Check Transmission Wiring Harness Connector – 2019-2023 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, E-Class, & GT-Class

July 22, 2022 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 22V533000

Misrouted Harness May Corrode and Short-Circuit

An electrical short-circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V533

Manufacturer Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC

Components ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Potential Number of Units Affected 27,330

 

Summary

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2021-2023 AMG GT43, E450 Cabriolet, E450 Wagon, E450 Coupe, 2019-2023 AMG E53, E53 Coupe, E53 Cabriolet, AMG GT53, CLS450, and 2019-2021 AMG CLS53 vehicles. The transmission wiring harness may be misrouted, which can expose the electrical connector to corrosion, and result in an electrical short-circuit.

 

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and repair the electrical connector, as necessary. Dealers will also reroute the harness and install an additional bracket. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 20, 2022. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.

 

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.nhtsa.gov.

 

Check if your Mercedes-Benz has a Recall

 

---

 

---

This is to notify you of a new Recall Campaign to check the transmission wiring harness connector on 27,330 Model Year (“MY”) 2019-2023 4Matic CLS-Class, E-Class, and GT-Class (257, 213, 238, and 290 platform ) vehicles. The recall campaign will be visible on the www.safercar.gov website and may generate questions from customers.  Affected VINs will be flagged in VMI as “PENDING” on July 29, 2022.

 

Issue

Mercedes-Benz AG (MBAG), the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, has determined that on certain E-Class (213 platform), E-Class Coupe/Cabriolet (238 platform), CLS (257 platform) and AMG GT 4-door (290 platform) 4Matic vehicles, the transmission wiring harness might not be routed according to specifications. Tension on the transmission wiring harness could lead to wire insulation pulling back from the electrical connector and as a result, water could enter the connector. Water ingress may lead to a short circuit and/or thermal overload if the vehicle’s ignition is off for longer periods of time. The risk of fire cannot be ruled out.  Before the issue occurs, the driver may be alerted to the condition by illumination of the yellow battery (electrical charge) indicator lamp and/or the “4Matic malfunction” warning message in the instrument cluster.

 

What We’re Doing

MBUSA will conduct a voluntary recall.   An authorized  Mercedes-Benz dealer will check the electrical connector on the affected vehicles and rework it, if necessary

 

Parts

Remedy is not available at this time. 

 

Customer Notification Timeline

Customer letters will be mailed on or before September 20, 2022.

 

---

Chronology of Defect/Noncompliance Determination Supplement for ODI 22-00855-28172-10

In August 2019, MBAG was made aware of several cases in the U.S. in which customers received warnings via the vehicle instrument cluster regarding the 12V battery (electrical charge indicator) and/or the 4Matic system (“4Matic malfunction”). MBAG investigated these cases and determined that corrosion of a transmission wiring harness electrical connector on triggered the messages in the instrument cluster. MBAG returned affected parts to Germany for inspection and testing regarding potential effects of corrosion in the electrical connector. At that time, MBAG’s investigation identified no risk of fire or other safety risks.

 

In August 2021, MBAG was made aware of field cases involving thermal events that occurred outside of the U.S. MBAG launched extensive investigations into potential causes of these field cases. As part of its investigation over the course of several months, MBAG evaluated the effects of different types of short circuits on the transmission wiring harness electrical connector. MBAG also compared the electrical resistance of corroded and non-corroded electrical connectors using computed tomography.

 

In the beginning of 2022, MBAG determined that production deviations in the routing and the length of the cable in the transmission wiring harness caused mechanical strain on the single-wire seal. Separation of the seal could allow water to penetrate the electrical connector. In April 2022, MBAG implemented a production change by using a longer harness and optimizing the harness position. MBAG also developed an additional bracket to optimize the routing of the transmission wiring harness on potentially affected vehicles in the field.

 

MBAG continued further investigation to assess whether corrosion in the electrical connection could pose a fire or other safety risk. Based on its investigation, MBAG identified forty-nine warranty claims in connection with this issue in the U.S. from February 13, 2019 to March 31, 2022. MBAG determined that two such claims alleged thermal events involving the affected vehicle. On July 15, 2022, MBAG determined that a potential safety risk cannot be ruled out and decided to conduct a recall.

 

---

24 Affected Products

Vehicles

MAKE	MODEL	YEAR
MERCEDES-BENZ	AMG CLS53	2019-2021
MERCEDES-BENZ	AMG E53	2019-2023
MERCEDES-BENZ	AMG GT43	2021-2023
MERCEDES-BENZ	AMG GT53	2019-2023
MERCEDES-BENZ	CLS450	2019-2023
MERCEDES-BENZ	E450	2021-2023

 

 

---

4 Associated Documents

Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc)

RCMN-22V533-0992.pdf 471.519KB

RCMN-22V533-0992

 

---

Chronology of Defect

RMISC-22V533-8353.pdf 420.095KB

RMISC-22V533-8353

 

---

Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-22V533-7827.pdf 645.333KB

RCAK-22V533-7827

 

---

Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-22V533-6872.PDF 220.294KB

RCLRPT-22V533-6872

 

---

Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=22V533&docType=RCL

 

---

 

Last update on 2022-08-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

This product was presentation was made with AAWP plugin.

 

---