Laguna Hills, CA – October 26, 2018 – Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling roughly four thousand 2016-2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 and GLC300 4Matic, 2018 GLC350e and GLC63 AMG 4Matic and 2017-2018 GLC43 AMG 4Matic vehicles due to seat belts which can become unusable due to a missing element. This is in addition to over 100,000 vehicles recalled for the same issue in March of 2018.
The Defect
According to the NHTSA Recall Safety Report, an error during production led to felt strips not having been applied between the C-pillar and rear side paneling according to current production specification. The outboard rear seats’ seat belt latch plates, which are intended to insert into the buckles, may retract into the interior paneling, becoming inaccessible and preventing vehicle occupants from being able to use them. The probability of occurrence is generally low, but if a rear seat passenger does not fasten the seatbelt, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Timeline of Events
In the beginning of February 2018, DAG launched an inquiry into two complaints of customers about the seat belt issue. The subsequent investigations showed that the described defect was reproducible under specific conditions, and that a geometrical design of the paneling parts was the root cause of the problem. The range of vehicles was examined for potential safety concerns, in early March 2018, DAG recalled 116,000 vehicles under recall notice 18V177. The current recall relates to an additional 4,079 vehicles identified in early September that also may not have had the necessary felt strips installed during the production process.
The Solution
MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will install felt strips between the C-pillar and rear side paneling, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin November 2, 2018. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA’s number for this recall is 2018100002. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153). The NHTSA Campaign Number for this recall is 18V683000.
