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Mercedes recalls 400,000 cars in UK over fault that causes airbag to deploy

Mercedes - AP
Mercedes - AP

Mercedes-Benz is recalling 400,000 cars in the UK alone over an electrical fault that can cause airbags to go off by mistake.

The fault affects its best-selling executive and family models, leading to the recall of about half the fleet sold since 2011.

Mercedes said that there had been 30 cases worldwide of airbags deploying prematurely as a result of the problem although none had been reported in the UK. The fault had caused minor injuries in some cases but no fatalities.

Mercedes-Benz GLC mode - Credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg News
Mercedes-Benz GLC model inspected on the assembly line. It is one of the models affected Credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg News

The models affected include the A-Class, B-Class, C-Class, and E-Class, and CLA, GLA, and GLC ranges, built between November 2011 and July 2017.

The fix takes about an hour and involves replacing a clock spring in the steering column.

In some cases, the clock spring can fail so that when the driver turns the steering wheel, some wires do not earth properly. 

That can cause wires to ‘short circuit’ or create an ‘electrical discharge’ which then triggers the air-bags prematurely.

Mercedes said the cars are safe to drive under normal conditions. But owners are warned that if a red airbag warning light appears on the dashboard they should immediately call Mercedes’ roadside assistance.

Mercedes E-Class launched in 2016 - Credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News
Mercedes E-Class launched in 2016 Credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News

A Mercedes spokesman said: “We are recalling certain A, B, C, and E-Class, and CLA, GLA, and GLC, built between November 2011 and July 2017.’

“If the steering column module clock spring is broken, the driver airbag warning light will be displayed in the instrument cluster, as well as a red airbag warning lamp.

“In rare circumstances, if the clock spring is broken and the wiring components are not sufficiently earthed this could lead to an electrostatic discharge which could inadvertently deploy the driver’s airbag.”

The company was keen to stress the fault is not linked to the Takata airbag scandal, which has been linked to at least 17 deaths worldwide. More than 100 million cars fitted with Takata-made airbags have been recalled - the biggest in history.  The Japanese company has filed for bankruptcy.

The Mercedes-Benz recall is the biggest to hit the German luxury car manufacturer. The latest recall follows hot on the heels of the identification of a fault in the starter component of some models built between 2015 and 2017 that risked causing fire.

Mercedes said in March it was planning to recall about one million cars worldwide including 75,000 in the UK over the starter component that could overheat. The problem had been linked to 51 fires, with about 30 in the US.