German car manufacturer Mercedes Benz is recalling nearly 1 million cars of different makes worldwide over a possible braking issue.
Reuters reported on Saturday, units of the ML, GL (BR 164) and R-Class (BR 251) series produced between 2004 and 2015 were affected and these units were being recalled.
The Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) in Germany said in a recent release that worldwide, 993,407 vehicles of various series were being recalled. The Transport Authority stated “Corrosion on the brake booster can in the worst case lead to the connection between the brake pedal and the braking system being interrupted. As a consequence, the service brake can stop functioning,” The Guardian reported quoting the Transport Authority.
The car manufacturer too, confirming the recall, said in a release to AFP the move was based on analysis of isolated reports for certain vehicles. Reuters reported that the manufacturer had found that in some of those vehicles, the function of the brake booster could be affected by advanced corrosion in the joint area of the housing. “This could result in an increase in the brake pedal force needed to decelerate the vehicle and/or to a potentially increased stopping distance," Reuters quoted the manufacturer as saying.
“In such a very rare case, it would not be possible to decelerate the vehicle via the service brake. Thus, the risk of a crash or injury would be increased,” The Guardian reported quoting the manufacturer.
According to HT Auto, the German manufacturer had issued a recall of similar models in the US in May over a similar issue. NHTSA—an agency under the US Department of Transportation for road safety—said in a release in May, “Mercedes-Benz USA will conduct a voluntary recall of approximately 292,287 ML-, GL- and R-Class vehicles produced during the 2006-2012 model year period for potentially corroded brake boosters. The corrosion could severely affect braking capability, increasing the risk of a crash.” NHTSA advised customers with affected vehicles to visit authorised Mercedes-Benz dealers for inspection.
