Mercedes C 300 & C 43 Recalled Over Loss Of Drive Power

An estimated 8,178 examples of the C 300 and C 43 are called back stateside, with Mercedes blaming the supplier of the transmission electrical wiring harness for said recall. The supplier in question is Kromberg and Schubert, and the factory where said wiring harnesses were produced is located in the Republic of Botswana.
 

Indeed, that very same Botswana that once had the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the world. The Botswana dominated by a single political party (BDP) since gaining independence from the United Kingdom.
 
As per documents filed with the federal watchdog, a field report alleging a vehicle’s transmission erroneously shifting into neutral prompted Mercedes to investigate this concern back in September 2022. Together with the aforementioned supplier, Mercedes evaluated the tolerances of certain wiring harnesses, including that of the 9G-Tronic automatic. As a brief refresher, non-AMG versions of the W206 use the torque-converter 9G-Tronic. The C 43 and C 63 level up to the AMG Speedshift MCT 9G, which integrates a wet start-off clutch for better throttle pedal input response.
 
Mercedes-Benz AG discovered that the 9G-Tronic’s Botswana-made transmission wiring harness doesn’t feature the correct length. As a result, said harness could chafe on the front drive shaft of 4MATIC-equipped vehicles, damaging the harness. A damaged harness leads to a loss of vehicle propulsion, therefore increasing the risk of a crash in the C 300 and C 43.
 
The German automaker blames Kromberg and Schubert for this production deviation, which can be identified by the driver only after the harness is damaged. The digital instrument cluster alerts the driver by means of warning messages about drive and transmission malfunctions.
 
Mercedes received a single field report in the US involving a customer vehicle. Thankfully, no crashes or injuries have been associated with this concern. Of the 8,178 vehicles recalled, the vast majority are C 300s.
 
Only four examples of the C 43 are called back stateside. Production dates for the suspect four-door sedans range between June 24, 2021 and September 27, 2022. No fewer than four part numbers are listed in the document attached below. MBUSA dealers will be instructed to inspect the routing of the harness and – if necessary – rework or replace the transmission’s wiring harness.
 
Known owners will be presented with Mercedes-branded envelopes via first-class mail by August 29. In the meantime, said owners can use the NHTSA’s VIN look-up tool to find out whether their 206-series compact executive sedans are called back or not.
 
In production since 2021 for the 2022 model year, the W206 sedan is available in C 300 and C 43 flavors in the United States of America. Both feature 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines, yet the C 43 sweetens the deal with an electric turbo and a true AMG engine which is assembled by hand in Affalterbach.