Mercedes-Benz USA has recalled nearly 15,000 examples of the EQE, EQE SUV, EQS, and EQS SUV for a deviation in the battery management system software development process. The iffy software causes the high-voltage battery to shut down, resulting in reduced or a loss of propulsion.
Affected vehicles were produced for the 2023 through 2025 model years at the Bremen, Sindelfingen, and Tuscaloosa plants in Germany and the United States of America. The manufacturer started looking into this problem in late 2023, following two reports from Denmark and the US.
The report from Denmark alleged a battery management system warning message in the vehicle's instrument cluster, with said warning message appearing prior to delivery to the customer. The report from the United States market, on the other hand, alleged reduced drive power and the same warning message as previously mentioned.
From the very beginning, Mercedes-Benz AG hypothesized that something may be off with the battery management system software. Further analyses revealed that the battery control module's memory can be overloaded by the volume of diagnostic requests from the other control units.
A high volume of requests would force the battery control module to reset. Data overflow to the battery management system would result in reduced power output or a loss of propulsion, conditions that increase the risk of a crash. Merc does highlight that the vehicle can be restarted once it comes to a complete stop. Prior to filing the recall documentation with the NHTSA, the automaker was aware of 17 reports related to this defect in the US.
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Thankfully for the German automaker's legal department, there are no reports of injuries or worse. The attached recall report lists no fewer than 14 different software versions for the battery management system, as well as model versions ranging from the lowly 350 series all the way to the AMG EQS 53 and Maybach EQS SUV 680.
Other than the three-pointed star, what else do these zero-emission sedans and sport utility vehicles have in common? The answer is the EVA platform, which is meant for mid- and full-size vehicles. Sales of the EQE and EQS have been glacial at best, partly due to high starting prices and partly due to the 400-volt architecture. When Hyundai and sister brand Kia offer 800 volts in less upmarket vehicles, that's very disappointing on the part of Mercedes.
The Stuttgart-based automaker has remedied the software issue in vehicle production on May 13, 2024. No later than June 3, dealers will be instructed to update to the latest version. As for owners, recall notifications will be mailed before July 23.
As of May 2024, the EQE starts at $74,900 for the sedan and $77,900 for the roomier sibling. Being the S-Class of electric vehicles, the EQS cracks into the $100,000 from the outset, namely $104,000 before taxes and options. The EQS SUV is $104,400, while the Maybach starts at $179,900.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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