Mercedes has initiated a recall campaign that will affect 59,574 vehicles produced between 2018 and 2022. The problem affects the third-row seats in certain GLS SUVs that may not lock in place in the event of an accident.
The issue was first discovered in February 2022, when Mercedes‘ supplier, Brose North America, advised it of a potential issue. It warned the German company that it may have failed to install or incorrectly position the springs in the locking mechanisms of some third-row seats.
In April, Mercedes investigated the issue and its possible consequences. It found that the troublesome spring could result in the failure of the seatback lock in the event of a crash. If the seat collapses in a crash, it could increase the risk of an injury.
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Fortunately, Mercedes is not aware of any complaints or injuries relating to this issue, but there’s no simple way for an owner to find out if their seat is at risk of failing.
The automaker’s recall affects 51,998 model year 2020-2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS450s made between September 18, 2018, and July 4, 2022; 5,212 model year 2020-2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS580s made between September 18, 2018, and July 4, 2022; and 2,364 model year 2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLS63s made between September 18, 2018, and July 14, 2022. This recall affects 100 percent of the vehicles included.
Mercedes‘ supplier has now introduced an automated process to insert the spring and an additional test step in the production process to ensure that all future third-row seats are fitted with the part that led to this recall.
Vehicles built during the period when those additional steps were not in place, meanwhile, will get a new seatback where necessary, to ensure that the unit works properly. Owners can expect to start being contacted by Mercedes on November 29.
