In a potentially embarrassing move given European automakers’ ‘clean diesel’ push in the US, Mercedes-Benz is recalling up to 9,004 2007 model year diesel cars there due to possible problems with the crankshaft sensor.
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“On certain passenger vehicles equipped with diesel engines, the crankshaft sensor could fail due to (the) separation of bond wires from the lead frame in the sensor,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said according to a Dow Jones report.
NHTSA was also reported to have said that as a result, the vehicle “may lose power rather than enter a limp-home mode. In addition, the vehicles cannot be restarted after failure of the electrical connection in the sensor, increasing the risk of a crash”.
Dow Jones said Mercedes-Benz sold around 12,000 diesel cars in the US last year.
The potentially affected vehicles are versions of the M-, GL-, R- and E-class and the recall is expected to begin in February, the news agency added.
