More than 75,000 Mercedes-Benz cars in the UK may be affected by a safety recall. Reports of fires are the reason for the recall, after an issue with some starter motor components, which are said to have overheated.
It’s an issue in cars made between 2015 and 2017, where a faulty component is said to be liable to overheat. This fire risk means Mercedes-Benz will need to recall around a million vehicles globally.
It’s worth noting, however, that to date just one engine fire has been reported in the UK, and that affected an already-faulty car. The motor needs to be damaged before the problem that starts the fire can occur. A handful of instances of over-heating have been reported too, but no-one has been injured.
Is my Mercedes-Benz affected by the recall?
The problem affects certain versions of the following models:
Fifty one fires have been reported worldwide, none of which have resulted in death or injuries.
Mercedes-Benz says the problem arises when a driver repeatedly tries to start the car following an engine seizure. Therefore, the likelihood of it affecting drivers is extremely limited.
The full Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz parent company) statement reads as follows:
Daimler AG has discovered that on certain A-/B-/C-/E-Class as well as CLA, GLA and GLC vehicles the starting current limiter could overload under unique conditions during the starting procedure.
In situations where the vehicle’s engine is damaged and cannot crank (eg when the engine has hydro locked) and the customer repeatedly attempts to start the vehicle, a very high electric current can flow through the starting current limiter causing it to overheat.
How can I find out if my Mercedes-Benz will be recalled?
We’re still waiting for confirmation about the precise details of the recall, including when the cars will need to be recalled to the dealership and exactly which are affected.
Stay tuned to see more news on the recall