Montvale, N.J. – March 14, 2017 – Mercedes-Benz USA has recalled dozens of vehicles with faulty software, according to documentation filed with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The recall impacts a variety of models with disparate production dates, including:
- AMG GT-S coupes produced between January 2008 and March 2017
- C 250 sedans produced between January 2008 and March 2017
- C 300 sedans produced between January 2008 and August 2014
- C 300 4Matic sedans produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- C 350 sedans produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- CLA 250 sedans produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- CLS 550 and 550 4Matic sedans produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- E 350, E 350 4Matic and BLUETEC sedans produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- E 350 4Matic coupes produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- E 350 4Matic wagons produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- G 63 AMG sport utility vehicles produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- GL 450 4Matic sport utility vehicles produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- GLC 300 AMG sport utility vehicles produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- GLE 300d 4Matic sport utility vehicles produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- GLK 350 sport utility vehicles produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- ML 350 4Matic and 4Matic BLUETEC sport utility vehicles produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- S 550 and S 550 4Matic sedans produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- SL 550 sedans produced between January 2008 and January 2017
- SL 63 AMG sedans produced between January 2008 and January 2017
The Defect
Affected vehicles contain unit control software that has been improperly coded. This defect could manifest in various ways, depending on the model. It has been known to disrupt air bag deployment, seat belt recognition status and maximum speed settings. These issues could increase the likelihood of a crash, putting drivers and passengers at increased risk.
Timeline of Events
in December of last year, engineers at multiple Mercedes workshops notified the company that the unit control software in various models would not update. The car maker launched an investigation and determined that software was defective due to a coding error at the time of production. Over the next month, Mercedes personnel conducted additional reviews and compiled a list of models that could include the damaged code. In February 2017, engineers tested the defective software to determine how it might impact driveability, discovering multiple risk factors. In March, they performed further tests and concluded that the software might also affect emissions and therefore may not comply with regulations.
Mercedes chose to conduct a voluntary recall as result.
The Solution
The car maker will order dealers to update the software in affected models, free of charge, according to the NHTSA. There is currently no timetable for dealer or owner notification.
