Mercedes-Benz recalls cars for fly-away sunroofs

Mercedes-Benz recalls cars for fly-away sunroofs

April 12, 2021 Rebecca Rand

Jacksonville, FL – March 20, 2022 – Mercedes Benz has remedied 1,856 coupe models including the 2015-2020 C300 and 2016-2020 GLC300 dealing with panoramic sunroof problems. None of these models have been deemed unreachable as well none were removed from the recall. In total Mercedes remedied the sunroof problems in one group all during 2021.

Jacksonville, FL – April 12, 2021 – Daimler AG (NASDAQ:DDAIF)– which owns the Mercedes-Benz brand – has recalled 15,096 vehicles whose sunroofs could fly off while the car is in motion, creating a road hazard. The recall includes 76 models that have previously had the sunroof repaired:

  • 2017-2020 Mercedes Benz C300 Coupe
  • 2017-2020 Mercedes-Benz C43 Coupe AMG
  • 2017-2020 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG
  • 2015-2020 Mercedes-Benz C300
  • 2016-2018 Mercedes-Benz C350e
  • 2016-2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 Coupe AMG
  • 2015 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG
  • 2015-2019 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
  • 2016 Mercedes-Benz C450
  • 2015-2016 Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG
  • 2016-2020 Mercedes Benz GLC300
  • 2017-2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC43 AMG
  • 2017-2019 Mercedes Coupe AMG GLE43 
  • 2016 Mercedes Coupe GLE450

For a  complete list, please visit the following page.

The affected component is called the “Cover OSR” and has multiple part numbers, including A1177800022 and A1567801200.

Recall summary  

The sunroof in these vehicles is bonded to the car with a front roof panel that is adjacent to the windshield. Dealers did not attach the panel to the car correctly during a prior repair, making the panel and sunroof prone to falling off the vehicle while it is moving. Back in 2017, Mercedes recalled thousands of vehicles, including the GLC 300 with a similar sunroof issue.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received seven complaints concerning the “the detachment” of the panel while driving.

Complaints

A driver of a C-class vehicle complained last year that the sunroof no longer closed and was shaking and rattling, creating a potential “safety issue during a possible rollover.”  Another said that his or her car got wet after a piece of sunroof “flew off.”

Warning signs

Before the panel detaches, the driver may notice “excessive wind noises in the area of the sunroof while driving” or notice that the panel is partially separated from the vehicle.

Risks

The flyaway roofs pose a safety risk to the driver and other motorists, who may crash as they try to avoid the debris or if the panel hits them. You can read more about the dangers of road debris in our recent article about Land Rover’s fly-away spoiler recall.

The repair

Mercedes-Benz dealers will replace the front roof panel with a new one, using the correct process and chemicals to adhere it to the car. Owners who already paid to have their roof panels re-attached may be eligible for reimbursement. More information about when and how to seek repairs will be sent out to owners in the week of May 14.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 15,000 vehicles are included in this Mercedes Benz recall. To see if your car is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Rebecca RandMercedes-Benz recalls cars for fly-away sunroofs
BMW recalls 14,000 cars over sunroof programming mistake

BMW recalls 14,000 cars over sunroof programming mistake

March 8, 2021 Rebecca Rand

Westwood, NJ – March 8, 2021 – BMW (OTCMKTS:BMWYY) has recalled 14,011 cars whose sunroofs do not adhere to federal safety guidelines about how and when power windows are allowed to close. The recall includes:

  • 2020-2021 BMW 228i coupes
  • 2020-2021 BMW 228i xDrive coupes
  • 2020-2021 BMW M235i xDrive cars

Recall summary  

The recall concerns the sunroof, which may continue to close even after the car has been turned off. This breaks a federal safety regulation requiring all power windows, including sunroofs, to be unable to close when the car is off and the front doors have been opened.

In a document submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), BMW said that this recall is caused by window-controlling software intended for European cars  “inadvertently” implemented in US cars.

Other BMW xDrive recalls

In February, BMW recalled 901 cars – including 840i xDrive and M850i xDrive – because of a risk that parts of the cars’ braking system may separate if the driver brakes hard. This may result in a loss of anti-lock brakes and “braking assistance,” increasing the risk of a crash.

Risks

If the sunroof continues to close after the ignition is turned off, it may hurt small children and other car occupants.

In fact, the regulation requiring windows to stop closing when the car is off was put in place in 1970 after “numerous cases” of children who suffered injuries or were choked to death after getting stuck in closing power windows. Many of these cases involved children who were left unattended in cars with the ignition off. 

The BMW sunroof, however, does feature an “anti-trap” feature, meaning that it would stop moving if it encountered resistance – such as a person’s limb – while closing.

The repair

BMW dealers will reprogram the sunroof’s electronic coding for free. Notifications with more information about how and when to get this repair will be mailed out to owners starting on April 12.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 14,000 vehicles are included in this BMW recall. To perform a BMW recall check, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Rebecca RandBMW recalls 14,000 cars over sunroof programming mistake
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