A defect means the glass panels on Benzes from 2001 to 2011 risk flying off—a problem the company tried repairing in 2020, 2021, and 2022
Mercedes-Benz is recalling over 33,000 older luxury cars in the U.S. because an issue with deteriorating adhesive may allow their glass sunroof panels to slowly detach and thus risk flying off the vehicle at speed. If the safety campaign sounds familiar, it’s because many of the affected models were previously recalled for the exact same problem some three times over the past four years.
On only about 10% of the 33,456 vehicles recalled, Mercedes-Benz estimates, the adhesive holding the sunroof panels to their frames may begin to fail, which could cause a leak or, depending on the severity of the problem, possible detachment of the glass sunroof panel from the vehicle. If this occurs, the sunroof could fly off at speed, posing a road hazard.
Before this happens, drivers may notice the sunroof becoming partially detached from the vehicle, or may hear an odd wind-related noise while driving. The fix, executed by your local Mercedes dealer, is a simple inspection and, if necessary, replacement of the panel.
Mercedes-Benz is recalling these vehicles a fourth time not because the prior fixes didn’t work, but because some owners have yet to bring their car in for the repair at all. The first time Benz launched a safety campaign to address this defect was 2020, when it called back some 744,852 cars in the U.S. That was followed by a smaller recall in 2021, of 11,356 U.S. cars; and finally a recall of 123,696 cars Stateside in 2022. Here’s hoping this new campaign is the last it has to issue.
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