Mercedes and Audi simultaneously recall cars in Vietnam
Seventy-six Mercedes-Benz SUVs are being recalled due to problems with their brake boosters. Meanwhile, fellow brand Audi is recalling 33 A8s due to the risk of stalling due to clogged oil filters.
The Vietnam Register has just approved two recall programs at the same time for Mercedes-Benz Vietnam and Asia Auto Company Limited - the importer and distributor of Audi products in Vietnam due to errors arising in some products.
Specifically, the Mercedes-Benz models subject to this recall include GL450 4MATIC, ML350/500 4MATIC (type number 164) and R280/300, R350, R350 4MATIC, 500 4MATIC (type number 251) manufactured between May 2008 and November 2011. According to information from the Registry Department, there are a total of 76 Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Vietnam that need to be recalled.
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| GL450 4MATIC is one of the Mercedes-Benz models that must be recalled this time. |
According to a representative of Mercedes-Benz Vietnam, the cause is that the brake booster housing may leak due to corrosion in the joint area after a long time of use and due to frequent exposure to water and humidity. This will reduce the braking assist force, requiring increased brake pedal force to decelerate the vehicle, possibly accompanied by a screeching or noise when braking.
More seriously, corrosion can lead to mechanical failure inside the brake booster during operation, leading to the risk of an accident due to the inability to decelerate the vehicle using the foot brake.
To fix the problem, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam will inspect and fix the recalled vehicles from June 30, 2022 to December 31, 2027. It is expected that the repair time for each vehicle will be about 3 hours.
In mid-June, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam also recalled a total of 144 vehicles of the GLE 450, AMG GLE 53 Coupe and GLS 450 lines manufactured from July 2019 to November 2021 due to a defect related to the bolts attaching the 48V electrical wire to the body of the vehicle that could cause a vehicle fire.
Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz's fellow luxury car brand Audi also announced a recall of 33 Audi A8s in Vietnam (manufactured from 2014-2016 in Germany) under recall program number 21H7 of Audi AG.
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| 33 Audi A8 luxury sedans are also subject to recall in Vietnam. (Photo: Oto.vn) |
The cause was determined to be that the oil filter in the engine's turbocharger oil supply unit could be clogged with residue, affecting the ability to lubricate the turbocharger's operating mechanism, leading to reduced power or even sudden engine failure.
To fix the above error, Audi Vietnam representative will replace the old filter with a new one of larger size on the affected vehicles. The recall period is from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2025 with a repair time of about 1.5 hours for each vehicle.
Previously, in April and early May 2022, Audi Vietnam announced the recall of 301 Q5s manufactured from 2009-2012 due to Takata airbag defects and 848 Q5s manufactured from 2017-2022 to install additional protective panels around the control box.
