Over 48,000 Mercedes-Benz SUVs recalled to fix dangerous airbag defect.

Several Mercedes-Benz models have been recalled due to a defect in their airbags. A failure in calibration has reportedly led to a software flaw that doesn’t always deploy airbags when needed.

Regulators investigating the matter noted:

“The front passenger seat Occupant Classification System (OCS) calibration may be incorrect, and as a result, the system can incorrectly classify the occupant as a child seat, deactivating the front passenger air bag.”

The OCS failed to recognise whether an adult or a child was sitting in the front passenger seat. If the system thinks a child is sat in the front passenger seat, the airbag will not deploy. However, when an adult is actually sat in the seat, the lack of a deployed airbag during a collision could mean a high risk of injury that otherwise would have been prevented.

Mercedez-Benz has issued the recall over the following models:

The luxury car maker believes that vehicles made between 23 April 2014 and 10 May 2016 are possibly affected by the defect.

The recall is set to consist of an offer to update the OCS software free of charge. According to the regulator’s report, there have thankfully been no reported complaints or injuries to date.

Vehicle defects and recalls a regular occurrence

We constantly use and interact with hundreds of cars, vans and buses on a daily basis, and so we sometimes forget that these vehicles have the power to cause a whole lot of damage and death.  Careful drivers will minimise risk of harm by adhering to road traffic rules, but sometimes it’s easy to forget faults within the vehicles themselves can have catastrophic consequences.

An airbag is an essential vehicle safety device that was introduced in 1941 and made compulsory in all vehicles later on. Its function as an air cushion as well as a passenger restraint mechanism can drastically reduce the risk of injury and death during a collision. This fundamental safety device must be incorporated and calibrated properly in every vehicle. Although Mercedes Benz managed to issue the recall before any injuries or fatalities were reported, the car maker still failed in their initial duty to provide safe vehicles for consumer use that complied with various health and safety laws.