Mercedes-Benz Sudden Battery Drain Defect Class Action

Plaintiff Amir Crawford has a 2019 Mercedes Benz CLS 450 Coupe which the complaint for this class action alleges has a battery defect. The complaint alleges the battery suddenly and unexpectedly drains, so that Crawford has replaced the battery twice in 2022. The complaint brings suit against Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) and Mercedes-Benz Group AG (formerly known as Daimler AG), alleging that many Mercedes-Benz vehicles have the same defect.

The class for this action is all persons who bought or leased a Mercedes vehicle having the battery defect, rendering them subject to any remedial measure or countermeasure, including but not limited to those in the following Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs): LI54.15-P-070802, LI42.47-P-069817, LI54.10-P-066344, LI82.85-P-066086, LI82-95-P-056655, LI27.00-P-072627, LI54.10-P-064762, LI54.10-P-066942, LI54.10-P-071596, or LI54.10-P-069698.

Alternatively, the complaint proposes state subclasses consisting of all persons who bought or leased, in New Jersey, California, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Texas, a Mercedes vehicle having the battery defect, rendering them subject to any remedial measure or countermeasure, including but not limited to those in the following Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs): LI54.15-P-070802, LI42.47-P-069817, LI54.10-P-066344, LI82.85-P-066086, LI82-95-P-056655, LI27.00-P-072627, LI54.10-P-064762, LI54.10-P-066942, LI54.10-P-071596, or LI54.10-P-069698.

The complaint claims that certain Mercedes vehicles have a defect that makes the battery drain suddenly and unexpectedly, requiring replacement long before the end of its expected life.

The complaint alleges, “Many types of Mercedes vehicles contain a common electrical system, and as a result, this defect is present in Mercedes vehicles manufactured between 2004 and 2022, and including but is not limited to Mercedes Class S, C, A, CLA, CLS, G, GLA, GLK, GLC, ML, GLE, GL, GLS, and E.”

The battery can affect the regular Mercedes 12-volt batteries. However, for the sake of greater fuel efficiency, Mercedes has begun adding 48-volt batteries that help power the vehicles, and the sudden draining of that battery can affect the vehicle’s performance in other ways.

This makes the vehicles potentially dangerous. The complaint alleges, “If the battery is drained, the starter will not have enough power to operate, making the vehicle impossible to start using the ignition and denying the vehicle sufficient energy to operate any of the electrical components.”

For example, the complaint quotes a posting at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website as saying, “The 2017 Mercedes-Benz c300 vehicle suffered a complete loss of power/electrics while in motion at speed and in traffic, causing the vehicle to unexpectedly stop on two separate occasions. [T]he loss of all electrical supply leaves the vehicle immobile, without warning indicators and [it] cannot be moved.”

The complaint alleges that Mercedes has known about the defect for a long time and has put out various TSBs on the problem. However, the complaint claims that the company has never offered repairs or compensation. In fact, it claims that Mercedes continues to sell the vehicles as they are “and has instead actively concealed the presence of the Battery Defect.”

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Automobile
Tags: Battery, Defective Automobile