Lawsuit Investigation: Mercedes 48-Volt Battery Problems

Attorneys are investigating whether a class action lawsuit can be filed in light of complaints from Mercedes drivers that the 48-volt batteries in their vehicles are dying unexpectedly and leaving them without their cars for weeks.

Drivers are claiming that their vehicles, at random, won’t start or will shut off while in motion, presenting a serious safety risk. As part of their investigation, attorneys need to hear from drivers who have experienced this problem to help determine whether a defect is to blame and whether a class action lawsuit could be filed.  

Which Mercedes Vehicles Are Affected?

Attorneys have reason to believe the battery problem occurs mostly with the E-, CLS- and GLE-/GLS-class vehicles model year 2019 and onward for the sedans, and model year 2020 for the SUVs. They are not limiting their investigation to these models, however, and are looking into all cars with the 48-volt mild hybrid system.

Battery Malfunction: What Are Mercedes Drivers Saying?

It’s believed that the battery can die both while the car is shut off (e.g., while sitting in a garage, parking lot, etc.) and even sometimes while the car is in motion. Those who reported the former issue say the car couldn’t be jumpstarted and required a tow to the dealership, while some who’ve had their cars shut down while driving were able to restart their vehicles after waiting a certain period of time.

Many have also stated that warning lights will come on or a message or error code will show on the dash indicating battery malfunction. In some cases, issues with the batteries occurred only after the car had a few hundred miles on it.

Those who have taken their cars to the dealership have been met with further problems. Drivers have reported that rental cars weren’t available, new batteries would take weeks to come in and that, even after multiple battery replacements and software updates, the problem manifested again. A sample of online complaints from Mercedes drivers can be seen below [sic throughout, emphasis ours]:

My 2021 E450 All Terrain wagon is on its third 48 volt battery. The first battery failed after 15 days and 196 miles. The second battery died after 30 days and 535 miles. The third and current battery is still alive and well after 5 months a little over 3,000 miles, but my confidence still hasn't been restored.”
— Longroof45, MBWorld.org

My car is a 2021 E 450 All Terrain with approximately 6,700 miles, delivery taken at the end of March 2021. It would not start 5 days ago while parked in the garage and had to be flatbed towed to the dealer…As of today my car has been with dealer for 5 days and other than confirming it would not start due to a faulty 48v battery, I have received zero support from the dealer. I am without a car (no loaners are ‘available’) and they have given me no information on how long my car will be out of service. I can't even get them to confirm that Mercedes has authorized a battery replacement.”
— Jayst, MBWorld.org

I had my battery replaced last week. My car only has 152 miles on it. I sincerely hope that the new battery does not fail. I've also got some creaks on the door panels. My faith in MB is way down. The fact that MB Denver has done 60 of these replacements already tells me MB has a known issue on their hands and is doing nothing. That's a real shame in my book.”
— wien0305, MBWorld.org

I received my pre-ordered 2021 E 450 Cabriole on December 28, 2020. After one week, the car without warning wouldn't start and had to be towed into Ft. Lauderdale. Since then the car has been in the shop. We have been waiting for the delivery of a battery and no one seems to be able to locate a battery. This 48v battery located in the trunk, is unique to the 2021 model year, and apparently no spare parts are available especially critical parts needed to for the operation of the vehicle. Very sad to pay $80,000 for a new car, and not be able to use the vehicle for an unknown period of time.”
— P. Moore, BenzForum.com

I just had my brand new GLS have the same 48V battery malfunction for the second time since i bought it. It doesn't even have 10k miles on it yet. The first time I got the 48V battery malfunction light on and within 2 minutes the car would no longer accelerate. Mercedes said it was a manufacturing problem to do with the grounding of the 48V battery in the engine...that there was 'paint' in the way and it wasn't ground properly. They had my car for 5 days, sanded our the pain and reattached it all then said it was fine. Less than 3 months and a few thousand miles later I had the exact same problem. Warning light comes on and then multiple other warning lights after....This time I knew to pull over right away before the engine failed. I had to have it towed in both times. The car is BRAND new....and frankly, feels super unsafe now that this has happened twice.”
— tink, MBWorld.org 

How Could a Class Action Lawsuit Help?

A class action lawsuit could give Mercedes drivers a chance to recover money spent on rental cars and repairs, as well as compensation for being unable to use their vehicles. A successful case could also force Mercedes to extend warranties for drivers and find a permanent fix for the issue.

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