Doesn’t sound like we are anywhere near zero failure rates at any automaker. These were Mercedes developed and tested vehicles that went on sale.
Late-model Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with the Driver Assistance Package have a “software error” in the radar sensor control unit that “may impair the functionality of the Active Brake Assist.” Continental supplied the dangerous software. An earlier version of the code is now in use.
In the latest giant pothole on the road to autonomous vehicles, the defective Active Brake Assist may not automatically apply partial or full braking as expected. This – you don’t need a computer to calculate it – increases the risk of a crash particularly if the driver is texting, sexting or otherwise not paying attention.
MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update the radar sensor control unit software, free of charge as required by government regulation. The recall is expected to begin September 17, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.safercar.gov.
Make/Models/Model Years
- Mercedes Benz/AMG GT 53 /2019
- Mercedes Benz/C300 /2019
- Mercedes Benz/C43 AMG/2019
- Mercedes Benz/C63 AMG /2019
- Mercedes Benz/CLS 450/2019
- Mercedes Benz/CLS53 /2019
- Mercedes Benz/E300 2019
- Mercedes Benz/E450 /2019 Mercedes Benz/E53 /2019
- Mercedes Benz/E63 AMG /2019
- Mercedes Benz/GLC 300 /2020
- Mercedes Benz/GLE 350 /2020
- Mercedes Benz/S450 /2019
- Mercedes Benz/S560 /2019 Mercedes Benz/S63 AMG/2019
- Mercedes Benz/S65 AMG /2019
- Mercedes-Benz/GLE 450 /2020
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Mercedes-Benz Joins the Driver Assist Software Recall Parade
Doesn’t sound like we are anywhere near zero failure rates at any automaker. These were Mercedes developed and tested vehicles that went on sale.
Late-model Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with the Driver Assistance Package have a “software error” in the radar sensor control unit that “may impair the functionality of the Active Brake Assist.” Continental supplied the dangerous software. An earlier version of the code is now in use.
In the latest giant pothole on the road to autonomous vehicles, the defective Active Brake Assist may not automatically apply partial or full braking as expected. This – you don’t need a computer to calculate it – increases the risk of a crash particularly if the driver is texting, sexting or otherwise not paying attention.
MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update the radar sensor control unit software, free of charge as required by government regulation. The recall is expected to begin September 17, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.safercar.gov.
Make/Models/Model Years
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.