Mercedes Recalls M-Class Cars for Cruise Control Glitch

Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz unit is recalling 136,751 M-Class and M-Class AMG cars in the U.S. for braking problems relating to cruise control that may lead to a crash.

The recall relates to model year 2000-2002 M-Class and 2000-2004 M-Class AMG vehicles, according to federal safety regulators.

According to a filing with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, braking to disengage the vehicle’s cruise control may fail, which can lead to a crash. The cruise control system in the vehicles allow the driver to disengage the system in a number of ways, including tapping the brake pedal, using the cruise control “stalk,” or braking the vehicle hard enough to reach a certain rate of deceleration, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation website Safecar.gov.

Mercedes determined that under certain circumstances use of the brake pedal may not automatically disengage cruise control as expected by the driver, although the other means of deactivating cruise control remain fully operative — including where the driver pumps the brakes, rather than applying consistent pedal force, according to Safecar.gov.

The recall was prompted by several complaints from consumers, the NHTSA said. Repairs on the vehicles are expected to made at Mercedes dealerships beginning in September. Owners can contact Mercedes-Benz at (800) 367-6372, or the NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at (888) 327-4236.