Mercedes-Benz EQB Owners Told Not to Charge Past 80% Until This Fix

Lately, there have been numerous instances of vehicles catching fire, from Hyundai Tucsons to BMW X3s, and, of course, Tesla EVs. Now, a recall published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals that there's a potential fire risk for owners of 2022-2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB crossovers. Specifically, the issue concerns the 2023 EQB 250 and the 2022-2023 EQB 300 4MATIC and EQB 350 4MATIC. What initially appeared to be a China-only problem has now reached American vehicles, thanks to "variations during an early-stage production period of the supplier," among other potential influencing factors.

Mercedes-Benz EQB's Problem Began Two Years Ago

According to the NHTSA recall report, Mercedes-Benz first received reports of fire incidents in 2023 and into 2024. At the time, the incidents all occurred outside the U.S., impacting Chinese-market vehicles. After months of investigations, the automaker still could not rule out the possibility that the combination of factors leading to "thermal events" (fire) in affected vehicles may not occur in other environments, so to avoid any risk, Mercedes conducted a worldwide recall in January 2025. But after field action began globally in April, Mercedes received additional reports of fires the following month, again outside the U.S. — though that would change soon enough.

Related: Meet the Cheap Amphibious Mercedes You've Never Heard Of

Because these fires took place partly in vehicles that weren't part of the original recall, more investigations followed, which determined that "influences from the supplier production process" affected the cell robustness of these vehicles. Then, in January 2025, Mercedes-Benz's American arm inspected two vehicles that were impacted by the problem, determining that some EQBs in the U.S. need a fix. Again, it appears that Mercedes is acting out of an abundance of caution, as the fault hasn't been deemed serious or urgent enough to warrant a Do Not Drive warning.

What to Do If Your EQB is Recalled

Vehicles produced from July 31, 2024, onwards do not suffer from the same problem, but for those manufactured before then, Mercedes dealers (which have already received recall notifications) will update the battery management software. That means it can't be addressed with an over-the-air update. In the meantime, owners are advised not to charge beyond 80% and can expect a notification of the recall campaign before January 16, 2026. Speaking of 2026, Mercedes won't be keeping the EQB around in the U.S. or Canada after the 2025 model year, though it's effectively undergoing a name change, as the EQB's spirit will live on in the all-new GLB, which will now be offered in all-electric and gas hybrid variants.

View the full article