Some Mercedes G-Class SUVs may have their rear doors open

Owners of 134 G-Class vehicles must return their vehicles to dealers to have new rear door latches replaced.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is a rugged SUV. It should be able to go anywhere, do almost anything, and dredge its passengers in luxury. However, more than 100 G-Classes in the United States are being recalled due to a problem with the rear door latches.

According to the automaker, the rear doors may not fully close even when they appear to be closed and may open while driving. It said there are tolerance differences in the positioning of the door latches and catches, which may prevent them from opening, closing or latching properly.

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The recall notice also states that if the child safety locks on the rear doors are activated and an attempt is made to forcefully open the rear doors from inside the vehicle, the inner latch assembly may deform, preventing the rear doors from being opened from outside the vehicle. This could become a major problem in the event of a collision, increasing the risk of injury to passengers.

A total of 134 G-Class models in the United States are involved in this recall, including some 2019-2023 G550s produced between August 2, 2018 and December 6, 2022, and some 2019-2022 G63s produced between August 2, 2018 and December 12, 2022.

Mercedes learned of a potential issue in January 2021 when a U.S. dealer inquired about how to obtain replacement parts for the G-Class’ rear door latches. The brand launched an investigation into why the dealer was unable to obtain the parts and in the process discovered several warranty claims involving the door latches and related parts, including reports of the rear doors opening while driving.

The company initially launched a recall in May 2021 to address the issue, but has since discovered that the door locks on some vehicles were no longer usable during repairs.

Dealers will receive recall notices starting September 16, and owners will receive recall notices after September 30. The right rear door locks of the recalled vehicles will be replaced with new ones.