The continuation of a 2017 investigation into the bonding between the glass sunroof panel and the sliding roof frame on a number of Mercedes-Benz models has resulted in the recall of an additional 123,696 vehicles.
In late 2019, Mercedes recalled 744,852 C-, CLK-, CLS- and E-Class models as the bonding between the glass panel and sliding roof frame may deteriorate causing the sunroof to detach. Mercedes began its initial investigation in 2017 after receiving isolated field reports of the issue from outside of the U.S., though no damages or injuries were reported. Mercedes found that the supplier changed the primer application process several times over the course of the production period, including the drying time for the bonding agent. No additional information on the supplier was available in the submitted documents.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a detached glass panel separating from the vehicle can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash. Now, the manufacturer has issued another recall encompassing even more vehicles from the initial pool of potentially affected models. Mercedes estimates that 10% of the 123,696 potentially involved vehicles have the defect.
“Due to a production deviation at a supplier, glass panels might have been bonded without proper application and/or ventilation of the primer (bonding agent),” reads documentation filed with NHTSA. “When the adhesion begins to deteriorate, the customer might observe a partially detached panel or excessive wind noises in the area of the sunroof while driving.”
Based on a change to the supplier’s production procedure, Mercedes says the issue cannot occur in vehicles manufactured since the end of December 2010.
