Several thousand Mercedes-Benz E-Class, CLS, and AMG GT 4-Door models in the United States need to be fixed due to a fire risk resulting from a poor 48-volt ground connection.
The car manufacturer first became aware of a potential issue in late 2022 when it received field reports where customers alleged to have experienced various warning messages. An investigation was promptly initiated and Mercedes-Benz found that an insufficiently tightened ground connection for the 48-volt battery system could have contributed to the warning messages.
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The recall notice states that if the ground cable is not correctly secured, the electrical resistance and heat in the connection could increase. Were this to happen, a fire could be triggered. If a vehicle encounters a 48-volt system error because of the fault, warning messages will be displayed in the instrument cluster relating to the 48-volt onboard power supply.
A total of 12,191 vehicles are impacted. These consist of the 2021-2023 CLS 450, 2021-2023 E 450, 2021-2023 E450 All-Terrain, 2021 AMG CLS 53, 2021-2023 AMG E53, 2021-2023 AMG GT 43, and 2021-2023 AMG GT 53, all of which were manufactured between October 21, 2021, and April 4, 2023. Mercedes-Benz is aware of three field reports made between September and December 2022 but has no reports of property damage, fatalities, or injury caused by the fault.
Mercedes-Benz dealerships were alerted to the recall on February 16, 2024, while owners will be alerted before April 9. The fix is very easy as dealers will simply need to check the bolt torque of the 48-volt ground connection and tighten it if necessary.
