Defect recalls in the automotive industry are not uncommon. In most cases, only a small number of vehicles within a limited production date span are involved. However, some recalls are so huge that their NHTSA reports may contain several pages of model names. Mercedes Benz's latest recall campaign certainly favours the latter.
Mercedes Benz has recalled about 250000 cars, SUVs and trucks because the emergency call system may have been inadvertently disabled. This is a massive recall because the system is common in the automaker's product line. It affects vehicles of the following models between 2017 and 2022, including AMG modified models:
AMG GT
A-Class
C-Class
E-Class
S-Class
CLA-Class
CLS-Class
G-Class
GLA-Class
GLB-Class
GLC-Class
GLS-Class
SL-Class
SLC-Class
Metris
Sprinter
Freightliner Sprinter
This problem comes from the vehicle's embedded SIM card, which is used to access functions such as the emergency call system. A software problem has been found that may make the SIM card unable to connect to the cellular telephone network, which will make the automatic emergency call after the collision unable to use the built-in functions of the vehicle, and may delay the arrival of rescue. Therefore, Mercedes Benz believes that it is necessary to issue a voluntary recall. In its report to NHTSA, Mercedes pointed out that if this happens, the driver will not receive a warning.
Fortunately, the repair measures are quite direct. The automobile manufacturer will try to use OTA to repair the SIM software, but if the repair fails in this case, the owner will have to go to the dealer to apply the software as soon as possible. The dealers will receive the recall notice this week, and the car owners will receive the recall notice in July.