Mercedes-Benz USA has announced a recall of 11,895 electric vehicles

[Garyl]

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/...lace-their-high-voltage-batteries-265651.html

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[TaxmanHog]

My wifes happy to have not fallen for my push to trade her ICE E300 for a MB EV some day I'll convince her, but it won't be the EQB

Mercedes-Benz USA has identified a rather worrying issue that affects nearly 12,000 examples of the EQB in the United States market. According to the American subsidiary of the Stuttgart-based automaker, the high-voltage batteries of the recalled crossovers may fail internally.

The recall documentation published on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website reads that shorting cells may lead to a thermal event, increasing the risk of a fire. Mercedes-Benz AG puts the blame on supplier production deviations from an early production timeframe.

In combination with external factors that include external damage to the battery and influences from the charging infrastructure, an internal short is possible at high states of charge. Farasis Energy of China is the supplier of the suspect batteries, which may come as weird to some car enthusiasts.

On the other hand, it's worth remembering that Mercedes entered a far-reaching strategic partnership with said Chinese supplier in 2020. Although the EQB for the United States market is assembled in Hungary, its battery cells hail from China because Farasis Energy offers a steady and reliable stream of cells at very competitive prices.

The cells are shipped to European plants for battery production before Mercedes ultimately ships the finished packs to vehicle assembly plants. Building on a previous recall over iffy batteries, the latest campaign is for 2023 through 2024 models produced in 250+, 300 4MATIC, and 350 4MATIC specifications.

Until the remedy becomes available, owners are urged to park outside and charge at a maximum of 80 percent. Dealers are going to replace all suspect high-voltage batteries at no charge to affected customers. Production dates for the suspect vehicle population range from December 13, 2021, to May 9, 2024.

The recall documentation lists 6,513 examples of the 300 4MATIC, followed by 3,674 of the entry-level 250+ and 1,708 of the range-topping 350 4MATIC. According to Mercedes-Benz AG, the supplier introduced production process improvements in 2024. The reported issue can no longer occur on EQBs produced from July 31, 2024, onwards.

Interim customer notification letters will be mailed no later than February 27, 2026, whereas final notifications are due on April 3, 2026. In the meantime, owners can simply run the VIN on Merc's website to determine if their EQB crossovers are being recalled.

To be replaced by the all-new GLB with EQ Technology, the EQB is advertised stateside with seating for up to seven people, 70.5 kilowatt-hours, up to 250 miles (402 kilometers) of driving range in the EPA's test cycle, and 5.8 seconds from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour). Prices kick off at $53,050 for the 250+, which is exclusively front-wheel drive, and $57,200 for the 300 4MATIC.

Going for the most powerful specification results in a very poor 206 miles (332 kilometers) on a full charge, and $60,850 makes the EQB 350 4MATIC hideously expensive in comparison to an equivalent Model Y.

 

[chl]

A couple key takeaways that reinforce my thinking about EV batteries developed over the 13 plus years I have owned an EV, about what is a "safe" charge percentage is and what is a "risky" charge percentage: charging to 80% is safe, but 100% is risky, even with the 'buffer.'

"...an internal short is possible at high states of charge....Until the remedy becomes available, owners are urged to park outside and charge at a maximum of 80 percent...."

The thing is, we really can't tell how well our batteries are made, if there are any 'misaligned electrodes' or other problems in them, until something goes wrong in someone's vehicle and the vehicle manufacturer investigates and then issues a recall.

Hopefully, our vehicle monitoring systems would warn us when something is about to go wrong...but...I don't count on that. I prefer to take a more conservative approach and not put all my faith in the system monitoring design.

My reading about such things over the years as EV battery failures and their causes, has led me to my 80% max decision. It is also why I L2 charge at a modest current (40A MAX) and do not fast DC charge.

Higher currents are also a but less efficient since wasted power is proportional to the square of the current times resistance.

This works for me, being a bit more cautious and skeptical by nature and experience.

 

[Grumpy2]

I think getting a EQB with a new factory battery for less than $25k sounds pretty attractive.

Used 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB For Sale at Mercedes-Benz of Stevens Creek | VIN: W1N9M0KB3PN066722

 

[rdr854]

My wifes happy to have not fallen for my push to trade her ICE E300 for a MB EV some day I'll convince her, but it won't be the EQB

The Volvo EX90 is a good car to consider. Just ask @VTbuckeye. He will happily confirm (and he has had far better luck than me - second EX90 is very well behaved).

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