Mercedes recalls one million cars, SUVs worldwide due to fire risk
by The Associated Press
The German automaker has already confirmed 51 fires in a range of its vehicles in model years 2015-2017; no injuries have been reported
The recall includes C-Class vehicles in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 model years. PHOTO: Daimler
DETROIT—Mercedes is recalling about one million cars and SUVs worldwide because a starter part can overheat and cause fires.
The recall covers certain C-Class, E-Class and CLA cars and GLA and GLC SUVs, all from 2015 through 2017, including nearly 308,000 in the U.S.
The German automaker reported 51 fires worldwide, with about 30 in the United States. The company has no reports of any injuries.
Mercedes said in U.S. government documents released March 3 that if for some reason the engine and transmission won’t turn over, a current limiter in the starter motor can overheat from repeated attempts to start the vehicles. That can cause the current limiter to overheat and melt nearby parts.
Mercedes began investigating the problem last June after getting field reports of “thermally damaged” current limiters.
Owners will be notified this month and again when replacement parts are available in July. It will take about an hour for dealers to install another fuse to prevent the problem. The repair will be done free of charge.
