Photo: Mercedes / edited
At press time, prospective customers in the United States can get a new Mercedes C-Class in C 300 or AMG C 43 flavor. Both versions have been recalled over an increased risk of fire due to an improperly secured electrical wiring harness, a condition stemming from a production deviation.
Back in early 2022, the Stuttgart-based automaker started investigating said problem in the wake of multiple field reports from markets outside the United States. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, isolated cases were known prior to the start of said investigation.
In all instances, both dealers and customers discovered loose grounding bolt connections that resulted in warning messages and worse. Fast forward to June 2022, and the field reports involving the insufficient tightening of the grounding bolt for the engine's wiring harness kept on pouring in. Said reports included vehicles produced after March 2022, when Mercedes implemented production process improvements.
Improvements like torque checks for the bolts in question, a PDA check at the quality gate, a dedicated operator for the ground connection rework, and monthly sample checks. The German company also evaluated the potential consequences associated with improperly torqued 12- and 48-volt ground connections. Not surprising in the least, electric resistance might increase in the case of an improperly secured wiring harness. The temperature in this area may increase dramatically, resulting in a fire that may extend to the whole car.
Thankfully, Mercedes isn't aware of any fires, crashes, injuries, or property damage associated with this issue. Better late than never, the automaker implemented further production process improvements in June 2023 to address the condition once and for all.
An estimated 1,552 vehicles were produced for the US market with potentially loose 12- and 48-volt ground connections. Of those, 46 are C 43s and 1,506 are C 300s with either rear- or all-wheel drive. The C 43 comes exclusively with 4MATIC all-wheel drive.
The production dates for these compact executive sedans range between July 9, 2021 and June 6, 2023. Both the C 300 and C 43 employ mild-hybrid assistance and 2.0-liter turbocharged lumps, although the AMG-ified model features a hand-assembled powerplant.
Dealers will be notified of this campaign tomorrow, July 7. Service techs will be instructed to inspect the 12- and 48-volt ground connections and perform the necessary repairs. Both the suspect parts and remedy parts feature the same part numbers cos there's nothing wrong with the designs of the harness (part number A2065400354) and grounding nuts (part number N000000008271).
Owners will be informed of Merc's blunder no later than August 29. In the meantime, said owners can run the vehicle identification numbers of their vehicles on the NHTSA's website to find out whether their luxury sedans are included in this recall campaign or not.
As of July 2023, the C 300 carries a sticker price of $44,850 (sans destination charge) in the United States. 4MATIC adds $2,000 to the tally, whereas the C 43 is $59,900 at the very least due to its way more special engine that integrates an electric turbo. Codenamed M139l, the four-cylinder mill cranks out 402 horsepower (408 ps) and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm).
In all instances, both dealers and customers discovered loose grounding bolt connections that resulted in warning messages and worse. Fast forward to June 2022, and the field reports involving the insufficient tightening of the grounding bolt for the engine's wiring harness kept on pouring in. Said reports included vehicles produced after March 2022, when Mercedes implemented production process improvements.
Improvements like torque checks for the bolts in question, a PDA check at the quality gate, a dedicated operator for the ground connection rework, and monthly sample checks. The German company also evaluated the potential consequences associated with improperly torqued 12- and 48-volt ground connections. Not surprising in the least, electric resistance might increase in the case of an improperly secured wiring harness. The temperature in this area may increase dramatically, resulting in a fire that may extend to the whole car.
Thankfully, Mercedes isn't aware of any fires, crashes, injuries, or property damage associated with this issue. Better late than never, the automaker implemented further production process improvements in June 2023 to address the condition once and for all.
An estimated 1,552 vehicles were produced for the US market with potentially loose 12- and 48-volt ground connections. Of those, 46 are C 43s and 1,506 are C 300s with either rear- or all-wheel drive. The C 43 comes exclusively with 4MATIC all-wheel drive.
The production dates for these compact executive sedans range between July 9, 2021 and June 6, 2023. Both the C 300 and C 43 employ mild-hybrid assistance and 2.0-liter turbocharged lumps, although the AMG-ified model features a hand-assembled powerplant.
Dealers will be notified of this campaign tomorrow, July 7. Service techs will be instructed to inspect the 12- and 48-volt ground connections and perform the necessary repairs. Both the suspect parts and remedy parts feature the same part numbers cos there's nothing wrong with the designs of the harness (part number A2065400354) and grounding nuts (part number N000000008271).
Owners will be informed of Merc's blunder no later than August 29. In the meantime, said owners can run the vehicle identification numbers of their vehicles on the NHTSA's website to find out whether their luxury sedans are included in this recall campaign or not.
As of July 2023, the C 300 carries a sticker price of $44,850 (sans destination charge) in the United States. 4MATIC adds $2,000 to the tally, whereas the C 43 is $59,900 at the very least due to its way more special engine that integrates an electric turbo. Codenamed M139l, the four-cylinder mill cranks out 402 horsepower (408 ps) and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm).
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