Mercedes-Benz USA has recalled more than 1 million vehicles for a failure in the eCall system, which has resulted in emergency responders being dispatched to wrong locations, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The software design of the communication module may result in a failure to send the correct vehicle location for the emergency call system in the event of a crash and increase the risk of injury following a crash, the NHTSA said.
Mercedes-Benz USA is recalling certain 2016-2021 CLA-Class, GLA-Class, GLE-Class, GLS-Class, SLC-Class, A-Class, GT-Class, C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, CLS-Class, SL-Class, B-Class, GLB-Class, GLC-Class, and G-Class vehicles.
The automaker plans to issue a software update that will be installed by dealers or through an over-the-air update.
Mercedes-Benz in Europe in October 2019 launched an investigation based on a report from the Mercedes-Benz eCall center of a single instance in the European market where the automatic eCall system relayed an inaccurate vehicle position.
After an investigation reviewing various software combinations of the communication module, the company’s research showed additional similar events where the vehicle position was incorrectly transmitted.
Reuters contributed to this report