German auto giant Mercedes-Benz has been in the news lately, however, for the wrong reasons. Over the past few days, there have been a series of recalls of cars with manufacturing defects in different markets.
China Recall and Issue
Just recently, Mercedes-Benz recalled more than 660,000 vehicles in China for a possible oil leak. The problem arose near the fuel pump, where a seal between a high-pressure fuel pump and a low-pressure fuel pipe would have weakened over time, allowing oil to leak when the engine starts in cold weather, according to a notice published on the website of China’s State Administration for Market Regulation.
The recall would affect 668,954 vehicles and would begin from December 18, 2020. It includes several models made between February 2013 and June 2017, including C-class, E-class, V-class, GLK-class, CLS-class, SLC-class, GLC SUV and VS20 VITO vehicles. Most of the vehicles were made in China by Beijing Benz Automotive Co. About 12,500 were built by Fujian Benz Automotive Co. and about 36,000 were imported.
India Recall and Issue
Not just in China, the German carmaker has announced recalls on certain cars in India as well. Just a couple of days after the recall was issued in China, the manufacturer recalled its popular sedan, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class for a safety-related issue. Along with it, Mercedes-Benz GLC, CLS, as well as G-Class too are being called to the service centres. Overall, 103 cars are affected.
E-Class sedans manufactured between 8th August and 20th October 2018 and GLC SUVs which were produced between 20th June and 6th October 2018 have been affected by the issue that surrounds the seat belt. A certain number of units of the CLS and G-Class vehicles which were manufactured between 9th July and 2nd October 2018 are also included in the recall.
The official statement stated, “In certain vehicles, we have found that the seat buckle housings of your vehicle might not have been manufactured according to specifications. A correctly fastened seat belt could be erroneously detected as not fastened. In this case, neither the electric (PRE-SAFE function) nor the pyrotechnic tensioning would be activated in the event of a crash. Thus, the full effect of the restraint system could be impaired. As a consequence, the risk of injury for occupants would be increased.”
So far, no customer has been reportedly affected due to the issue. The Mercedes-Benz recall is voluntary, while the free inspection and replacement will take less than two hours. Customers will be contacted through calls and email and due to the current situation, customer cars could be picked and returned after completion of the job.
In both cases, the dealers will replace faulty parts free of charge. These announcements come after about a month ago, the company ordered another recall that began last month of 4,653 Mercedes G-class vehicles that had incorrect child-safety lock labels.
Also READ: Mercedes-Benz Faces Legal Action In United Kingdom Over ‘Dieselgate’ Allegations
Recent Controversies
The company has already been embroiled in other controversies in Europe where more than 10,000 motorists have signed up for group legal action against Mercedes-Benz in the United Kingdom. This is after the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) ordered the recall of Mercedes cars and the carmaker agreed to pay a fine of €870-million in September 2019, for selling non-compliant vehicles.