djpearce

I am the owner of a 2020 C43amg wagon. I learned there was a recall made by Mercedes on nearly a quarter million various Mercedes, including mine, in May of 2022 that concerned the ability of the car in question to contact emergency services in a crash situation. Apparently, there is some issue with the SIM card in some cars that could lead to the problem. The planned fix is to issue an over-the-air update to the SIM software, or replace the SIM at a MB dealer. The problem is, they issued the recall in May of 2022 as "pending", and they still haven't opened the recall for completion, now nearly 1.5 years later! I am unable to import my vehicle to the US from Canada while there is a recall outstanding, so I'm stuck, waiting on Mercedes. A call to MB Canada was basically useless as I was told that Germany hasn't issued a solution for the problem and there is no estimated date for the same.

The other funny thing is that I had another 2020 C43 wagon that is not subject to the same recall. Might it be possible to determine that type of SIM and purchase another for replacement of the current car by MB, thereby solving the recall issue? Otherwise, my car is trapped in Canada until MB gets around to dealing with the problem. Given it's taken them over 1.5 years so far, I'm not holding my breath!

Has anyone found a way to deal with this recall in the USA? Why would it take MB so long to issue a fix for what appears to be a simple issue? Any other insights?

Here is the Canadian recall notice that applies to a lot of cars:

Recalls

VIN: WDDWH6EB5LF975049View your vehicle’s recall details below.
*Details on service measures or recalls completed prior to June 2020 will not be shown in the results below.

• Open Recalls (1)
• Completed Recalls (1)

Recall Campaign: 2022060011

MY VEHICLE STATUSRecall Currently PendingMBC CAMPAIGN NUMBER2022060011GOVERNMENT ISSUED RECALL NUMBER2022263RECALL START DATERecall Currently PendingRECALL REPORTED DATEMay 20, 2022TOPIC22P2197528WHAT IS THE ISSUE?Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain A-Class, CLA, C-Class, E-Class, CLS, SL, SLC, S-Class, AMG GT, GLA, GLB, GLC, GLE, GLS, and G-Classvehicles (platforms 117, 118, 156, 166, 167, 172, 177, 190, 205, 213, 217, 222, 223, 231, 238, 247, 253, 257, 290, 292, and 463), the communication module's SIM card might disable itself. If the communication module's SIM card were to be disabled, the communication module would not be able to establish a connection with a mobile phone network. In this case, the manual as well as the automatic eCall (emergency call) function would not be available. Therefore, the condition may preclude or delay the arrival of emergency responders. This might increase the consequences of an injury following an emergency event. The driver will not receive a warning due to the nature of the failure mechanism. There are no specific precautions to be taken with respect to the subject issue until the corrective measures are implemented. As a precautionary measure, the supplier of the SIM card will update the SIM profile of the communication modules on the affected vehicles. This update is planned to be performed over-the-air with no workshop visit being required. If the over-the-air update cannot be successfully completed, the customer will be notified and advised to visit an authorized dealer to have the update performed.WHAT IS THE CONCERN?If the communication module's SIM card were to be disabled, the communication module would not be able to establish a connection with a mobile phone network. In this case, the manual as well as the automatic eCall (emergency call) function would not be available. Therefore, the condition may preclude or delay the arrival of emergency responders. This might increase the consequences of an injury following an emergency event. The driver will not receive a warning due to the nature of the failure mechanism. There are no specific precautions to be taken with respect to the subject issue until the corrective measures are implemented.WHAT WILL YOUR DEALER DO?As a precautionary measure, the supplier of the SIM card will update the SIM profile of the communication modules on the affected vehicles. This update is planned to be performed over-the-air with no workshop visit being required. If the over-the-air update cannot be successfully completed, the customer will be notified and advised to visit an authorized dealer to have the update performed.

Thanks for considering