2020 Mercedes Benz GLB 250 Risk Of Electrical Fire

Mercedes-Benz USA (MB) will be contacting owners of certain 2020 GLB 250 vehicles because the accessory power outlet for the second row seating may have excessive voltage due to an incorrect voltage converter socket.

In October 2019 Mercedes Benz (MB) started an investigations into some 2020 GLB250 SUVs after receiving reports about vehicles built with second row voltage converters that do not meet U.S. specifications. According to the defect report, a 230V voltage converter may have been installed in place of a 115V converter intended for the US market. When the problem was found, production was stopped and the potentially affected vehicles were blocked at the plant and reworked.

In spring 2020, MB operations were restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When operations resumed, the issue was further investigated and it was found that some vehicles had been released from the plant prior to being reworked. In July 2021 MB determined that due to the variety of possible external devices that could be connected to the socket, depending on the quality and specification of the individual device, the potential for a risk of fire could not be ruled out, and decided to conduct a recall.

Owners receiving notices will be asked to return to their dealers to have the voltage converter inspected and replace as necessary,. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 3, 2021. The NHTSA campaign number for this recall is 21V-526.