Mercedes-Benz Issues Recall of EVs in China Over Fire Risk

Mercedes-Benz is pulling nearly 20,000 electric vehicles off Chinese roads over battery defects that could start fires. The recall hits locally built EQA and EQB models manufactured between April 2021 and March 2024. Sloppy production methods during battery assembly created the first problem and flawed control software added an additional layer of risk. Together, these issues contribute to individual cells overloading, short circuiting, and potentially igniting. 

Inconsistent manufacturing during battery pack assembly weakened some battery cells more than others. Assembly quality also varied across the three-year production run, compromising electrical stability in the affected units. Battery management software compounded the problem by pushing certain cells past safe operating limits during charging cycles. 

When manufacturing defects meet software flaws, the risk of internal electrical failures jumps significantly. Those failures can trigger thermal runaway events that endanger vehicle occupants. Current control systems lack the ability to detect and compensate for the manufacturing variations, leaving vulnerable cells exposed to dangerous conditions. 

China’s market regulators are overseeing the withdrawal, which kicks off June 25, 2026. Mercedes will handle fixes through Beijing Benz, its local manufacturing partner, by replacing faulty battery packs at service centers nationwide. The replacement program will run for several months as owners schedule appointments and dealers work through the backlog. 

Until repairs are complete, Mercedes is telling owners to stop charging above 80% and park outside rather than in garages where hard-to-put-out battery fires could spread to other vehicles or structures. 

An earlier action from March 2025 covered 12,308 EQA and EQB units with similar problems. Between the two withdrawals, Mercedes now faces battery replacements on nearly 32,000 electric SUVs built in China over three years. Both models play key roles in the company’s electric lineup for China, unequivocally the largest electric vehicle market on the globe. The luxury EV market there remains intensely competitive, with aggressive local brands gaining share at the expense of foreign manufacturers. 

Battery safety problems extend well beyond Mercedes as EV production scales up. Chinese automaker Zeekr announced plans earlier this week to recall 38,277 vehicles starting March 6, 2026, an action intended to address battery packs generating excessive heat during normal use and fast charging. 

The parallel cases highlight persistent quality control challenges in electric vehicle battery production as manufacturers race to meet production volume targets and keep costs down to remain price competitive. 

Scaling up battery production is proving difficult across the industry, and the EV sector’s reliance on lithium-ion batteries means modern EVs have some risk of battery fires. As car companies rush to hit aggressive electrification goals in markets where competition is fierce and margins are thin, improved battery manufacturing processes and superior control software coupled with safer battery chemistries could eliminate battery fire risks in modern electric cars. 

These EV recall actions give other manufacturers like Ferrari N.V. (NYSE: RACE) a number of lessons that they can adopt to avoid having to deal with such a problem in future when they scale up their production. 

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