Mercedes recalls 140,000 current models over faulty fuel pumps

Mercedes-Benz is recalling 143,551 new cars and SUVs to address a fuel pump issue. The impeller — which does the hard work of moving fuel out of your tank and into your engine — may degrade or fail, resulting in poor or non-existent fuel delivery and potentially forcing the vehicle to shut down. Mercedes says the problem arose due to poor material quality control of the impellers as delivered by one of the company's sub-suppliers. This is not only a pretty large campaign by sheer volume but a rather broad one. If you own a rear-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz manufactured for the 2021-2023 model years, congrats! You're invited to the party. 

This recall covers the 2021-2023 GLE/GLS (W167 platform), C-Class (W205, W206 platform), E-Class (W213 platform), S-Class (W223 platform), SL (W232 platform), E-Class Coupe/Convertible (W238 platform), GLC (W253 platform), CLS (W257 platform), AMG GT 4-doors Coupe (W290 platform) and G-Class (W463 platform), including the AMG variants thereof. In total, Mercedes counts 76 individual sub-models. 

"Due to a deviation in the production process of a sub-supplier, certain fuel pump impellers might not meet the material requirements and thus certain batches of fuel delivery modules might not meet the durability requirements," the company said. "As a consequence, the impeller might deform and therefore come into contact with the fuel pump housing, leading to a mechanical resistance. In some instances, this could lead to a shutdown of the fuel pump. As a result, the vehicle could lose propulsion, which could increase the risk of crash or injury."

Mercedes says performance degradation may occur before the pump fails outright, and a malfunction message will display in the instrument cluster if adequate fuel is not being delivered to the engine. Once the deterioration reaches that point, engine performance will likely be tangibly impacted. Mercedes will begin notifying dealerships of the recall campaign immediately; customers should expect notices to arrive in August. 

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