Mercedes-Benz is recalling 14,912 EVs in the U.S. to address a battery management system software issue that could cause a loss of drive power.
The recalled vehicles include all versions of the EQS and EQE sedans, as well as the EQS SUV and EQE SUV, from model years 2023 to 2025, depending on the variant. These vehicles may have battery management software that “might not meet current production specifications and may lead to a shutdown of the high-voltage system in specific situations,” according to recall documents.
That specific situation is a “diagnostic data overflow” to the battery management system. Other onboard control units might continuously send diagnostic requests to the battery management system, overloading its memory and triggering the opening of contractors that disconnect the battery pack from the powertrain.
2024 Mercedes-Benz EQE
The recall comes after an investigation from Mercedes following reports of warning messages in vehicle instrument clusters related to the battery pack, the first of which came from a dealership in Denmark in October 2023. The recall population was determined by production records; all other examples of the EQS and EQE sedan and SUV have software that “meets current production specifications” according to Mercedes.
Owners of recalled cars will have to schedule appointments with dealerships to have updated battery management software installed, free of charge. This remedy cannot be done via an over-the-air (OTA) update.
The rollout of EQ-branded dedicated EVs for the U.S. started with the EQS sedan, which launched as a 2022 model. For 2025, Mercedes is improving the EQS with a heat pump and better braking, and those elements are expected to spread to the rest of the EV lineup in the near future.
2024 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV
However, the future of Mercedes’ EV lineup is in flux. Earlier this year it announced a delay of EV targets that would keep combustion engines in its lineup “well into the 2030s.” It’s also reportedly pulled the plug on a range-extended EV project that had reached the testing stage with EQS-based prototypes.
Mercedes is also reportedly in the process of dropping EQ badging for EVs, but it hasn’t issued anything definitive yet. The closest hint we have at what might replace the EQ nomenclature is the “G 580 with EQ Technology” badging of the electric G-Class.
