# 2020 MERCEDES-BENZ C 300 — AIR BAGS
> NHTSA complaint `1761773` · 2021-08-06 · Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 1
- **Fire:** No
- **Crash:** No
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** Yes
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** MERCEDES-BENZ
- **Model:** C 300
- **Year:** 2020
- **Manufacturer:** Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
- **Component:** AIR BAGS
- **Speed:** 70 mph
## Narrative
On July 17, 2021 I was driving at the posted rate of speed down I-275 Southbound here in Michigan. All of the sudden and without warning, there was a loud explosion which happened, from as near as I can tell, in the driver's side windshield pillar, where there is an airbag. No warning lights came on, and the car did not change its driving characteristics. Only after I reached my destination and searched under the dash, and every where else (including the exterior), did I find that the plastic "cover" on the pillar is pushed away from the pillar and much more loose than the plastic cover on the passenger side. Since the incident, I have had severe tinnitus in my left ear which was about 15-18" away from it. The air bag did not deploy.  I did not hit a pothole, did not hit a bump, did not hit another vehicle.
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*