13,797 Units Including Benz, Tesla, and BMW Recalled Due to Manufacturing Defects

Mercedes-Benz Korea GLE 450 4MATIC

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 29th that a total of 13,797 vehicles across 52 models imported and sold by Mercedes-Benz Korea, Honda Korea, BMW Korea, Tesla Korea, MAN Truck & Bus Korea, Korea Commercial Truck, and Hanbul Motors were found to have manufacturing defects and will undergo corrective actions (recalls).

First, 6,199 vehicles (including pre-sale units) across 17 models such as the GLE 450 4MATIC imported and sold by Mercedes-Benz Korea were found to have parking lights that do not meet safety standards. The Ministry plans to impose fines later, considering the correction rate and other factors.

Additionally, 1,461 vehicles across 11 models including the E250 were found to have a soldering defect in the passenger seat position sensor, which may cause the airbags and seatbelt pretensioners to fail to activate during a collision, potentially causing injury to occupants. These vehicles can be repaired free of charge at official Mercedes-Benz Korea service centers starting from the 30th.

For 4,567 vehicles across 7 models such as the Accord imported and sold by Honda Korea, a defect in the fuel pump component (impeller) was identified, which may cause the fuel pump to malfunction and the engine to stall while driving. These vehicles can be repaired free of charge at official Honda Korea service centers starting from the 10th of next month.

BMW Korea’s 574 vehicles across 10 models including the BMW 520d were found to have insufficient rigidity in the rivets connecting the rear propeller shaft, causing damage to the flexible disk at the connection point, which may impair power transmission and pose a safety risk. Repairs are being conducted free of charge at official BMW Korea service centers since the 28th.

Tesla Model S

For 561 Model S vehicles imported and sold by Tesla Korea, a lack of capacity in the onboard flash memory device causes touchscreen malfunctions, resulting in the rear camera display not showing, or the defrost/fog removal system and turn signals not functioning properly, which may affect safety. Free repairs will be available at official Tesla Korea service centers starting from the 3rd of next month.

In addition, manufacturing defects were found in 66 construction machinery vehicles (dump trucks) across 3 models, and recalls will be implemented.

Regarding these defect corrections, the manufacturers will notify vehicle or machinery owners of the correction methods via mail and mobile text messages. If owners have repaired the defects at their own expense before the correction, they can apply for reimbursement from the manufacturer.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is accepting defect reports through the automobile and construction machinery recall centers. All reported cases will undergo objective and fair manufacturing defect investigations. The Ministry emphasized, "We will do our best to protect the lives and property of the public from manufacturing defects in automobiles and construction machinery through prompt corrective actions when defects occur."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.