Mercedes-Benz GLS & Maybach GLS Recalls Due To Fire Risk

The German automaker that once stood for engineering excellence has once again proved that it’s a very different Mercedes-Benz from the good ol’ days. Recall campaign 23V-177 boils down to an air conditioning drain hose that wasn’t installed as per production specifications.
 

Listed as part number A1678323600 in the report attached below, the drain hose in question allows condensation water to enter the passenger compartment. More specifically, the driver and passenger footwells.
 
In addition to premature corrosion, this condition may further lead to short circuits of the electrical components installed in these areas. Mercedes-Benz couldn’t deny the possibility of a vehicle fire. The company that mistakenly prides itself on delivering “the best or nothing” is calling back a whopping 61,450 vehicles in the United States of America, namely sport utility vehicles from the GLE and GLS lineups. Indeed, the Maybach GLS 600 in the main pic is affected as well.
 
Said luxury SUVs were produced for the 2020 and 2021 model years between November 1st, 2018 and November 30th, 2020 at MBUSI in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Pretty much every variant imaginable is affected, beginning with the lowly 350 series. The AMG-ified 63 series tops the list together with the V8-powered Maybach 600.
 
Dealers will be instructed to inspect and reinstall the drain hose correctly. Affected owners will have to wait until May 16th at the latest to be notified by first-class mail. Mercedes improved the drain hose’s installation process on February 3rd, 2021 as per the report below.
 
The Stuttgart-based automaker became aware of this problem in August 2021 due to multiple reports of water ingress into the passenger compartment. It’s not clear why Mercedes preferred to monitor the situation in the field throughout 2022 instead of issuing this recall after implementing the installation process at MBUSI, but alas, this isn’t the first instance of a safety risk addressed in a very leisurely fashion by the Three-Pointed Star.
 
Previously dubbed ML, the GLE was last updated from the ground up at the 2018 Paris Motor Show for the 2019 model year. Codenamed W167 and C167 for the coupe, the mid-size luxury sport utility vehicle shares its Modular High Architecture with the GLS (née X167).
 
The 350 variant is currently listed by the build & price tool at $57,700 sans destination charge, which is quite a bit of money for quite a bit of car powered by a 2.0-liter turbo. The 450 levels up to a mild-hybrid sixer, whereas the 580 comes with a mild-hybrid eighter. The AMG 53 and AMG 63 are $76,950 and $120,000 at press time.
 
The GLS full-size luxury sport utility vehicle thankfully comes with a straight-six lump as standard, packing 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm) between 1,600 and 4,500 revolutions per minute. The AMG 63 costs a princely $139,000 and the Maybach 600 is $170,000.