Somewhere in the United States lives a Mercedes Maybach S-Class that, for the moment, is something of a $185,000 paperweight. And that’s because Mercedes has issued a warning to the owner to not drive it until a recall can be completed. It turns out that a poor weld might cause the rear axle carrier to completely detach from the suspension thrust arm.
As the recall very clearly states in the official recall paperwork, “the vehicle might sway due to roadway influences. In addition, the vehicle could pull to one side in the event of emergency braking. In that case, the controllability of the vehicle would be impaired, increasing the risk of a crash.”
Yea, that sounds like it would be a rough enough ride that not even a Maybach could smooth it out. Thankfully, the potentially dangerous flaw was found before any accidents or injuries occurred. Furthermore, 10 other S-Class vehicles, not of the Maybach persuasion, are also affected by the recall. Of course, this safety notice says nothing of units sold outside of the country that could also require a fix.
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In January of this year, a customer outside of the USA reported a noise and an unstable driving experience. Then in March, another noise complaint was filed, again, from outside of the USA. This time though, it was accompanied by “an unstable driving experience.” After an internal investigation, Mercedes Benz found that a potential safety risk couldn’t be ruled out and decided to recall these vehicles.
The carmaker has committed to providing all 11 affected customers with a loaner car while their S-Class is in the shop. Once it’s there, technicians will check the subframe weld on the rear axle carrier and replace it if necessary.
While we don’t have any photos of the specific weld in question, the rear axle carrier in a Mercedes S-Class is no cheap part. Think of it much like you would the front sub-frame in most modern vehicles. It connects the driveshaft, the suspension, braking components, and more to the chassis and body of the vehicle.
We’re just thankful that nobody was hurt and that Mercedes was able to catch the issue before something of that nature took place.
