Mercedes says water could enter the transmission wiring harness connector and cause a short.
Several Mercedes-AMG models have been recalled in the United States because of an issue related to the transmission wiring harness connection, which may not have been properly fixed in a previous recall.
The German brand has revealed that water could enter the transmission wiring harness connector and cause a short circuit. This may lead to thermal overload of the connector when the vehicle is parked and increases the risk of a fire. Owners of impacted vehicles will be alerted before a short circuit appears with a '4MATIC malfunction' warning message on the instrument cluster.
Read: Mercedes Recalls 105,000 SUVs Over Stalling Risk, Potential Pedal Break
This is the second time Mercedes-Benz has issued a recall for the same fault. It says that specific individual transmission wiring harnesses may not have been correctly inspected or reworked during the previous recall repair.
A total of 16,967 vehicles in the United States are involved in the recall, all of which were built between August 29, 2017, and April 20, 2022. These include the 2019-2021 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 4Matic+, 2019-2023 E 53 4Matic+ Sedan, 2019-2023 E 53 4Matic+ Coupe, 2019-2023 E 53 4Matic+ Cabriolet, 2021-2023 GT 43 4Matic+, and 2019-2023 GT 53 4Matic+.
Owners will be alerted of the recall before August 13, and dealers will be instructed to replace the two-part wiring harness, including the connector.
Mercedes-Benz has also issued a second wiring-related recall in the U.S. In this case, 1,058 examples of the 2022-2023MY C 300 models will be called in for dealer repairs because a bolt securing an electrical wire to the pre-fuse box in the passenger footwell may not have been adequately tightened.
If this is the case, the resistance of the connection could increase, leading to a spike in temperatures and potentially increasing the risk of a fire. It's possible vehicles could also experience a sudden and complete loss of power. The carmaker has instructed dealers to check the connection of the wiring harness to the pre-fuse box and rework it if necessary.