Mercedes Recalls 116K GLE, GLS Models for Fire Risk Under Passenger Seat

A 48-volt ground wire could come loose, but there are no reports of injuries or property damage at this time.

Mercedes-Benz GLS

Christopher Smith

By: Christopher Smith

Mar 20, 2024 at 6:30pm ET

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Mercedes-Benz has issued a spooky recall for 116,020 SUVs built from 2019 through 2024. A 48-volt ground cable could work loose, and there's enough electricity to potentially make things rather hot in the area. If things get too hot, there's a risk of a fire. And the cable is located under the passenger front seat. Yikes.

Fortunately, Mercedes doesn't list any known instances of property damage, injuries, or crashes resulting from this issue. It affects GLC-Class and GLS-Class vehicles and yes, that includes high-performance AMG trims and the snazzy Maybach GLS600. Here's a breakdown of recalled vehicles by year and trim.

Model/Trim Model Years Mercedes-AMG GLE53 2021-2024 Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S 2021-2024 Mercedes-AMG GLS63 2021-2023 Mercedes-Benz GLE350 2023-2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 2020-2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE580 2020-2023 Mercedes-Benz GLS450 2019-2023 Mercedes-Benz GLS580 2020-2023 Mercedes-Maybach GLS600 2021-2023

According to documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this high-voltage ground connection may not have been thoroughly tightened during assembly. Investigations were conducted based on field reports to determine a specific cause, with Mercedes ultimately determining that the connection could loosen from rework directly related to the cable, or work performed in the vicinity of it.

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In any case, a loose 48-volt ground cable can get quite hot and this one is located under the passenger front seat. As mentioned previously, Mercedes isn't aware of any property damage or injuries from this issue, but there are 31 field reports relating to the subject received between August 2022 and late November 2023. With hot electric cables under a seat being a potential safety risk, Mercedes issued the recall. So if your heated seat feels a bit too warm, it may not be related to the temperature setting.

The fix is a simple one—dealer technicians will inspect the ground cable and tighten it up if necessary. Dealer notification for the recall starts March 22, with direct owner notification set to commence in May. Mercedes-Benz says there will be no indications of a problem until the cable actually gets loose, at which point there could be warning messages regarding the vehicle's power supply.