Mercedes-Benz C-Class power steering failures lead to recall

Power steering failures have prompted a recall for the Mercedes-Benz C300 and C400 4Matic sedans from the 2015 model year.

The company by November 2014 had received two field reports describing deactivation of the electric power steering assist. Within a few months, supplier Bosch determined that the problem was related to a glitch with the software buffer memory.

Several additional investigations were conducted from February through June 2015 to determine the root cause. By September, engineers finally determined that the buffer memory size may be insufficient in certain scenarios.

“If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required, especially at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash,” the recall documents warn.

Service technicians will simply update the power steering software to prevent further failures.