[Exclusive] 20,000 Mercedes-Benz E and C-Class Vehicles Recalled for Engine Stall During Driving... Mercedes-Benz Also Ranked High Last Year

E220d·C220d, etc.
Vehicles sold from 2016 to July last year
Cause of high-pressure fuel pump failure
"Recall preparation underway due to parts supply issues"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] A manufacturing defect causing engine shutdowns while driving in the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and C-Class has been acknowledged, leading to a recall. Since Mercedes-Benz had the second-highest number of recalls among imported cars last year, there are calls for efforts to restore consumer trust.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Automobile Safety and Defect Review Committee decided on November 10 last year that the engine shutdown issue in the Mercedes-Benz E220d and C220d "constitutes a defect that affects safe driving and requires a manufacturing defect recall." A defect investigation was conducted on 53,222 units of E220d, C220d, and GLC220d sold from 2016 to July last year. Approximately 20,000 vehicles were actually recalled. For the remaining vehicles, free repairs will be provided if problems occur. The E-Class (E250) is a popular model that ranked first in imported car sales for three consecutive years from 2020 to last year.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Mercedes-Benz was the brand with the second-highest number of recalls among imported cars last year. The manufacturer with the most recalls was BMW (197,621 units), followed by Mercedes-Benz with 175,542 units. Over the past five years, BMW conducted 2,702 recalls from 2018 to 2021, while Mercedes-Benz recorded 1,555 recalls.

Mercedes-Benz has been criticized for not adequately responding to the engine shutdown issue. The company replaced some vehicles that experienced the shutdown problem. However, the response process was not smooth, causing inconvenience to customers. Customers who received replacement vehicles complained about delayed delivery and lack of compensation for business losses.

Regarding the recall decision, a total of eight reports of engine shutdowns were received by the automobile recall center from July 1, 2020, to July 31 last year. Five cases involved the E220d and three involved the C220d. These models exhibited engine warning lights turning on during driving, followed by engine shutdown and inability to restart. Six cases occurred within 40,000 km of driving, indicating the issue appeared even at relatively low mileage.

The cause was damage to the high-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank. The Korea Transportation Safety Authority's Automobile Research Institute explained, "The fuel injection system was blocked or proper fuel pressure was not generated due to metal debris caused by abnormal wear of the rollers inside the high-pressure fuel pump, resulting in engine shutdown. After the issue occurred, restarting was impossible."

Mercedes-Benz Korea claimed that the engine shutdown could occur when parts produced in 2018-2019 were installed and the vehicle was operated with fuel having degraded lubrication properties. However, the Automobile Research Institute stated, "No evidence of low-quality fuel use as claimed by the manufacturer (Mercedes-Benz) was found, and the manufacturer failed to provide objective evidence," rejecting Mercedes-Benz's claim.

A Mercedes-Benz Korea official said, "After being notified by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, we gave prior notice to customers subject to the recall, but due to parts supply issues, we are currently preparing for the recall." They added, "Customers who received paid repairs after the defect investigation started will be compensated later."