Mercedes to Recall One Million Vehicles Globally After 51 Fire Incidents

Daimler AG said it would recall one million newer-model Mercedes-Benz vehicles worldwide due to the risk of fire, after 51 fires were reported from a defective fuse, Reuters has reported.

The German automaker said that no injuries or deaths had been reported to them regarding the vehicles. It will begin the U.S. recall in July when parts are available.

The recall covers certain C-class, E-class and CLA cars and GLA and GLC SUVs, all from 2015 through 2017, with a defective “current limiter,” or fuse, according to Daimler’s U.S. regulatory disclosure.

A fix has been implemented in the production of new vehicles and vehicles on dealers lots will be fixed with an additional fuse before they are sold, the company said.

“Any affected vehicles in inventory will not be sold until they can be outfitted with the additional fuse,” said a Mercedes-Benz spokesman.

Of the million vehicles to be recalled, 307,629 are in the U.S., which is a lower figure by about 40,000 than Mercedes-Benz reported to U.S. regulators.

Daimler, in its disclosure, said the problem originated in instances when the engine doesn’t start. In that case, the “current limiter” in the starter motor can overheat from repeated attempts to start the vehicles, causing the part to overheat and melt nearby parts, the report said.

Mercedes-Benz said it did not immediately have a breakdown of where vehicles were to be recalled outside the U.S.

The U.S. is among the three biggest markets for Mercedes-Benz, the others being China and Germany.

Of the 51 fires, 30 were reported in the U.S. market, a Mercedes-Benz U.S. spokesman said.

Mercedes-Benz and Daimler said that it will begin notifying U.S. customers in late March. No word on when other owners in other markets will be notified.

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