Toronto, Ontario — Mercedes-Benz announced on Thursday that it will be recalling 31,577 vehicles from Canadian roads for a corrosion issue in the brake systems of multiple model years and classes.
The German automaker’s U.S. headquarters confirmed that ML, GL, and R-Class vehicles from 2006 through 2012 model years are prone to the corrosion of brake boosters, which would in turn severely affect braking capability.
No crashes, injuries, or deaths have been attributed to the defect as of yet, however, a “do not drive” recall is now officially in effect in the U.S. for the affected vehicles.
Mercedes said it will offer complimentary towing to owners of affected vehicles and will work with dealers to help coordinate alternate transportation if a repair is needed.
The U.S.’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said vehicles that do not exhibit advanced corrosion may continue to be driven with no further action, while vehicles with advanced corrosion will have an additional test.
Vehicles that pass the test may be driven for up to two years but must return for an additional repair, while those that do not pass will require a brake booster replacement.
The NHTSA said that in a worst-case scenario “a particularly strong or hard braking maneuver could cause mechanical damage in the brake booster, whereby the connection between the brake pedal and brake system would fail,” and therefore, “it would not be possible to slow or stop the vehicle via the service brake.”
