Mercedes-Benz Electrical System: Software

Mercedes-Benz is recalling about 56 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. Without the audible tone and blinking warning light to remind the front seat occupants that their seat belts are not buckled, they may forget to buckle their seat belt, increasing their risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Campaign
20V449000
Manufacturer
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
Reported
31 July 2020
Vehicles
56
Built between
Not published
Models
8
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
8 September 2020
Repaired
63%
Unrepaired
21

Does this affect my vehicle?

The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.

  • 2019 Mercedes-Benz C 300
  • 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLS 450
  • 2018-2019 Mercedes-Benz E 300
  • 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 400
  • 2019 Mercedes-Benz E 450
  • 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300
  • 2019 Mercedes-Benz S 450
  • 2018-2019 Mercedes-Benz S560

Repair progress

21 of 56 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2022.

63% repaired — 35 of 56 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 2019 C300, C300 Coupe, CLS450, E450 Coupe and S450, 2017-2019 E300, 2018 E400 Coupe, E400 Stationwagon, and 2018-2019 S560 vehicles that have previously had the instrument cluster replaced. The software in the replaced instrument cluster may cause the seat belt warning system to not operate properly, only displaying a solid warning light if either the driver or passenger seat belt is unfastened, instead of a blinking light with an audible tone.

What could happen

Without the audible tone and blinking warning light to remind the front seat occupants that their seat belts are not buckled, they may forget to buckle their seat belt, increasing their risk of injury in the event of a crash.

What gets fixed

MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began September 8, 2020.

Parts involved

  • Software Calibration Number (SCN) - CodingUpdate (SCN) -Coding

Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.

Timeline

  1. Recall reported to NHTSA31 July 2020
  2. Owners notified8 September 2020
  3. Latest repair reportQ2 2022 — 63% 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 31 July 2020.

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 2020080015.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
2020080015
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