by Charging limitation due to “thermal event” risk
Owners of certain Mercedes-Benz electric models will now have to curb their range anxiety, as the manufacturer warns them not to charge their cars to 100%. The German brand has instructed to limit charging to 80% for specific electric SUVs, as they may experience a so-called “thermal event.” In other words, a short circuit in the battery cells could lead to a fire.
Scale of the problem and affected models
Fortunately for Mercedes and its customers, this issue concerns a relatively small number of vehicles. It involves only 169 vehicles. Among them are 100 EQB 300 4Matic SUVs and 48 EQB 350 4Matic SUVs. Both models are all-wheel-drive electric vehicles, but the recall also affects 21 owners of the front-wheel-drive EQB 250 model.
Previous incidents and nature of the fix
Although the scale of this safety campaign is small, it is worth recalling that at the beginning of 2025, the brand already recalled over 7,000 such SUVs in the USA due to a similar fire risk. At that time, Mercedes also gave the same recommendation not to charge the battery above 80% until a fix in the form of a software update was installed.
All vehicles subject to the new recall are early models from the 2022-2023 production years. The manufacturer claims that the batteries installed on later EQB models are more reliable and do not require a recall. The company also reports that although owners of the 169 problematic electric vehicles will likely receive a warning on the instrument panel in case of battery overheating while driving, a parked EQB could catch fire without any warnings.
Software fix instead of battery replacement
A logical question arises: if early EQB models have less reliable batteries, will Mercedes replace them with new ones? It turns out, no. Instead, owners will receive a simple software update, although installing it will still require a visit to a Mercedes service center at the beginning of 2026.
Further limitation of an already modest range
The EQB 350 model with a fully charged battery had an official range of only 227 miles (366 km) according to the EPA standard. Limiting charging to 80% will reduce the maximum range to approximately 180 miles (290 km). Considering the need to leave a buffer at the “zero” end of the charge scale, the real range between charges could shrink to 150 miles (242 km).
This situation once again highlights the challenges associated with the reliability of battery technologies in the mass electric vehicle industry, especially for early batches of cars. While software updates offer a quick way to address critical flaws, they are often accompanied by temporary limitations for users, affecting convenience of use. Such incidents can impact consumer trust, so it is important for manufacturers to ensure transparent communication and the effectiveness of corrective measures to minimize inconvenience for owners.
