More than 310,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles must return to dealerships in the United States after the brand identified a problem that could compromise the operation of the system responsible for immobilizing the vehicle when parking it. Although no accidents related to this situation have been reported, the manufacturer decided to act preventively.
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The review campaign has already been registered with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and covers units corresponding to the model years 2019 to 2026. The measure includes several of the German firm's best-selling models within the US market.
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Mercedes-Benz explained that the problem may prevent the electronic parking brake or the Auto-Park function from activating automatically when they should. If this happens and the driver does not manually immobilize the vehicle, there is a risk that it will move on its own, especially if it is stopped on a slope.
Models affected by the recall
The campaign involves a total of 310,667 vehicles, one of the most extensive reviews the company has conducted in North America in recent years.
The models included are:
The source of the problem is in the driver's door.
Investigations carried out by the company determined that the failure is not related to the braking system, but to a microswitch installed in the driver's door lock.
According to the documentation filed with the NHTSA, the plastic material that protects this component can allow the gradual entry of moisture. Over time, this moisture encourages corrosion and affects the operation of the switch, causing the vehicle to no longer correctly recognize when the driver opens the door.
This data is essential for the operation of different electronic systems. These include automatic activation of the parking brake, the Auto-Park function and other electronic management operations that depend on that information.
This is how Mercedes-Benz will solve the fault
The brand ruled out a software update as a solution. Instead, it will completely replace the driver's door lock with a new version equipped with a microswitch designed to offer greater resistance to moisture. The entire procedure will be free for the owners.
Mercedes-Benz reported that dealers received the technical instructions on July 31, 2026. For its part, notifications for owners will begin to be sent before September 18, 2026. So far, the company assured that it is not aware of accidents, injured people or confirmed cases of involuntary displacement associated with this defect.
