Certain examples of the Mercedes-AMG C 43 may have been produced with incorrectly routed seat wiring harnesses. Over in the United States, the German automaker has recalled 18 units of the C 43, with said vehicles featuring performance seats.
At press time, Mercedes-AMG advertises the C 43 with two performance seat packages. The lesser one includes AMG Performance seats in black MB-Tex and microfiber upholstery, whereas the advanced package levels up to multicontour front seats.
Suspect vehicles were produced for the 2023 model year between March 10, 2023 and April 14, 2023. Every version of the C-Class for the US market comes from the German automaker's Bremen plant, which also makes the AMG SL and AMG GT.
The incorrectly routed front seat wiring harnesses may become damaged when the seatback is fully reclined. This could increase the risk of injury due to airbag functionality impairment. As for the root cause for the incorrect routing, Merc puts the blame on a vehicle development process deviation.
If the wiring becomes damaged, the driver will be informed of this condition via a red warning message regarding an airbag malfunction. A2065403873 and A2065403973 are the part numbers of the incorrectly routed harnesses.
Photo: Mercedes-AMG
Believe it or not, Merc started looking into this matter in the latter part of March 2023, prompted by an unspecified number of end-of-line testing reports. The manufacturer immediately launched a rework campaign to reroute said wiring harnesses. The routing process was adjusted in May 2023, which checks out with the March 2023 to April 2023 recall population for the US market.
The question is, why did Mercedes took until May 2024 to issue a recall? The answer is further testing, which revealed that damaged wiring could affect the operation of the PRESAFE impulse side airbag and thorax-pelvis side airbag. Thankfully, Mercedes-Benz AG isn't aware of any field reports or warranty claims related to this problem.
As expected, Merc dealers are required to check the front seat wiring harness routing and – if necessary – rework at no charge whatsoever to affected customers. Owner notifications will be mailed no later than July 23, 2024. In the meantime, owners can take matters into their own hands by running the 17-character VIN on Mercedes' recall portal.
C 43 slots below the C 63. Every variant of the 206-series Kompakt Klasse features a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine, but as you might already know, the 43 and 63 are far more special in this regard. Their 2.0-liter turbo engines come from the mad professors in Affalterbach, where they're assembled by hand in true AMG fashion.
The C 43 is a mild hybrid, whereas the C 63 levels up to plug-in hybrid assistance. 402 horsepower and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm) is mighty impressive for this displacement and number of cylinders, but alas, the 206-series C 43 doesn't hold a candle to the aural pleasure of the previous generation's V6.
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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