2024 Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe Photo by Mercedes-Benz

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Mercedes-Benz is recalling a wide swath of its models from the past seven years over a defect that could lead to a roll-away risk. The safety campaign covers a whopping 310,667 examples of its vehicles in the U.S., per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); Transport Canada has yet to publish a counterpart recall, so it is unclear how many, if any Benzes are impacted on this side of the border.

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The affected models include various trims of A-Class from 2019 through 2022; the CLA (including AMG models) from 2020 and 2021; the GLB (again including AMGs) from 2020 through 2026; several GLA variants (and AMGs) from 2021 through 2025; C-Classes from 2022 and 2023; GLCs (plus AMG variants) from 2023 and 2024; and a smaller number of CLE models from 2024.

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On affected models, a supplier’s development error meant a microswitch in the driver’s door lock could let moisture in and corrode prematurely, causing the switch to fail; when this happens, the vehicle may “fail to detect an open door, preventing the electronic parking brake or ‘Auto-Park’ feature from engaging automatically,” says the NHTSA. In these Benz vehicles, when a door is ajar, these switches usually send a message to throw the thing in Park—a switch failure means the door could be open, the driver having exited, and the car remaining in gear, leading to a possible roll-away or, in the worst case, the un-Parked Benz running over its own driver.

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