Mercedes-Benz’s Latest Recall Affects Surprisingly Few Cars

Mercedes-Benz has issued a recall for 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class models produced between April 20 2021 and April 28, 2021. In a little more than a week of production, 88 SUVs left the factory with a headlight level sensor linkage that might not have been installed according to specifications during a vehicle rework process.

According to the NHTSA documentation, Mercedes-Benz launched an investigation in mid-July 2021. Though the details of the investigation are not public, it has resulted in the recall of 88 models with faulty headlight leveling.

Mercedes has revealed that there have been no warranty claims, field or service reports, accidents or death claims as a result of this error, and in the grand scheme of things, it’s relatively minor. Still, in May 2022 it determined that this flaw poses a potential safety risk and therefore decided to issue a recall.

Thankfully, the unit count is limited to 88 vehicles. Last week Mercedes-Benz issued a recall for nearly 300,000 vehicles with possible brake booster corrosion.

The Mercedes-Benz dealers that sold the cars will be notified of the recall, after which the dealers will reach out to the customers. It is classified as a voluntary recall, and Mercedes will record all communication. Owners will be notified in July, so it’s not a pressing issue.

The fix is quite simple. The dealer will inspect the vehicle’s level sensor linkage and fix it if needed. All of the cars affected are still under warranty, and the work will be completed free of charge. Mercedes also notes that procedures were changed at the factory in Mexico to prevent future repeats of this problem.

How exactly does it pose a threat? The level sensor linkage is located on the rear axle, and it’s one of those parts that will not display an error message in the instrument cluster. Since there have been no complaints, none of the GLBs likely faced the fairly specific set of circumstances under which it would be a problem.

According to Mercedes, the leveling of the headlamp system could calibrate in the opposite direction if the rear bench, trunk, or third-row seats were loaded appropriately. As a result, Mercedes can’t rule out glare to oncoming traffic, posing a safety risk.

In layman’s terms, the headlamps are forced up if the rear is loaded. Since the auto-leveling system isn’t working, the headlamps also point up.