The manufacturer calls for the affected cars to be used as little as possible.
(Photo: Bloomberg)
Dusseldorf Due to technical problems, the car company Daimler is likely to have to recall more than 800,000 vehicles worldwide. As there is currently a lack of spare parts, repairs cannot be carried out immediately. Because of the possible fire hazard, owners should leave their cars behind until repairs are carried out. The “Bild” newspaper reported on the recall.
The Daimler subsidiary Mercedes has written to the affected customers in the past few days and warned of the problems due to the possibly leaking coolant pump. The Handelsblatt has received such a letter. This affects vehicles with four and six cylinder diesel engines (internal Mercedes designation: “OM 654” and “OM 656”).
In this letter, Mercedes announces the replacement of a switch valve in the area of the coolant pump and a software update. The coolant circuit may be leaking, which could lead to increased temperatures.
The German sales department of Mercedes justified the recall. Coolant fluid could get into the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). Problems with coolant residues in the EGR had already led to several product recalls at the Munich competitor BMW.
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“The measure cannot currently be started because the required parts are not yet available,” the customer letter from Mercedes says. Therefore, no repair appointments can be made in the workshops.
For Mercedes customers, this means immediate cuts in the use of their vehicles. “In the meantime, the vehicle affected by the recall should be driven particularly carefully and use restricted to the minimum required,” Mercedes demands of the motorists.
According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) in Flensburg, almost 850,000 vehicles built between 2017 and 2021 are affected by the recall, almost a third of a normal Mercedes annual production. According to KBA information, almost 240,000 cars have to go to the workshop in Germany alone.
Almost the entire range of models affected
A Daimler spokesman did not want to confirm the number of vehicles affected worldwide to the Reuters news agency, but listed a number of diesel models that will have to go to the workshops in the foreseeable future.
This includes the SUV vehicles GLE, GLS, GLC and the G-Class as well as car models of the C, E and S-Class, i.e. almost the entire range of models from the Stuttgart-based car manufacturer. The diesel units affected by the recall are among the most important standard engines at Mercedes.
A leak in the coolant pump could not completely rule out a rise in the component temperature in individual cases, explained the passenger car subsidiary Mercedes-Benz. The first batch of repairs is planned for mid / late January. Then the necessary spare parts will also be available again.
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