NHTSA has announced a massive recall for the Mercedes EQE, EQE SUV, EQS, and EQS SUV. 14,912 Mercedes EQE, EQS, EQE SUV, and EQS SUV are affected by a possible problem with the battery management system software that can cause the high-voltage battery to shut down, resulting in a sudden loss of drive power.
This is the 12th recall for Mercedes models in the U.S. market in just five months in 2024.
The problem is serious because the battery management system software may cause the high-voltage battery to shut down, which can result in a sudden loss of drive power.
However, this problem is not new, having been discovered a year ago. At that time, 24,873 Mercedes EQE and EQS units were affected worldwide of which 3,699 were in Germany (recall no. 012871, KBA) and 8,281 in the USA (recall no. 23V405000, NHTSA). The affected models were the 2022-2023 Mercedes EQS 450, AMG EQS, EQS 580, and 2023 AMG EQE.
The problem has surfaced again and affects many more models and versions including the Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV. Here’s their list:
MERCEDES-AMG EQE 53 4MATIC/2024
MERCEDES-AMG EQE SUV 53 4MATIC/2024-2025
MERCEDES-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC/2024
MERCEDES EQE 350 4MATIC/2024
MERCEDES EQE 350+/2024
MERCEDES EQE 500/2024
MERCEDES EQE SUV 350 4MATIC/2023-2025
MERCEDES EQE SUV 350+/2023-2025
MERCEDES EQE SUV 500 4MATIC/2023-2025
MERCEDES EQS 450/2024
MERCEDES EQS 450+/2024
MERCEDES EQS 580/2024
MERCEDES EQS SUV 450 4MATIC/2023-2025
MERCEDES EQS SUV 450+/2023-2025
MERCEDES EQS SUV 580 4MATIC/2023-2025
MERCEDES-MAYBACH EQS SUV 680 4MATIC/2024-2025
Fortunately, no accidents have been reported in Germany or the USA due to this possible software failure. The affected models are produced at the Sindelfingen and Bremen plants in Europe (EQE, EQS) and Tuscaloosa, USA (EQE SUV, EQS SUV).
A year ago, Mercedes recalled the affected vehicles and reinstalled new software, with a service visit for this operation taking between 45 and 90 minutes.
But reinstalling new software didn’t solve the problem, and Mercedes discovered that there is a cause that battery management system software may cause the high-voltage battery to shut down.
This hypothesis had been considered from the start but Mercedes hoped to resolve the situation by installing new software. It seems that not the software that is the problem, but the fact that the high-voltage battery control module may be overloaded by the diagnostic volume required by other control units.
In this case, the battery software could decide to reset the battery control module which could lead to reduced power or total loss of power, creating the conditions for a crash.
Mercedes specifies that the car can be restarted after coming to a complete stop.
Mercedes announced that it had fixed the problem with the software in vehicle production on May 13, 2024. Beginning June 3, 2024, dealers will be instructed on how to install the new software, and owners will receive a notice from NHTSA before July 23, 2024.
This issue will further affect sales of EQE/EQS models which are far from the level expected by Mercedes. Recently, Mercedes decided to stop developing the MB.EA Large platform for the next generation EQS/EQS SUV due to the low sales of the EQS. Instead, it will work on upgrading the EVA II platform from 400V to 800V technology for the next-generation EQS/EQS SUV.
It looks like the Mercedes EQE will not have a successor and that Mercedes will develop two new electric models – the Mercedes C-Class EV and Mercedes GLC EV – on the new MB.EA medium platform.
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