Mercedes-Benz has recalled 6,858 2017 E-class vehicles just five months after it went on sale in the United States, according to reports to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The mass recall was spurred by discoveries of faulty wiring in Mercedes' E300 and E300 4Matic sedans, which could cause engine stalls.
The wiring harness in the luxury sedans was mounted below the rear-seat bench, meaning that simple movements, such as sitting or pressing one's knee on the bench, could damage the wiring. This blocked fuel from either the pump, gauge, or pressure sensor, halting the entire engine in the process.
Mercedes first identified the issue while conducting an internal test in July, leading the carmaker to conclude that damage to the wire harness could be replicated by owners in the E-class vehicles already sold. Despite this, no complaints about engine stalls on the 2017 E-class cars have been made, CarAndDriver reported.
E300 owners who purchased their sedans within the last three months are unaffected by the recall as the wiring issues have been addressed in new E-class cars since September. Meanwhile, nearly half of the 6,858 E300s were still unsold as of the recall announcement.
Almost simultaneously, Mercedes also announced a separate recall of 2,215 GLE cars made from Oct. 14, 2015 to Nov. 21, 2015 due to faulty low beam headlights, according to ConsumerAffairs.
All of the E-class vehicles declared vulnerable to engine stalling were made between Dec. 10, 2015 and June 30, 2016. Dealers are also working to reroute the wiring harness to prevent the fuel from being severed by damaged wires, leaving sedan owners more prone to crashes and other dangers.
Mercedes has reached out to owners of the affected cars while dealers are offering free services to address the wiring issue.
Owners of problematic E300s can contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
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