Mercedes-Benz is recalling more than 116,000 vehicles over loose electrical wiring under the passenger seat, increasing the risk of a fire, according to a regulatory filing Wednesday—the latest recall by the German automaker over the last month.
The recall affects some Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE vehicles manufactured from 2021 to 2024, GLE vehicles manufactured between 2019 and 2024 and Maybach sedans from the 2021-2023 model years, according to a National High Traffic Safety Administration filing.
The vehicles are installed with a loose 48-volt ground connection—wiring that connects to the negative terminal on a battery—under the passenger seat, which could cause the wiring to overheat and increase the risk of fire, regulators said.
No crashes or injuries were caused by the defect, Mercedes-Benz said, adding it would contact customers starting May 14.
Mercedes-Benz believes the wiring has become loose because of nearby mechanical work during the manufacturing process, though the automaker was unable to determine a “conclusive connection,” according to another filing.
Affected customers can go to Mercedes-Benz dealers, who will inspect and tighten the wiring for free.
Mercedes-Benz has issued three other recalls over the last month for unrelated issues. The German automaker recalled over 105,000 GLE and GLS vehicles over a defective transmission, which may not dully downshift in certain conditions. The issue could cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash, regulators said. That same day, Mercedes-Benz recalled nearly 32,000 vehicles for a defective fuse that could result in a sudden loss of driving power or a loss of “critical safety functions,” which increases the risk of a crash or injury. Another 250,000 vehicles with defective fuses that could increase the risk of fire were recalled globally the next week, according to Germany’s auto regulator, affecting some AMG GT, C-Class and E-Class vehicles from the 2023 model year, among others. Of these, more than 37,000 vehicles are in Germany.
478,175. That’s how many vehicles Mercedes-Benz recalled in the U.S. last year, according to NHTSA data. More than 23.7 million vehicles were recalled in total from all manufacturers.
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