Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV Recalled Over Incorrectly Attached Driver’s Seat Rail

Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal that Mercedes-Benz AG has produced a small number of US-market GLC 300 vehicles with incorrectly attached driver’s seat rails. More specifically, the bolts attaching the rail to the body had not been tightened to specification.
 

In the event of a crash, an improperly secured rail compromises the anchoring of the driver’s seat, increasing the risk of injury. The Stuttgart-based automaker highlights that only the rear bolting connections hadn’t been secured properly due to a deviation in the production process that had been corrected at the Bremen production facility in May 2023.
 
Merc started looking into this problem in April 2024 following a field report from the US market alleging two non-bolted connections. The report in question prompted Mercedes to analyze both the subject components and how they’re fitted to the rear-biased crossover utility vehicle on the production line. Ultimately, the automaker determined that all potentially affected vehicles were early GLC 300 models.
 
Suspect vehicles were erroneously validated as being reworked by a single employee. Over in the United States of America, seven units of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 had been produced with incorrectly tightened bolts, with production dates ranging from April 25, 2023 through May 16, 2023. The population includes rear-drive GLC 300 vehicles and all-wheel-drive GLC 300 4MATIC crossovers.
 
Thankfully for the owners and Merc’s legal team, the safety boffins at Mercedes-Benz USA are not aware of any crashes or worse potentially related to the recall condition. Dealers are to rework the bolt connections between the body and seat rail at no charge to the customers. Owner notification letters will be mailed on or about December 24, 2024.
 
Codenamed X254, the second-generation GLC is joined at the hip to the 206-series Mercedes C-Class. In other words, four-cylinder turbo mills will have to suffice. That’s not a bad thing if you’re in the market for a GLC 300 or the plug-in hybrid GLC 350e 4MATIC, but once you level up to the far pricier AMG line, it’s a bit underwhelming.
 
M254 is the codename of the regular-production turbo engine of the 300 and 350e 4MATIC, whereas the AMG 43 and 63 S E PERFORMANCE feature hand-built engines. Both are codenamed M139, but the 63 S E PERFORMANCE has the upper hand in both power and torque because it’s a plug-in hybrid.
 
Mercedes-AMG quotes 671 horsepower and a staggering 752 pound-feet (1,020 Newton-meters) for the top dog, whereas the mild-hybrid AMG 43 produces a very respectable 416 hp and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm). The fuel-sipping 350e 4MATIC is advertised with an electric driving range of 54 miles (almost 87 kilometers), while peak output figures are listed as 313 ponies and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm).
 
Believe it or not, the plug-in hybrid 350e 4MATIC needs the very same 6.2 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) as the 300 4MATIC and its rear-drive sibling. The most affordable GLC on sale today in the United States of America is $49,250 before destination charge, with 4MATIC all-wheel drive adding two grand to the final price.