Mercedes-Benz has announced its largest U.S. recall of the year, affecting more than 310,000 vehicles after identifying a door-lock microswitch issue that could prevent the electronic parking brake and Auto-Park function from engaging. The problem could allow an affected vehicle to roll away, prompting the automaker to recall seven model lines spanning the 2019 through 2026 model years.
According to Mercedes-Benz, 176 field cases have been linked to the issue. The company said it is not aware of any rollaway incidents in the United States, but warned that the defect increases the risk of a crash if the vehicle is not secured.
What Caused the Mercedes-Benz Recall?
Mercedes-Benz traced the issue to a microswitch inside the driver’s door lock that may become corroded over time. The recall report published on the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) website states that the housing material for the microswitch may be more susceptible to moisture permeation.
“The housing material for the door-lock microswitch might be more susceptible to moisture permeation,” the recall report states. “Over time, this might lead to corrosion on the microswitch and subsequently to the failure of the component. Upon such a failure, the microswitch might not detect when the door is opened. Should the microswitch fail on the driver door, the electronic parking brake and/or the ‘Auto-Park’ feature connected to the driver door opening might not engage automatically. As a result, the vehicle might not be secured against rollaway and the vehicle might move, increasing the risk of a crash.”
Affected Mercedes-Benz Models
The recall covers 310,667 vehicles across 72 variants. Mercedes-Benz said all affected vehicles are subcompact and compact models.
- 2020–2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA
- 2019–2022 Mercedes-Benz A-Class
- 2022–2023 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class
- 2020–2026 Mercedes-Benz GLA
- 2020–2026 Mercedes-Benz GLB
- 2023–2024 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class
Repair and Owner Information
Mercedes-Benz dealers will replace the driver’s door lock free of charge to correct the issue.
Owner notification letters are scheduled to be mailed on September 18, 2026. Beginning July 31, 2026, owners will be able to check whether their vehicle is included in the recall by entering their vehicle identification number on the NHTSA website. Mercedes-Benz customer service is available at 1-800-367-6372 for additional information.
What Owners Should Know
Because of the potential rollaway risk, Mercedes-Benz advises owners to avoid parking on an incline whenever possible. The issue may occur without warning, although the radio or vehicle lights remaining on after exiting the vehicle could indicate that the driver’s door microswitch is not functioning properly.
According to the NHTSA’s recall count, this is Mercedes-Benz’s largest U.S. recall of the year and the biggest among the company’s 10 recalls issued so far in 2026. The previous largest recall occurred in May and affected 144,049 vehicles because an instrument cluster display could go blank. Unlike that recall, Mercedes-Benz said the current microswitch issue cannot be corrected through an over-the-air software update.
The recall remains Mercedes-Benz’s largest U.S. safety action of the year, with free repairs planned for all affected vehicles through dealer replacement of the driver’s door lock.
