Photo: Mercedes-AMG
Back in June 2018, the Three-Pointed Star became aware of a number of customer complaints outside of the U.S. regarding water penetration into the rear interior area. Several vehicles were obtained for examination. Said analyses didn’t indicate the potential failure of vital equipment such as the fuel pump control unit, but Merc couldn't have been more wrong.
Fast forward to February 2019, and the Stuttgart-based manufacturer instructed the relevant departments to further investigate the root cause of the aforementioned customer complaints. One month later, the automaker became aware of the first customer complaints in the U.S. market. Yet another set of tests concluded without relevant findings. Merc then reevaluated the data to determine whether the water entering the rear interior area of the vehicle may lead to a failure of the fuel pump.
The German automaker also initiated research to eliminate the risk of a fuel pump electronic control unit going kaput after coming into contact with water accumulated in the spare wheel well. Sometime between April to September 2022, the safety boffins acknowledged that vehicles could lose propulsion without advance warning to the driver. Be that as it may, the gentlemen in charge of deciding whether a recall is necessary or not were summoned in December 2022 instead of September 2022.
The laggard reaction to a potential safety risk goes against the Stuttgart-based automaker’s “the best or nothing” promise, but then again, the Mercedes of today isn’t the Mercedes that gave us the Grosser and 300 SL from all those years ago. The automaker is aware of at least 773 confirmed warranty claims, field reports, and service reports in the U.S. market alone, dated from March 2019 all the way through December 2022.
No crashes, property damage, injuries, or deaths are related to this defect according to Merc, which is calling back 323,963 vehicles in the United States of America and federalized territories. The W166-generation ML and GLE are called back, together with the C292-generation GLE Coupe.
In terms of engine options, documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration include pretty much everything from the ML 250 to the GLE 63 S. Water accumulated in the spare wheel well may intermittently contact the fuel pump’s electronic control unit, interrupting the fuel supply to the engine, thus leading to a loss of motive power.
The cause of this defect? “A development deviation in combination with production tolerances and possible customer influences when loading and unloading items from the rear hatch.” Emphasis on the development deviation, which is Merc’s acknowledgment of a poor design cleared for production by similarly poor seniors who should have known better.
MBUSA dealers have been instructed to install a water drain plug in the spare wheel well of affected vehicles and, if necessary, replace the fuel pump electronic control unit. Known owners of the affected MLs and GLEs will be informed by first-class mail before February 21st, 2023.
The German automaker also initiated research to eliminate the risk of a fuel pump electronic control unit going kaput after coming into contact with water accumulated in the spare wheel well. Sometime between April to September 2022, the safety boffins acknowledged that vehicles could lose propulsion without advance warning to the driver. Be that as it may, the gentlemen in charge of deciding whether a recall is necessary or not were summoned in December 2022 instead of September 2022.
The laggard reaction to a potential safety risk goes against the Stuttgart-based automaker’s “the best or nothing” promise, but then again, the Mercedes of today isn’t the Mercedes that gave us the Grosser and 300 SL from all those years ago. The automaker is aware of at least 773 confirmed warranty claims, field reports, and service reports in the U.S. market alone, dated from March 2019 all the way through December 2022.
No crashes, property damage, injuries, or deaths are related to this defect according to Merc, which is calling back 323,963 vehicles in the United States of America and federalized territories. The W166-generation ML and GLE are called back, together with the C292-generation GLE Coupe.
In terms of engine options, documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration include pretty much everything from the ML 250 to the GLE 63 S. Water accumulated in the spare wheel well may intermittently contact the fuel pump’s electronic control unit, interrupting the fuel supply to the engine, thus leading to a loss of motive power.
The cause of this defect? “A development deviation in combination with production tolerances and possible customer influences when loading and unloading items from the rear hatch.” Emphasis on the development deviation, which is Merc’s acknowledgment of a poor design cleared for production by similarly poor seniors who should have known better.
MBUSA dealers have been instructed to install a water drain plug in the spare wheel well of affected vehicles and, if necessary, replace the fuel pump electronic control unit. Known owners of the affected MLs and GLEs will be informed by first-class mail before February 21st, 2023.
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