Mercedes-Benz US recalls a million cars over tech glitch

KUALA LUMPUR: Over one million Mercedes cars, 1.29 million to be precise, have been recalled in the United States. Reason? Well, as per the National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA) the cars suffer from eCall system failure that results in emergency responders sent to the wrong location.

It is to be noted that all the affected Mercedes were sold in 2016. However, up until now, Mercedes USA has claimed to register no case of personal injury or material damage in connection with the issue.

In connection with the recall, Mercedes-Benz US said, “a temporary collapse of the communication module's power supply caused by a crash might lead to the vehicle's position during a potential emergency call being incorrect." It further added, "other functions of the automatic and manual emergency call function remain fully operational."

NHTSA says that the problem lies with the eCall system software communication module design. This, in turn, leads to the transmission of incorrect vehicle location to the emergency responder in the event of an accident or crash, thus increasing the risk of injury.

A similar instance took place in Europe in 2019, wherein the automaker launched an investigation based on a single instance where the eCall system relayed an inaccurate car location.

Coming back to the recent US recall following are the Mercedes models included in the recent one million recall -

• A-Class
• C-Class
• S-Class
• E-Class
• G-Class
• GT-Class
• CLA-Class
• CLS-Class
• GLA-Class
• GLE-Class
• GLB-Class
• GLS-Class
• GLC-Class
• SL-Class
• SLC-Class

It is to be noted that all the affected Mercedes were sold in 2016.

Solution: The owners of the affected cars will have to take vehicles to the dealership for an over-the-air update.

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