Mercedes-Benz is recalling optional all-season floor mats sold for use in model year 2012 and 2013 ML SUVs. More than 8,000 ML350, ML550 and ML63 vehicles could have defective floor mats that can interfere with the gas pedal since it doesn’t follow the contour of the floor pan as originally designed. No accidents or injures have been reported, according to a Mercedes filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Unlike the infamous floor mat recalls on Toyota and Lexus models starting in 2010, which had associated deaths, Mercedes-Benz uses an electronic brake-override that is standard equipment across the line. Drivers can bring any Mercedes to a stop by depressing the brake pedal, even if the gas pedal is fully depressed or jammed at the floor. When both the brake pedal and gas pedal are depressed at the same time, vehicle electronics override the gas pedal signal and bring the engine to idle as long as the driver keeps the brake pedal depressed.
Mercedes said it discovered the potential problem last March while preparing a company-owned ML Class vehicle for a long-term quality test. After a component inspection, test drives in April-June 2012, and a clearance measurement survey in vehicles in July 2012, Mercedes decide to recall the Czech-built mats and redesign them.
Until replacement mats become available, ML owners should remove their floor mats from the vehicle. The safety recall is expected to begin during September 2012. Only vehicles equipped with the accessory floor mats sold by dealers are affected. Owners may contact Mercedes-Benz for more information at 1-800-367-6372
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.
