Electrical system & brake issues are among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
Launched in the U.S. in 2019, the all-new Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan is a compact car with a sporty appeal. It was also the company’s first car fitted with the intuitive Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) multimedia system.
The launch media release boasted a new and efficient engine with “high levels of safety”. These involve frontal and side crash tests as well as a rollover test to assess the risks if a driver loses control of a vehicle. The reason for these tests is that “NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings help consumers compare vehicle safety when searching for a car. More stars mean safer cars.”
NHTSA does, though, have a record of complaints about the Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan from day 1. They also record that there have been 11 recalls that potentially affect as many as 509,552 cars. There have also been 7 recalls of 2020 models and 2, so far, of 2021 models.
But we’re going to focus on complaints to NHTSA about the 2021 model.
So far, there have been 4 complaints about the A-Class, highlighting 8 problems about 5 components or systems. These are back-over prevention (2), the electrical system (3), forward-collision avoidance (1), brakes (1), and vehicle speed control (1).
We are going to look at the 3 electrical system complaints first.
The 3 complaints about the car’s electrical system relate to a recall initiated in May 2021. This relates to the relatively new high-tech MBUX multimedia system and potentially affects as many as 343,191 cars. It affects all 3 of the A-Class models as well as other vehicle models.
NHTSA Campaign Number 21V354000 explains that a backup camera displays a blank image reducing the driver’s rear view. This, Mercedes-Benz warns, increases the risk of a crash or injury. Notification letters were mailed to A-Class owners starting June 28 2021. These state that the “multimedia system software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge.”
The problem is that, as recently as September 2021, Mercedes-Benz A-Class owners haven’t been able to get the promised repair. Two of the 3 complainants experienced the anticipated failure. In all instances, car owners were told that the recall repair was not yet available.
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The brake complaint also affects vehicle speed control and forward-collision avoidance. It is described by the A-Class owner as “phantom braking”.
The complaint states that while traveling at 65 mph in the right-hand lane, several warning messages came on. These were Driving Assistance ON, Traffic Sign Assist ON, and Speed Limit Adoption ON. The driver decided to stay in the right-hand lane. Then, passing an offramp, the car suddenly decelerated to 20 mph.
“Phantom braking. This has happened twice traveling past the same offramp. Since, I have turned the Speed Limit Adoption OFF. Note that this particular off ramp has more than one speed limit sign (yellow) visible from the freeway. My guess is that the Mercedes (car) is reading the offramp signs and interpreting them to be for the freeway and not for the offramp. I consider the sudden deceleration to be dangerous.”
Not every problem indicates a lemon. But if you have problems with your A-Class that persist, it might be a lemon, especially if they relate to the engine, transmission, or brakes.
If you think you have a lemon, Lemberg Law will assess your case. All you have to do is call our Helpline. We have negotiated many settlement deals for clients, including buybacks and trade-ins. It’s not going to cost you anything because the law says Mercedes-Benz must pay the legal fees of lemon law cases.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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