Air Bag Defect Leads to Mercedes-Benz Recall of 126,000 Cars
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a defect in the air bags of certain Mercedes vehicles—which can cause the bags to deploy without impact—has led to a recall of approximately 126,000 cars. Mercedes became aware of a potential defect through three customer complaints in early 2014, but did not discover the root cause until summer 2015. An investigation revealed that the defect is a “manufacturing error” within the air bag control unit. Essentially, swelling and interference with the vehicle’s electrical connections, the result of corrosion of semiconductor materials, eventually leads to a malfunction of the control unit. The cars affected include the C-300, C-350, and C-63 models for 2008 to 2009, as well as the GLK-350 4-Matic model for 2010.
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