Mercedes-Benz recalls 284,000 C-Class cars in U.S. and Canada
It’s recall fever, and now Mercedes has it.
Mercedes-Benz USA has issued a recall notice for up to 284,000 units of its C300, C300 4Matic, C350 and C63 MG vehicles built between 2007 and 2011.
The company fears that a weak electrical connection could result in a failure or dimming of taillights and brake lights, increasing the risk of a rear-end collision. The affected cars were sold in the U.S. and Canada.
According to documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the taillight failure “reduces the ability to warn other motorists of the driver’s intentions of stopping or turning, increasing the risk of a crash.”
No accidents, injuries or deaths have been associated with the taillight problem.
Mercedes, confirming the recall, issued a statement saying, “We are working with our NHTSA colleagues on this topic.”
As The Times has already reported, car companies have recalled almost 13 million vehicles in the U.S. so far this year, putting 2014 on pace to set a new record for recalls.
General Motors has called back the most: 6 million, including last month’s recall of 2.2 million Chevrolet Cobalts and other older vehicles equipped with a faulty ignition switch linked to 13 deaths. Mazda earlier this month recalled 109,000 of its Tribute sport utility vehicles for possible steering failures. BMW three weeks ago announced the recall of 156,000 sports sedans and SUVs in the U.S. because of a problem with the six-cylinder engines in the vehicles, part of a global campaign to call back nearly 500,000 vehicles, including 232,000 in China.
Other big recalls this year include 650,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Durangos; 1 million cars from Nissan, including its popular Altima and Sentra sedans; almost 900,000 Honda Odyssey minivans; and about 700,000 Toyota Prius hybrids. Early this month Ford recalled more than 400,000 older cars and SUVs to fix rusting frame parts or faulty seats, depending on the model.
That’s set a pace to break the recent high of 30.8 million vehicles recalled in 2004.
