2018 Mercedes-Benz C Class Recall

On certain vehicles, the plastic panel located between the windshield and the panoramic sunroof may not have been attached correctly during a prior service repair. Over time, the panel could loosen and separate from the vehicle. Note: This is an expansion of Transport Canada recall 2021-170.

A panel that detaches from a moving vehicle could create a road hazard for others and increase the risk of a crash.

Mercedes-Benz will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the front roof panel.

On certain vehicles, the plastic panel located between the windshield and the panoramic sunroof may not have been attached correctly during a prior service repair. Over time, the panel could loosen and separate from the vehicle.

A panel that detaches from a moving vehicle could create a road hazard for others and increase the risk of a crash.

Mercedes-Benz will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the front roof panel.

On certain C-Class cabriolet models equipped with the PRE-SAFE system, the front seat belts may not retract completely to their storage position. Canadian regulations require seat belts to retract fully when not in use.

If the seat belt does not fully retract, the occupant may find the operation of the seat belt inconvenient and not wear it. This could increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Mercedes-Benz will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the function of the front seat belt retractors and adjust the dampening foam, if necessary.

On certain vehicles, a software problem could cause the rearview camera image not to appear on the central display. Canadian regulations require the rearview image to display when the transmission is shifted into reverse gear.

A rearview camera image that does not display could reduce a driver's ability to see behind the vehicle while backing up. This could increase the risk of a crash.

Mercedes-Benz will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to update the head unit software.

On certain vehicles, there may be a problem with the front seat belt buckles. This could cause the seat belt warnings to turn on, even if the front seat belts are buckled. If the driver ignores these warnings, the PRE-SAFE and airbag systems may not function properly.

A seat belt pretensioner or airbag system that does not work properly in a crash could increase the risk of injury.

Mercedes-Benz will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to check the front seat belt buckles and replace them if necessary.

On certain vehicles, the 12-volt starter battery may not be properly secured by its mounting bracket. In a crash, the battery may shift and the terminals might disconnect. This could interrupt power to the vehicle, which would affect multiple post-crash systems. It is also possible that the battery could detach from the vehicle. Note: A loose battery could cause rattling or knocking noises from the engine compartment while driving.

A failure of the post-crash systems could increase the risk of injury. A battery that detaches from the vehicle could create a road hazard for others and increase the risk of a crash.

Mercedes-Benz will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to replace the battery mounting bracket.

On certain coupe and cabriolet models, the front seatbacks may not fully lock on the right side. In a crash, a seatback that is not properly locked could allow unsecured objects from the rear seats to move forward.

A seatback that is not properly locked could increase the risk of injury in a crash.

The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to inspect front seatbacks and replace them as necessary. Note: This is an expansion of Recall 2018-161.

On certain vehicles, the locking status of the steering coupling may not have been verified during assembly. If not correctly locked, the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and steering rack could loosen while driving, potentially resulting in complete loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect the steering coupling and lock it, if necessary.

A failure of this component (steering) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain coupe and cabriolet models, the switches that detect if a seat belt is buckled may not function properly. This could cause a buckled seat belt to be incorrectly detected as unbuckled. In the event of a crash, this could cause the seat belt tensioning system not to work as designed, increasing the risk of injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the affected seat belt buckles.

A failure of this component (seats and restraints) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles equipped with an Audio 20 head unit and automatic child seat recognition, the status of the passenger airbag may not be displayed correctly. For example, the display may indicate that an airbag is turned off when it is not. This could create a situation where a child or small-statured occupant is inadvertently placed in front of an active airbag. This could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Correction: Dealers will update the audio head unit software.

A failure of this component (airbag) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain C 63 models, a locknut in the steering rack may be defective. If the nut fails, the steering could become stuck, which would increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the steering rack.

A failure of this component (steering) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, an incorrect cover for the starter battery may have been installed and may not fully cover the battery (positive) electrical cable. In the event of a crash, components could come in to contact with the cable, creating a short circuit, and increasing the risk of a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Additionally, if on-board electrical system voltage is lost, post-crash functions (e.g. emergency door unlocking, activation of hazard warning lamps after crash) might not be available. However, the unlocking and opening of the doors from inside the vehicle would not be affected. Correction: Dealers will install a new battery cover with the correct dimensions to cover the electrical cable.

A failure of this component (structure) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, the rear window may not have been properly bonded and could separate from the vehicle. This could create a road hazard and pose a risk to other road users, increasing the risk of crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will remove and re-install the rear window.

A failure of this component (visual system) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain cabriolet models, the rear beltline body trim could separate from the vehicle. If this occurs while the vehicle is in motion, it could create a potential road hazard that could increase the risk of injury for other road users or bystanders. Correction: Dealers will check the rear beltline trim and replace it, if necessary.

A failure of this component (structure) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

Certain vehicles equipped with a 6-cylinder gasoline engine and all-wheel drive may have been built with incorrect paneling under the engine compartment. This could result in contact between the exhaust system and the plastic paneling, which could create a risk of fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will check the underbody paneling and replace it, if necessary.

A failure of this component (structure) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, the seatbacks of the front seats may not fully lock on the right-hand side of the respective seat. If the seatback is improperly locked, in the event of a crash, unsecured objects in the rear seats might not be held back and the risk of injury to the front occupants would be increased. Correction: Dealers will inspect the locking of the front seatbacks, and replace the seatbacks as necessary. Note: This recall is superseded by recall 2019091. Please see recall 2019091 for more information.

A failure of this component (seats and restraints) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles equipped with AMG Performance Seats, the welding between the backrest rail and the backrest metal fitting of the driver and/or passenger seat might not meet specifications. The metal fitting may disengage from the backrest rail, which could increase the risk of injury to front seat occupants in the event of a crash. Correction: Dealers will inspect the backrest frames of the front seats, and replace them as necessary. Note: This recall affects C43 AMG, C63 and E63 AMG models only.

A failure of this component (seats and restraints) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, electrostatic discharge, when combined with a broken clock spring and insufficient grounding of the steering components, could lead to an inadvertent deployment of the driver's frontal airbag. Unintended airbag deployment, in a non-warranted (non-impact) situation, could startle the driver, which could result in a crash causing injury and/or property damage. In some instances, inadvertent deployment could cause minor injuries to vehicle occupants. Correction: Dealers will add sufficient grounding to the steering components. Note: A broken clock spring would result in a driver airbag warning message appearing in the instrument cluster, as well as a red airbag warning lamp illuminating.

A failure of this component (airbag) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).