Troubled Battery, Mercedes-Benz Recall More Than 7,000 EQB Units In The US

JAKARTA - Mercedes-Benz issued a recall order for the EQB model of 7,362 units in the United States (US) due to problems with high-voltage batteries.

Launching from InsideEVs, Wednesday, February 12, based on documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the battery can cause a battery cell short circuit in high voltage packages that occurs due to conditions when produced or the situation of vehicle use.

The German manufacturer cited variations' during the early-stage production period in suppliers, combined with local external factors such as electric current ripples in charging infrastructure or potential mechanical damage to high-voltage batteries.

The affected vehicles are the EQB 250 output model in 2022-2024 as many as 2,626 units, EQB 300 4 Matic in 2022-2024 to 3,311 units, and EQB 350 4 Matic model 2022-2024 totaling 1,415 units.

Mercedes-Benz also said the affected model was assembled between December 13, 2021, and January 23, 2025.

The affected battery pack is produced by Farasis Energy in China. Although there were no reports of burning batteries in the US region, NHTSA said there were reports of battery fires outside the US.

But after investigating this incident, Mercedes-Benz did not find the root cause of the problem, nor any specific factor combination that could cause the battery to catch fire.

Therefore, the company has issued a global safety withdrawal, covering 7,362 units sold in Uncle Sam's country.

To solve this problem, the affected EV owners will have to take their vehicles to an official service center where the battery management system software will be updated to minimize the risk of a short circuit.

Auto owners are urged to charge a maximum EV of 80 percent until a software update is made.