Mercedes-Benz’s China JV to Recall 11,400 EVs

Beijing Benz, a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Chinese automaker BAIC Motor, filed a recall plan on October 28 in accordance with the country’s top market regulatory body. The move expands a recall plan for certain EQA, EQB and EQC electric vehicle models released on February 18, 2022.

According to the announcement, the company decided that from December 15, 2022, it will expand the recall of some EQC electric vehicles from December 5, 2019 to September 17, 2022, totaling 3,345 vehicles. From February 1, 2023, the recall of some EQA and EQB electric vehicles with production dates from February 11, 2020 to October 10, 2022 will also be expanded, totaling 8,078 vehicles.

Due to a manufacturing deviation of the electric drive module, the cooling system in the electric drive module of some vehicles within the scope of this recall may experience insufficient sealing, resulting in coolant leakage. If the coolant seeps into the motor, the insulation resistance of the high-voltage system may be reduced after long-term use, which will lead to the vehicle’s being unable to start. In addition, under extreme conditions, the output power of the electric drive module of the vehicle will decrease, posing potential safety hazards.

Beijing Benz will replace the improved electric drive module assembly for vehicles within the scope of recall free of charge through authorized dealers to eliminate potential safety hazards. At the same time, the announcement shows that the company changed the measures of the recall activity previously released on February 18 of this year to the same solution.

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In the past two years, Mercedes-Benz and its subsidiaries have launched many recalls in China. According to an automobile recall announcement issued on the official website of the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), in the first three quarters of this year, the German automaker recalled a total of 255,782 vehicles, with 11 recalls involving 20 models.

For many car owners, frequent recalls made by auto brands make them worry about potential safety hazards of new cars. Recalls in the auto industry have been given more and more attention of late. On April 26, 2022, Wang Yunsong, the deputy director of the SAMR’s Quality Development Bureau, pointed out that the market supervision department will pay more attention to commercial vehicles and important automobile safety parts, strengthen defect investigation and recall supervision, and urge enterprises to fulfill their responsibilities and keep the bottom line of safety.