Mercedes-Benz Vehicles Corrosion to Brake Booster Housing Class Action

One of the most serious problems a vehicle can have is a malfunction of its braking system. The complaint for this class action alleges that certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles suffer from potential corrosion to its brake booster housing, which may cause a partial or total loss of braking ability. It brings suit against Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, Mercedes-Benz AG, and Mercedes-Benz Group AG.

The class for this action is all persons in the US and its territories who bought or leased any ML-Class, GL-Class, or R-Class vehicle built between 2004 and 2015.

“Upon information and belief,” the complaint alleges, the problem is caused by a defect in materials or workmanship that allows moisture to “accumulate and cause corrosion in the brake booster housing unit, which can result in reduced brake performance or brake failure[.]” The complaint quotes Mercedes as saying that “the function of the brake booster could be affected by advanced corrosion in the joint area of the housing.”

When the problem occurs, the complaint alleges, the driver may have to apply more force to the brake pedal to get the brakes to respond, or the stopping distance may be increased. This means that the vehicle no longer operates in the manner the driver has come to expect, the complaint alleges, which “may make it difficult to safely change lanes, make turns, merge into traffic, decelerate and stop at stop lights/signs, and decelerate onto highways/freeways.”

According to the complaint, Mercedes has known about the defect for a long time. It points to a June 15, 2009 Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) directed to its authorized dealers that warned about corrosion and the danger it could pose to brake components.

Despite its knowledge of the problem, the complaint alleges, Mercedes did not warn potential customers about the defect, and it did not issue a recall for it until May 11, 2022. The complaint quotes Mercedes in the recall as warning owners “not to drive their vehicles until the remedy has been performed, and also as telling “customers to stop driving the vehicle until the first inspection is performed.”

Unfortunately, the complaint claims that the “inspection process is not presently available…” Once it is, the complaint points out that consumes will have to take the time to schedule an inspection, and then, it claims, “if upon inspection the authorized dealer discovers advanced corrosion, the [owner] is advised not to use the Class Vehicle until the brake booster housing is replaced—a process that could take two years.”

The complaint thus contends that the recall does not fully compensate owners of the now less-valuable vehicles and does not do anything to compensate them for the duration of time that the vehicles cannot be driven.

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