AUTONEWS

Recall: Mercedes EQB compact electric SUV has units recalled due to fire risk

Mercedes has detected a deficiency in some of the batteries in its EQB compact electric SUV that could overheat and cause a fire. In the US alone, 7,362 units were recalled.

Mercedes has announced a recall of 7,362 units of its EQB electric SUV due to the risk of fire caused by high-voltage batteries which, according to the manufacturer, are at risk of failing internally. Although the problem can occur whether the vehicle is moving or stationary, whether charging or not, Mercedes asks that customers avoid charging the battery above 80% until the problem is resolved.

Although only North American owners are involved in this recall at the moment, it is worth noting that the EQB is not produced in the US, with the units destined for that market being manufactured on the brand's production line in Kecskemèt, Hungary, which is also where the battery-powered compact SUVs sold in Europe come from, since the EQBs sold in China are produced in Beijing. Which means that, potentially, the units sold among us could suffer from the same deficiencies in battery packs whose cells are supplied by Chinese manufacturers.

Among the units involved in the recall are the EQB 250, EQB 300 and EQB 350 manufactured between 2022 and 2024, with this call to workshops being a consequence of reports of fires involving these electric compact SUVs in 2023 and 2024. Mercedes assures that the problem can be overcome through a software update. This recall comes about six months after another one, concerning the same EQBs, but then related to defects in the front engine, which had to be replaced, as you can see above in the notification from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an official North American body that exists to guarantee road safety.

Mundoquatrorodas