Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Daimler to recall 75,000 Mercedes-Benz cars in the UK due to fire risk

A total of one million vehicles are being withdrawn worldwide

Saturday 04 March 2017 22:20 GMT
Comments
Various Mercedes Benz vehicles in a row at a Mercedes/Smart dealership. Identical models of Mercedes C-Class vehicles
Various Mercedes Benz vehicles in a row at a Mercedes/Smart dealership. Identical models of Mercedes C-Class vehicles (Getty)

Daimler, the German multinational automotive corporation, is to recall 75,000 Mercedes-Benz cars in the UK due to a safety risk.

A total of one million vehicles are being withdrawn worldwide after 51 reported fires.

A fault that affects the fuse in A, B, C and E-class cars as well as GLA and GLC vehicles is thought to be the problem.

Daimler, which owns Mercedes-Benz, said in “unique conditions” this fault could lead to the car overheating and catching fire.

“Any affected vehicles in inventory will not be sold until they can be outfitted with the additional fuse,” said a Mercedes-Benz spokesman.

The majority of the fires, 30, were reported in the US, where more than 300,000 cars have been withdrawn.

A fix is currently being implemented in new vehicles and cars that are currently on sale are being altered before they are purchased by customers.

The cars have not yet been recalled and it is expected that owners will be contacted later this month.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in