‘Risk of injury’: Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz is recalling nearly 37,000 vehicles in Canada because of a defect that could cause a parked vehicle to roll away.

According to a recall triggered by the automaker and published by Transport Canada, certain vehicles from the 2019-26 models of the A-Class, C-Class, CLA-Class, CLE-Class, GLA-Class, GLB-Class and GLC-Class contain a flaw with the driver-side lock microswitch, as moisture could enter and cause it to corrode.

“As a result, the microswitch may fail to automatically engage the parking brake and/or the auto park feature when the door is opened,” the recall said. “If this happens, the vehicle could roll away.”

The defect could also cause the radio or interior lights to remain on after the vehicle is parked.

“A parked vehicle that rolls away could create the risk of an injury or a crash,” the recall added.

As a precaution, the German automaker recommends that owners always use the parking brake when parking.

The company will notify the impacted owners by mail of a dealership appointment to replace the lock free of charge. Owners can also check the Mercedes-Benz Canada recall website for more information.

A similar recall has also been announced in the United States. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 300,000 vehicles are affected by the same issue, with dealers also replacing the driver’s door lock at no cost.

Owners in the U.S. can check whether their vehicle is included through the NHTSA recall lookup.