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Cape Town - Earlier in March 2017, we reported that Mercedes-Benz is recalling about 1-million cars and SUVs worldwide because, says the automaker, affected models have a risk of overheating.
The recall affects certain C-Class, E-Class, CLA cars, and GLA and GLC SUVs, built from 2015 to 2017, including nearly 308 000 models in the US.
The German automaker says 51 fires have been reported worldwide with approximately 30 in the United States. The company has no reports of any injuries.
Local Mercedes-Benz models affected
Mercedes-Benz SA told Wheels24: "The preliminary number of vehicles affected are approximately 5100. We have still not, as yet, received any official notification of the start of the precautionary campaign in South Africa."
"Daimler AG, has indicated that the campaign will be rolled out globally – in parallel in affected countries – towards the middle of the year.
What's wrong with the vehicles?
Mercedes-Benz SA says: "Regarding the launch of the campaign for the SA market, Daimler AG has discovered that on certain A-/B-/C-/E-Class as well as CLA, GLA and GLC vehicles the starting current limiter could overload under unique conditions during the starting procedure.
"In situations where the vehicle’s engine is damaged and cannot crank (e.g. when the engine has hydrolocked), and the customer repeatedly attempts to start the vehicle, a very high electric current can flow through the starting current limiter causing it to overheat."
"As our top priority is the safety of our customers, we will install an additional fuse in the electrical line to the starter, as a precautionary measure. This is expected to take approximately one hour to complete and will be performed free of charge."
What we know:
1. 5100 cars in South Africa are affected.
2. The recall will likely take place later in 2017.
3. It's not clear which special derivatives are affected.
4. An additional fuse in the electrical line to the starter will be installed, as a precautionary measure.
5. The procedure will take around one hour to complete and will be performed free of charge.