800,000 Mercedes-Benz Vehicles at Risk for Serious Fires – Mercedes says they can’t fix them

Mercedes Benz Fire

Mercedes-Benz should be issuing a recall of over 800,000 vehicles for a defect in the cooling pump which has led to numerous fires in their cars. They are not issuing a formal recall because they say they cannot fix the problem. The scary part is apparently the fires may be starting in Mercedes vehicles both being driven and just sitting parked.

Attorney Karen Terry, a shareholder in the law firm of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, is investigating cases associated with these fires. 

In February of 2020, a Mercedes SUV mysteriously ignited on fire while sitting in a dealership show room.

In December of 2021, a photographer discovered a Mercedes-Benz parked in front of a school as it started on fire.

In January, 2021, it was reported that a brand new Mercedes-Benz caught fire during a family trip. The father noticed white smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle, a Mercedes SUV, and pulled over. The alarmed parents barely exited the vehicle before it was engulfed in flames.

In March of 2021, a Mercedes-Benz caught fire in a Michigan parking lot and it, along with three other vehicles was rapidly engulfed in flames.

In February 2022, a local couple in Florida noticed a strange smell and were able to exit the vehicle and get their little baby out before it lit up in flames. 

Mercedes-Benz Fire

Apparently a leak develops in the cooling pump of the vehicles, which would normally only be a danger to the engine overheating. In these vehicle, it is reported the cooling pump is leaking onto heated components in the engine compartments and igniting. The vehicles are engulfed in flames within minutes.  

This is not the first fire problem with Mercedes Benz vehicles. In 2016, Mercedes-Benz issued a recall reporting electrical overload in vehicles was linked to fires.

In the current recall, Mercedes-Benz sent letters to owners of 800,000 vehicles and advised the owners to drive “…in a particularly prudent manner and usage reduced to the bare minimum”. So, don’t drive your vehicle which cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, but if you do, be prepared to exit quickly, and run fast.

Apparently, according to the manufacturer, parts needed to repair the defect are “not immediately available” but repairs would be launched as soon as components are available. That was in January of this year and as far as we know, the repairs have still not been made to recalled vehicles.

The involved Mercedes-Benz vehicles include:

• GLE/GLS (167 platform)
• C-Class (205 platform)
• E-Class (213 platform)
• S-Class (222 platform)
• S-Class (223 platform)
• E-Class Coupe/Convertible (238 platform)
• GLC (253 platform)
• CLS (257 platform) and
• G-Class (463 platform)

Mercedes has concluded an actual recall is useless until parts to repair the defect become available, but that availability is unknown. Mercedes-Benz owners and their families, some with no knowledge of their vehicle’s defects, continue to drive dangerous, fire prone vehicles.

Should you be an owner of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, be alerted to smells of smoke, white or black smoke emitting from your vehicle, or signs of actual fire. You may want to park your vehicle in a driveway rather than in your garage.