Mercedes-Benz Seat Belts: Buckle Assembly

Mercedes-Benz is recalling about 121,858 vehicles over a problem with the seat belts. If the rear seat passengers cannot fasten their seat belts, they have an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Campaign
18V177000
Manufacturer
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
Reported
15 March 2018
Vehicles
121,858
Built between
Mar 2015 – Mar 2018
Models
5
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
25 April 2018
Repaired
86%
Unrepaired
16,839

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between March 2015 and March 2018. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2017-2018 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC43Built March 2015 to March 2018
  • 2018 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC63Built March 2015 to March 2018
  • 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300Built March 2015 to March 2018
  • 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350 EBuilt March 2015 to March 2018
  • 2016-2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC300Built March 2015 to March 2018

Repair progress

16,839 of 121,858 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2019.

86% repaired — 105,019 of 121,858 reported

Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.

What the defect is

Mercedes Benz USA LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017-2018 GLC43 AMG, 2016-2018 GLC300 4Matic, 2016-2018 GLC300, 2018 GLC63 AMG 4Matic, and 2018 GLC350e 4Matic vehicles. The seat belt latch plates (the parts that insert into the buckles) for the outboard rear seats may retract into the interior paneling, preventing the occupants from being able to use the seat belts.

What could happen

If the rear seat passengers cannot fasten their seat belts, they have an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

What gets fixed

MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will install a buffer to the c-pillar paneling, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 14, 2018.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMarch 2015 to March 2018
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA15 March 2018
  3. Owners notified25 April 2018
  4. Latest repair reportQ3 2019 — 86% repaired

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 15 March 2018.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2018030012.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
2018030012
Recalling manufacturer
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand