Up to one million units of the Mercedes-Benz C-class, E-class, CLA, GLA and GLC will be recalled worldwide because of a potential fire risk, according to a report by Reuters. The affected models are all built between 2015 and 2017.
In documents filed to the US government, it was revealed that repeated attempts to start a car which won't turn over could cause a current limiter in the starter motor to overheat and melt other parts. According to the documents, Mercedes began investigating the problem last June following reports of 'thermally damaged' current limiters.
A total of 51 fires have been reported worldwide, with 30 in the United States alone. Mercedes says there have been no reports of injury.
Mercedes owners will be notified later this month if their car is affected, and again when replacement parts are available, which is anticipated to be July. Dealers will take about an hour to rectify the issue, and will install another fuse to prevent fires. All work will be free of charge.
A Mercedes spokesman said the firm "couldn't comment" on whether any UK owners had been affected by the issue, but said that up to "75,000 cars in the UK" would be affected. Of the million vehicles to be recalled, 307,629 are in the United States, the Reuters report added.
In a statement to our sister publication Autocar UK, Daimler AG said that on affected cars, "the starting current limiter could overload during unique conditions during the starting procedure." The statement confirms that when the engine is damaged and cannot crank, "a very high electric current can flow through the starting current limiter causing it to overheat".
Darren Moss