Mercedes warns 800,000 owners of possible fire risk

(Reuters) – Mercedes Benz informed owners of their luxury cars of a technical defect that could cause a fire, adding that it was not possible to call them for service because the parts needed to fix the problem are not available.

The problem stems from a possible coolant pump leak that could overheat components, Daimler said Tuesday.

The news was reported by the popular German daily Bild, which published a copy of a letter that Daimler sent to some 800,000 Mercedes-Benz owners affected by the defect, saying that “the risk of fire”.

Daimler confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

Daimler adds in the letter that the parts needed to fix the problem were not available right now, so a recall was not possible at the moment, but that it would take place as soon as the components were available.

“In the meantime, the affected vehicle must be driven with particular caution and use kept to a minimum,” the letter said.

Daimler could not confirm Bild’s information that 800,000 vehicles were affected.

“An owner of a vehicle affected by a recall should always immediately contact the nearest Mercedes-Benz technical service,” the company said in a statement.

Affected models are some GLE / GLS (platform 167), C-Class (platform 205), E-Class (platform 213), S-Class (platform 222), S-Class (platform 223), E-Class Coupe / Convertible (platform 238) , GLC (platform 253), CLS (platform 257) and G-Class (platform 463), Daimler said.