- Mercedes-Benz is recalling the EQB electric crossover globally over a battery fire risk.
- In the United States, over 7,000 units are affected.
- Until the fix is applied, owners are advised to only charge up to 80% state of charge.
Mercedes-Benz is recalling 7,362 EQB electric crossovers in the United States for high-voltage battery packs that may fail internally and catch fire. The company said it hasn’t received any warranty claims, service reports or any other information related to this defect in the U.S. However, Mercedes is pushing through with the recall out of an abundance of caution.
Affected vehicles include the 2022-2024 Mercedes-Benz EQB 250 (2,626 units), 2022-2024 Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 4Matic (3,311 units) and 2022-2024 Mercedes-Benz EQB 350 4Matic (1,415 units). All models were built between December 13, 2021, and January 23, 2025.
According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an internal short circuit of a battery cell in the high-voltage pack might occur due to a combination of certain production and vehicle-use conditions. Mercedes-Benz cited "variations" during an early stage production period at the supplier, combined with local external factors such as electric current ripples in the charging infrastructure or potential mechanical damage to the high-voltage battery.
The affected battery packs were manufactured by Farasis Energy in China. While there have been no reports of them catching fire stateside, the NHTSA’s report mentions there have been reports of battery fires outside the U.S. That said, after investigating these incidents, Mercedes-Benz did not find the root cause of the problem, nor any specific combination of factors that could lead to the battery catching fire. Hence, the company has issued a global safety recall, which includes 7,362 units sold in the United States.
Gallery: 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQB
To fix the issue, affected vehicles will need to go to an authorized service center where the battery management system software will be updated to minimize the risk of a short circuit. Owners of these cars are advised to only charge their EVs to a maximum state of charge of 80% until the software update is performed.
This is the third recall for the Mercedes-Benz EQB in the U.S. The first recall, issued in 2023, covered incorrect child seat anchor covers, while the second, from 2024, was for an improperly welded drivetrain gear.
