Mercedes-Benz recalls 11 S-Class in US over faulty rear thrust arm

Mercedes-Benz has issued a recall for the S-Class sedan in the US, which covers 11 units of the super-luxury sedan. The affected vehicles include one Mercedes-Maybach S-Class sedan and 10 other S-Class sedans, which are claimed to have poor welding, which may cause the rear axle carrier to completely detach from the suspension thrust arm of the car. The German luxury car manufacturer has issued a warning to the owner of these 11 Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedans to not drive the vehicles until the faults are repaired.

The official recall paperwork reveals that the affected vehicles might sway due to roadway influences. "The welds could fail suddenly and without prior warning and may cause the thrust arm to detach from the rear axle carrier. As a result, the vehicle might sway due to roadway influences. In addition, the vehicle could pull to one side in the event of emergency braking. In that case, the controllability of the vehicle would be impaired, increasing the risk of a crash," reads the NHTSA document. However, Mercedes-Benz claims that no accidents or injuries have been reported so far due to this fault.

The recall document by NHTSA also says that the fault has been caused by a deviation in the production process. “The subframe weld for the thrust arm on certain rear axle carriers might not have been carried out according to production specifications," reads the document.

Mercedes-Benz has said that the problem was first detected in January this year when a customer outside the US complained about an unusual noise and unstable driving experience, prompting the automaker to launch an investigation, which resulted in the detection of the fault.