Mercedes is recalling vehicles over emergency-call location error

Automobile giant Mercedes-Benz USA is recalling over 1.29 million vehicles owing to a failure in its eCall software, which may not provide a vehicle's correct location to emergency responders, post-crash.

According to The Verge, the automakers have said that they were unaware of any instances of material damages or personal injuries that may have resulted from this issue and that they plan to provide a free software update to be installed over the air or at dealerships. The recall will begin on April 6th.

This recall covers vehicles sold from model years 2016 to 2021 and includes CLA-Class, GLA-Class, GLE-Class, GLS-Class, SLC-Class, A-Class, GT-Class, C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, CLS-Class, SL-Class, B-Class, GLB-Class, GLC-Class, and G-Class vehicles.

Also read: Mercedes unveils electric compact SUV in bid to outdo Tesla

Mercedes-Benz said, "a temporary collapse of the communication module's power supply caused by a crash might lead to the vehicle's position during a potential emergency call being incorrect."

However, the company added, "other functions of the automatic and manual emergency call function remain fully operational."

As per The Verge, in 2019, Mercedes-Benz in Europe investigated an incident where the automatic eCall system provided an incorrect position for its vehicle. The company found other situations where an incorrect vehicle position was relayed.

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Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz last month unveiled the EQA, a new electric compact SUV as part of plans to take on rival Tesla and offer more emission-free vehicles to consumers to meet targets in Europe and China.

The EQA, the first of several electric models Mercedes-Benz plans to launch this year, will initially have a range of 426 kilometres (265 miles), with a 500km model coming later, the premium brand carmaker had said in a video presentation.

• With inputs from HT Correspondent