save stays on this device only. My saves

5 fault write-ups. All are important. No recall on the list.

If you know the year, pick it. Faults for other years drop out of the list.

Before you buy

Known faults

5 important faults

critical2

OM651: the chain tensioner seal leaks and oil drips onto the exhaust

critical

The chain tensioner seal starts to leak and engine oil can drip onto the exhaust system. On the hot exhaust the oil can ignite.

Show the rest

The manufacturer issued a recall for it, covering more than 100,000 cars built between February and November 2014. The repair is free under the campaign. The visible signs are oil traces at the back of the engine and a burnt smell.

What to check

  • Look at the back of the engine from underneath: oil traces point at the tensioner seal
  • Smell the engine bay when warm: burnt oil has a telling smell
  • Look at the top of the exhaust: baked-on oil leaves a mark
2 more steps in the write-up

OM651: the sealing ring of the chain tensioner leaks and the chain can loosen

critical

The sealing ring of the chain tensioner starts to let through, and engine oil escapes at the tensioner. The cause is insufficient manufacturing tolerance of the sealing rings. Beyond the loss of oil the chain tensioner can also loosen, and in an extreme case the timing chain comes free, which means engine damage. A separate phenomenon is that on the early OM651 engines a shortcoming of the tensioner let the chain stretch prematurely, which typically caused serious engine damage. The maker revised the tensioner several times, so this mainly affects the older units. The maker issued a recall, for more than 100,000 cars in Germany and for 2,869 cars and 2,579 vans in Austria. The range is the four-cylinder diesel units built between February and November 2014. The classes affected are A, B, C, E, S, V, CLA, GLA, GLK, SLK, CLS, ML, GL, Vito, Viano and Sprinter. It also affects older cars that received a replacement engine or chain tensioner from that period. The repair is replacing the sealing ring, free of charge under the campaign, and takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours of workshop time. The visible sign is an oil trace at the rear of the engine.

What to check

  • Ask whether the recall has been carried out, and ask for the workshop confirmation
  • Start the engine cold and listen for a clacking or rattling noise
  • Listen to the chain on lifting off and on load changes as well
2 more steps in the write-up

expensive3

OM651 2.1/2.2 diesel: Delphi piezo injectors and rear timing chain

expensive

The Mercedes OM651 common rail diesel has two faults that are independent of each other.

Show the rest

1) Delphi piezo injectors. According to the German technical press the fault affected the two more powerful versions (125 kW / 170 hp and 150 kW / 204 hp). The weaker versions got solenoid injectors and were not affected. The fault could show up as early as around 50,000 km: the engine drops into limp mode, power is limited, and the car can still be driven slowly. Because of supply shortages the maker at first replaced only the failed injector rather than all four, so some owners went back four times. Later they moved to replacing the full set. From spring 2011 every 220 CDI version got solenoid injectors; the 250 CDI kept piezo injectors throughout, in several revised versions.

2) Timing chain. The engine runs on gears plus a short simplex roller chain. Increased chain wear (typically caused by a faulty chain tensioner) shows up occasionally at higher mileage. The replacement is very labour intensive, because the chain sits on the rear of the engine, on the gearbox side. The labour is the bigger part of the bill.

In November 2014 the chain tensioner caused trouble again: it can release, and engine oil can leak. The maker recalled cars built between February and November 2014. If the car falls in that window, check that the campaign was carried out.

The water pump can leak too.

between 50,000 and 250,000 km

What to check

  • Check the power output first: the 125 kW (170 hp) and 150 kW (204 hp) versions are the piezo injector, higher risk group. The weaker ones got solenoid injectors
  • Ask whether the injectors were replaced, and how many: a partial replacement meant repeat workshop visits
  • Listen to the engine on a cold start: rough running, shaking, smoke; limp mode or limited power while driving
4 more steps in the write-up

7G-Tronic (722.9): mechatronics and conductor plate

expensive

In the Mercedes 7 speed 722.9 automatic (7G-Tronic / 7G-Tronic Plus) the mechatronics unit and the conductor plate (Leiterplatte) age over time: jerking on shifts, delayed engagement, a "Getriebe schützen" message, and fault codes on the gearbox electronics.

Show the rest

The repair is typically replacing the mechatronics unit or the conductor plate together with an oil change: not the whole gearbox. The complaint is most common on the longitudinal platforms from around 2005 to 2015 (C/E/ML and the early GLC).

The 9G-Tronic (725.0) is a different design; this applies only to the 7G.

between 100,000 and 220,000 km

What to check

  • Try it cold and warm: a delayed 1 to 2 or 2 to 3 shift is suspect
  • Watch for the gearbox warning or the "Getriebe schützen" message on the dash
  • Ask for a fault code read on the gearbox controller (not just the engine codes)
1 more steps in the write-up

5G-Tronic (722.6): control unit in oil, coolant in the ATF

expensive

The Mercedes 5 speed 722.6 automatic (5G-Tronic / NAG1) has three faults that also recur on the used market: (1) the control electronics sit inside the gearbox housing, and a leaking connector lets oil onto the electronics; (2) cooling faults around 2003 (and later) can let antifreeze into the ATF, which shortens its life; (3) wear of the torque converter lock-up clutch contaminates the valve body and causes jerky shifts.

Show the rest

The early cars (1995 to 2001) had planetary gear and freewheel wear; after 1998 to 2001 the design improved, and on the used market the W203/W211/W220 era is the typical find.

between 120,000 and 250,000 km

What to check

  • Try it cold and warm: jerking or delayed shifts are suspect
  • Look at the colour and smell of the ATF: burnt oil points to wear, and a "milky" emulsion means antifreeze in the ATF
  • Ask for a fault code read on the gearbox controller
2 more steps in the write-up

Checklist

Mercedes-Benz Vito Vito short 116 CDI

First what you would check on any car. Then the faults of this model.

Before you buy

Checklist

The printed sheet starts with what you would check on any car. What you tick stays on this device only.

On every car

Ask the owner

Faults of this model

vinkodex.com · Before you buy it, see what can go wrong.

Engine and transmission

1 engines · 2 transmissions

OM651DE22LA · Viano 2.0 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY (4MATIC)

100–150 kW (136–204 HP) · diesel

MB7226 · 5G-Tronic, longitudinal (Mercedes 722.6 / NAG1)

automatic · 5 speed

Torque limit600 Nm
MakerMercedes-Benz

We built the code from the model and the gear count. The factory sheet does not state it. More than one transmission is possible. 5 gears = MB7226, 7 gears = MB7229.

Variant data

What is in this version

Factory data

Trim
Vito short 116 CDI
Body
van
Fuel
diesel
Transmission
automatic
Engine size
2143 cc
Power
120 kW (163 HP)
Drive
RWD
Production
2010–2014

Factory service interval

The manufacturer specifies this for this version. Of the mileage and the time, the one that comes first is the one that counts.

  • Air filter

    • 60,000 km or 4 years

  • Cabin (pollen) filter

    • 30,000 km or 2 years

  • Brake fluid change

    • first: 3 years, then 2 years(first change at 3 years, then every two years)

  • Fuel filter, diesel

    • 60,000 km or 2 years
All W639 versions

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms