Third Row Headrests May Not Function Properly – 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class

December 6, 2019 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V867000

Third Row Headrests May Not Function Properly

The headrest may not properly protect the occupant in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V867

Manufacturer Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.

Components SEATS

Potential Number of Units Affected 1

 

Summary

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling one 2020 GLE450 4MATIC vehicle. The third-row seating headrests were manufactured with insufficient padding and a securing rod that may not hold the headrest in place, affecting the adjustment and operation of the headrest.

 

Remedy

MBUSA will notify dealers, and MBUSA will replace the third row headrests on the affected vehicle, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 4, 2020. 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.safercar.gov.

 

Check if your Mercedes-Benz has a Recall

 

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TO: Mercedes-Benz Dealer Principals, General Managers, Sales Managers, Service Managers, Parts Managers	FROM:  Gregory Gunther, Department Manager, Vehicle Compliance and Analysis, Engineering Services
RE: Recall Campaign Initial Notification Third Row  Headrests MY20 167 (GLE-Class)	DATE: December 13, 2019

 

IMPORTANT RECALL CAMPAIGN INFORMATION

Please see the attached documents related to the campaign listed above.

 

 

Please note that all customer inquiries should be directed to the Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-FORMERCEDES.

 

Sincerely,

Gregory Gunther

Department Manager, Vehicle Compliance & Analysis

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Campaign No. :	NHTSA ID	Campaign Desc. :		Third Row  Headrests
TBA	19V867	PEND HEDRST 3RD ROW
This is to notify you of a new Recall Campaign regarding the headrests for the third seat row in 1 Model Year (“MY”) 2020 GLE-Class (167 platform) vehicle. 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 December 13, 2019.
Background
Issue		Mercedes-Benz AG (“MBAG”),  the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, has determined that on a certain Model Year (“MY”) 2020 GLE vehicle (167 platform) with third row seating, the respective headrests might not meet current production specifications.  Due to an insufficient padding of the headrest, the third row seat passengers might not be made aware of a potential misadjustment of the headrest. Thus, the appropriate adjustment and operation of the headrest might not be ensured. Furthermore, the catch groove in the headrest’s rod might be missing. In such case, the third row headrests might not be reliably secured in the event of a crash. In both cases, the risk of injury for the occupants might be increased.
What We’re Doing		MBUSA will conduct a voluntary recall. An authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer will replace the headrests on the third seat row on the affected vehicle.
Parts		A remedy is not yet available. An additional notification will be sent once a remedy is available.
Vehicles Affected
Vehicle Model Year(s)		2020
Vehicle Model		GLE-Class
Vehicle Populations
Total Recall Population		1
Total Vehicles in Dealer Inventory		0
Given this notice, it is a violation of Federal law for a dealer to sell or lease any new MY20 GLE-Class vehicles in dealer inventory covered by this notification until the vehicle has been repaired.  Once the remedy is available, the vehicles will be flagged as “OPEN” and Work Instructions will be available in Star TekInfo.  Once the repair is complete the vehicle may be sold or leased. Loaner and demonstrator vehicles may continue to be driven, but must not be retailed until repaired. Additionally, given this notice, it is a violation of Federal Law for car rental companies to rent MY20 GLE-Class vehicles covered by this notification until the vehicle has been repaired.
Next Steps/Notes
Customer Notification Timeline			Customer letter will be mailed approximately one week after the remedy becomes available.
AOMS/SOMS			AOMs – This recall may generate questions from your dealers. Please forward this notice to your dealers ASAP.
Rental Fleet Partners			This recall may affect vehicles in your fleet. Please contact your respective MBUSA fleet representative for further information and next steps. For repairs, please contact your preferred MBUSA dealer.
While we regret any inconvenience this may cause, MBUSA is determined to maintain a high level of vehicle quality and customer satisfaction. Please refer all customer inquiries to the Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES.

 

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1 Affected Product

Vehicle

MAKE	MODEL	YEAR
MERCEDES-BENZ	GLE450	2020

 

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7 Associated Documents

Recall 573 Report – Amendment 2

RCLRPT-19V867-4682.PDF 214.142KB

 

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Recall 573 Report – Amendment 1

RCLRPT-19V867-6429.PDF 214.198KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2020-1

RCLQRT-19V867-1022.PDF 211.131KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2020-2

RCLQRT-19V867-7321.PDF 211.23KB

 

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Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-19V867-4096.pdf 244.767KB

 

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Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-19V867-6573.PDF 214.04KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #3, 2020-3

RCLQRT-19V867-4360.PDF 211.309KB

 

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Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=19V867&docType=RCL

 

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