Rolled out in 2023 for the 2024 model year, the 214-series Mercedes-Benz E-Class has been hit with a safety recall in the United States. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, only a handful of sedans and wagons may feature a transmission wiring harness routed too close to the driveshaft.
The safety risk is a loss of drive power, caused by the damage to the wiring harness from contact with the driveshaft. An estimated 396 vehicles are believed to have been produced with the recall condition, with production dates ranging from April 27, 2023 through January 29, 2024.
Dealers have been instructed to check for incorrectly routed harnesses in the affected E 350, E 450, and E 450 All-Terrain vehicles and – if necessary – correct or replace said harnesses. The original and remedy harnesses bear the very same part numbers, namely A2145409207 and A2145409407 in Merc's parts system.
The Stuttgart-based automaker claims that said problem was corrected in production back on February 26 by improving quality control. The recalled vehicles all feature VINs beginning with W, standing for German production. Also worthy of note, all versions of the E-Class on sale in the US come standard with 4MATIC all-wheel drive.
Owners can easily determine whether their Es have been recalled or not by running the vehicle identification number on the automaker's US website. Mercedes-Benz USA is required to inform affected owners by mail, with notification letters to be mailed no later than May 21, 2024.
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Closely related to the CLE Coupe and CLE Cabriolet, the 214-series Executive Class is available in two flavors at press time: E 350 4MATIC Sedan at $62,300 and E 450 4MATIC Sedan at $68,100 before destination. The E 450 4MATIC All-Terrain, which bears the same S214 codename as the E-Class T-Modell, is listed as a future vehicle on Mercedes' website.
The same applies to the sedan-only E 53 Hybrid, which – contrary to its name – is a plug-in hybrid. It combines the six-cylinder turbo engine of the 450 with a permanently excited synchronous electric motor in the AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G automatic transmission for a combined output of 577 horsepower or 604 with Race Start.
Capable of driving in zero-emission mode at speeds no higher than 87 miles per hour (140 kilometers per hour), the most powerful E in production today is electronically limited to 174 miles per hour (280 kilometers per hour). Its high-voltage battery is rated at 28.6 kilowatt hours, and EPA-rated electric driving range is a mystery for the time being.
Due to limited availability and not much in the way of diversity, the 214 isn't expected to exceed the 213's delivery volume for 2023, at least in the first year of production. Together with the 213-based CLS, the previous generation moved 17,075 units last year compared to 32,698 examples of the C-Class. The most popular nameplate from the three-pointed star in this part of the world is the locally produced GLE, which sold 57,686 units.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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