Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV In US Affected By Recall, Inchscope Ensures Units In Indonesia Are Safe

Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV in Indonesia. (Photo: Bagus Muhammad Hafizh/VOI)

JAKARTA - Earlier this June, Mercedes-Benz announced a recall program on its electric vehicles in the US, one of which was EQE. The trigger for the recall was due to security concerns in the battery management system's software system that could trigger a high voltage system to die.

The recall includes a total of 14,912 vehicles in Uncle Sam's country consisting of EQE and EQS models, both sedan and SUV versions. The manufacturer says that this software defect affects 100 percent of vehicle performance.

With cases occurring in the US, it certainly raises a big question whether this has an impact on models in other countries including Indonesia. What's more, the new EQE SUV unit was launched in this country.

Sales and Marketing Director of PT Inchcape Indomobil Distribution Indonesia, Kariyanto Hardjosoemarto, said that the EQE SUV unit in the country was not affected by the recall that occurred in the US.

"As far as we know, the EQE SUV in Indonesia was not affected," said Kariyanto when met at MH Thamrin, Jakarta, Thursday, June 20.

However, his party needs to wait for developments from the central side whether there needs to be an increase in the software. If this is done, then Mercedes-Benz in Indonesia will follow the established procedures.

"But we are always waiting for developments from the headquarter whether there is a need for software to be updated or not. If there is, we will follow it later," said Kariyanto.

The problem started in October 2023 when Mercedes-Benz investigated reports from dealers in Denmark regarding a high-voltage battery warning message displayed on a new vehicle instrument panel before delivery.

Then, the problem arose for units in the US in November 2023 showing a reduced driving force accompanied by a warning message.

The manufacturer has carried out an initial investigation focused on potential faults in high-voltage battery management systems, but further analysis found that excessive diagnostic requests from other control units in cars could strain the memory of battery management systems.

Because this excessive burden triggers the resetting of the system. Further investigations were carried out between December 2023 and April 2024 aimed at identifying the causes of this excessive diagnostic request.

While no initial software defects were found in the control unit, testing ensures that excessive diagnostic data could cause a reduced power output or have the potential to completely lose driving power or vehicle shut down suddenly.

Long story short, last May Mercedes-Benz discovered a potential safety risk and began a recall period after reviewing production records.

In Indonesia, the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 SUV has just been launched at a price of IDR 2.85 billion Off The Road DKI Jakarta.

This car has a single electric motor that produces 292 dk of power and 765 Nm of torque with a 90 kWh battery which has a range capacity of 556 km in one charge.