Irish recall of ‘fire-risk’ Mercs to take ‘some time’

MERCEDES here are trawling records to identify cars affected by a potentially faulty starter fuse which could, under extreme circumstances, lead to fire. It is part of a million-plus global recall but they don’t know how many Irish-bought vehicles are affected.

A spokesman for Mercedes in Ireland also said it will be some time before everything is in place for owners to have the matter rectified.

It is understood the procedure will take less than an hour and involves fitting an extra fuse.

The potential problem has to do with some starter components in cars made between 2015 and 2017 that can lead to them overheating.

The fire risk led to Mercedes lining up around one million vehicles worldwide for recall.

The models potentially involved include A-Class, B-Class, C-Class, E-Class and CLA cars as well as GLA and GLC crossover/SUVs.

There have been reports of 51 fires, with around 30 in the US. However, no injuries or deaths have been reported.

Mercedes say the starting-current limiter could overload under “unique” conditions where a driver repeatedly tries to start their car.

The Irish spokesman said no cars sold in Ireland have been reported with the fault. He said their advice to dealers is that owners should continue driving their vehicles and to await any further notification.

In the “very unlikely situation” where an engine fails to start due to unusual circumstances such as flood damage, drivers should not make persistent or repeated efforts to get it going and should contact their dealer.

“When this data is available, and all other necessary requirements are in place (parts, technical instructions, etc), owners will be contacted to have the required modifications completed expeditiously,” the spokesman added.