Daimler Recalls More than 1 Million Vehicles for Airbag Defect
German automaker Daimler AG, who manufactures Mercedes-Benz vehicles among others, has issued a recall for 1 million vehicles after discovering faulty wiring in vehicle steering columns can cause airbags to deploy inadvertently.
About the Daimler AG Recall
According to Reuters, the recall covers certain Mercedes-Benz cars and sport utility vehicles. Among the vehicles being recalled are 495,000 vehicles sold in the United States, 400,000 in Britain, and 76,000 in Canada. A few hundred thousand were also sold in Germany; however, the automaker was unable to provide accurate worldwide totals.
Daimler AG reports that an electrostatic discharge coupled with a broken clock spring and insufficient grounding of components in the steering column can cause driver side front airbags to deploy without warning. In order to fix the defect, dealers will add new grounding to the steering components.
A spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz in the United States did reveal the existence of instances in which drivers suffered abrasion and bruises from inadvertent airbag deployments.
This issue is considered separate from ongoing Takata airbag inflator recalls also affecting Mercedes-Benz and Daimler AG vehicles.
Vehicles Covered by the Daimler AG Recall
Daimler AG is still working to determine the scope of the recall, but has said that vehicles from the following model years are being included in the recall:
- 2012-2018 Mercedes-Benz A-Class
- 2012-2018 Mercedes-Benz B-Class
- 2012-2018 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- 2012-2018 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- 2012-2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
- 2012-2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
- 2012-2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class
