Originally posted April 2, 2024
Updated May 2, 2024

On March 15, 2024, Mercedes-Benz recalled 116,020 vehicles, listed above.

MAY 2, 2024, UPDATE: In April, Mercedes-Benz provided an updated recall report in and provided dealerships with recall repair instructions. Its report still anticipates owner notification in mid-May, presumably because it won’t have sufficient replacement parts available until then. The new documents are linked below.

Mercedes-Benz informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the vehicles rolled off the assembly line with improperly secured 48-volt ground connections that could cause fires. Whereas some recalls involve a possible defect, requiring a dealer to check whether or not the problem exists in each consumer’s vehicle, Mercedes-Benz told NHTSA that all 116,020 vehicles include the fire hazard.

If you have one of these vehicles, the loose connection might cause a warning message to pop up on the display.

Or your first indication of a problem might be smoldering ashes.

According to Mercedes-Benz, they began investigating the fires in June 2022.

Although Mercedes-Benz informed dealers of the recall on March 22, 2024, it won’t notify consumers of the affected vehicles or the fire hazard until May 14, 2024. So you could be sitting on the modern version of Mrs. O’Leary’s cow until mid-May or later.

California law obligates Mercedes-Benz to make sufficient replacement parts and instructions available to its dealerships to complete repairs as long as the vehicles are covered by warranty and to complete repairs within 30 days. (Civ. Code § 1793.2.) If Mercedes-Benz doesn’t even plan on telling owners of the fire-prone GLE and GLS vehicles that the problem exists until May, it doesn’t sound like they plan on complying with the law.

If you purchased or leased one of these recalled vehicles from a California dealership, you may want to contact a consumer protection firm about relief under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. You might be entitled to a partial or even complete refund.

RESOURCES FOR NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 24V-207

Mercedes-Benz Defect Notice Part 573 Safety Recall Report
NHTSA recall acknowledgment
Mercedes-Benz’s recall chronology
Mercedes-Benz’s dealer notification
Mercedes-Benz’s April 12, 12, 2024, dealer notification (Updated May 2, 2024)
Mercedes-Benz April 15, 2024, Part 573 Report (Updated May 2, 2024)
Mercedes-Benz Repair Instructions (Updated May 2, 2024)