Mercedes-Benz recalls S- and ML-Class vehicles in China

Xinhua (Beijing) - Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz will recall some imported S- and ML-Class vehicles in the mainland areas of China, the country's quality supervision watchdog said Monday.

A statement with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said the company started on Monday to recall all S-Class vehicles manufactured from July 8 to 12 of 2010, which have been found of substandard pulley dampers, according to a statement posted on the AQSIQ website.

Defects in the pulley dampers could lead to a loose connection between the internal damper strap and the pulley damper. This causes harm to automotive maintenance workers who might be working on these vehicles, as the loosened components could fall and hurt them, the statement said.

Four vehicles of this model have been sold in the Chinese mainland, according to the statement.

The company will also recall some ML-Class vehicles and ML-Class AMG vehicles starting Sept. 13 this year for problems related to their cruise control systems.

Engaging the brake pedal while the cruise control is in operation usually results in the automatic disengagement of the cruise control. However, the recalled vehicles lack this feature, meaning that drivers must resort to pumping the breaks to slow the vehicle, according to the statement.

The recall will apply to 694 ML-Class vehicles produced between August 1999 and July 2002 and 18 ML-Class AMG vehicles produced between August 1999 and June 2004, the statement said.

Mercedes will offer safety checks and repair the faulty vehicles for free, according to the statement.