Mercedes-Benz USA has issued a recall for a little over 15,500 examples of the 253-series GLC. More specifically, the German manufacturer is referring to 2019 through 2022 models ranging from the GLC 300 to the GLC 350 e and the AMG-ified GLC 43.
The recall report published on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website reads that said vehicles feature headlights that were adjusted slightly too high from the factory. Merc identified a deviation in the adjustment tool used on the assembly line at the Bremen plant in Germany.
The 300, 350 e, and 43 for the US market all come from Bremen, hence their 17-character vehicle identification numbers kicking off with the letter W. The incorrectly adjusted headlights exceed the range specified by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 by just around 0.15 percent. Said headlights may create glare for oncoming traffic, therefore increasing the risk of a crash. Mercedes-Benz started investigating this concern in late 2021, following a series of tests conducted by the IIHS.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded two headlight performance ratings to the 2020 through 2022 model year 253-series GLC, namely good for vehicles equipped with the projector-type headlights of the Exterior Lightning Package and poor for the standard reflector-type headlights. Based in Arlington, Virginia, the nonprofit organization determined that the low beams created excessive glare. The IIHS further pointed out inadequate visibility on the left side.
Mercedes immediately commenced an investigation, determining that the headlights had been adjusted at an angle that exceeded the production-spec. Given this finding, Mercedes readjusted the calibration process in January 2022. This, in turn, explains why recalled vehicles were assembled in the period between June 30, 2019 to January 19, 2022. But still, why did the automaker issue a recall for the described concern more than two years after fixing the problem in production?
Photo: Mercedes
The short answer is further investigations. In late January 2024, the folks at Mercedes-Benz USA ultimately determined that incorrectly adjusted headlights could slightly exceed the tolerance requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108. The American division also identified a single warranty claim (filed in October 2021).
Dealers nationwide have already been instructed to check the adjustment on the affected vehicles and – if necessary – correct it at no cost whatsoever to the customers. Known owners will have to wait until March 1 at the latest to receive their MB-branded recall notifications via first-class mail. 167 of the 15,502 grand total comprises GLC 43 vehicles.
15,333 of them were finished in 300 flavor, whereas only 2 were optioned with the plug-in hybrid setup. The GLC 350 e features a 13.5-kWh battery pack that enables a zero-emission driving range of 22 miles (35 kilometers) in the EPA's test cycle.
The redesigned GLC, which rolled out for the 2023 model year, still isn't available as a plug-in hybrid in the United States. Over in Europe, the 254-series GLC 300 e is listed with up to 130 kilometers in the WLTP, which is far more optimistic than the EPA's way of testing electric driving range. Converted to miles, that would be 81 on a full charge.
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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