Mercedes-Benz is set to begin replacing the Farasis high-voltage batteries in affected fully electric EQA 250+ and EQB 250+ models in Germany, exactly a year after the safety recall.
The premium brand-focused news platform mbpassionblog said Mercedes-Benz informed its workshops in the country about the replacement on Monday.
The replacement of the 70.5 kWh battery pack, supplied by Chinese manufacturer Farasis Energy and found in the company’s electric vehicles, is expected to take approximately eight hours per vehicle, according to the report.
Previously, Mercedes-Benz had advised German owners of the affected EQA 250+ and EQB 250+ units to limit charging to 80%, to avoid a potential fire risk.
However, this measure was internally “considered merely a temporary solution rather than a final technical fix,” according to mbpassionblog.
The new batteries’ supplier and its specifications, such as energy content and range, remain unclear.
However, the report mentioned that, once the original battery is replaced with the new unit, vehicles that experienced “noticeable reductions in range or performance due to the earlier software update” are set to benefit from the substitution, “which should also help maintain or increase vehicle value.”
Mercedes-Benz decided to apply in Germany the same strategy already taken in China and the United States, where it publicly communicated and, in specific cases, completed the battery replacement.
For the first time in the largest automotive market in Europe, the defective Farasis batteries are being physically replaced rather than managed through software fixes alone.
A new corresponding recall issued by Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) is “expected shortly”, followed by written communication with affected customers.
German Recall
Exactly a year ago, following a US recall of the Mercedes-Benz EQB for the 2021 to 2024 model years, after several vehicle fires were reported, the KBA opened an investigation and issued a recall for both EQB and EQA units.
A total of 33,705 vehicles produced between 2021 and 2024 were affected worldwide, with 3,119 of them in Germany.
The organization warned that the defect on the high-voltage battery could trigger “a short circuit”, potentially causing fires.
At the time, the KBA informed affected owners of the software updates and recommendations from the German company.
“The battery management system software will be updated. Until the remedy is available, customers are instructed to only charge the battery to a maximum of 80%,” the Authority stated.
However, since the measures did not resolve the main issue, with the software update also reducing the usable energy content and charging performance, the law firm Dr. Stoll & Sauer filed a lawsuit against Mercedes-Benz Group AG at the Dortmund Regional Court last October.
Latest Recall in the US
Last Wednesday, Mercedes-Benz recalled nearly 12,000 vehicles of three of its battery-electric models in the US due to overheating risks with their high-voltage batteries.
According to the latest recall from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the affected vehicles include 3,674 Mercedes-Benz EQB 250+ SUVs, from 2022 and 2023, as well as 6,513 EQB 300 4MATIC and 1,708 EQB 4MATIC SUVs, both with model years between 2022 and 2024.
All vehicles were manufactured from December 2021 to May 2024.
