Hi, all,

I'm new here, and I've been browsing the threads to better understand what issues people have been experiencing with their EQS SUVs. Four weeks ago today, I got a 2023 EQS 450+ SUV. It has the Exclusive trim with most of the other available options added on. I love the design, ride, interior, and tech of the vehicle, but it's been problematic since the day I drove it off the lot. I'm going to share details of what I've been experiencing in hopes that I might gain insight from those who know more than I do—or who have experienced some of these same issues. This information might also be useful for those who are considering buying an EQS SUV.

First Round of Issues
Within an hour of driving the vehicle off the lot, I began experiencing the following:

• Rattling noise inside the steering wheel/column when turning the wheel. It didn't matter whether the car was in motion, just the act of turning the wheel in either direction resulted in a soft rattling/tumbling noise as though something were rolling around inside.
• Various errors related to lighting and Assistance features. I didn't take pictures of them all, but repeating ones were Active Emergency Stop Assist Currently Unavailable, Ambient Lighting Warning Support Inoperative, and something related to the Lane Keeping Assist.
• MBUX gestures working sporadically.
• The driver's seat started making a creaking sound whenever I got in/out of the car or when my weight shifted from an undulation in the road.
• When my vehicle was represented in the 360 parking camera view, it sometimes had an assortment of gray or red triangles on top of it, indicating that various sensors or features weren't working.

The dealer couldn't get me into a loaner for another 10 days, so I drove the vehicle a good bit with the above issues. Though these were nuisances, I was still enjoying the car. Once I got it into the shop, the dealer (Mercedes Benz Houston, Greenway) concluded the following:

• Found stored codes C101600 and U015587. I'm not sure what these are, but they were listed for multiple of the issues.
• Performed software update to the multi function camera
• Performed software update for the radio/command
• Ordered a new steering column module

The car was in the shop a total of 9 days. The steering column module is on backorder until April 26, so the car was returned to me. The dealer was unable to replicate the noise in the seat, so they had the shop foreman meet me so I could show him. He got in the passenger seat, and then I got into the driver's seat. The noise was as loud and apparent as ever, and he heard it immediately. He said they would take the seat apart when I was back in for the steering column repair and see if something didn't need lubricated.

Second Round of Issues
The day I got the vehicle back from the first service visit, I noticed on the drive home that the steering wheel was off center. The car was tracking straight, but the wheel was cocked about 10 degrees to the left. I figured the wheel had been removed to get at the column module and that it hadn't been put back in the proper position. The dealer scheduled me to come back in 3 days for the necessary adjustment. In the meantime, I received the Ambient Lighting Warning Support Inoperative error again. When I got back to the dealership, I waited for the steering wheel to be aligned, which took about an hour. When I drove away, I noticed that the steering wheel was aligned but now the wheels/tires were out of alignment. The vehicle pulled strongly to the left if I let go of the steering wheel. I turned around and went back. They took the car back to the shop for another hour, told me that it was good to go, and sent me on my way. As I drove away, now the pull to the left was even worse. I went back and checked the car in for another service visit.

The dealer kept the car all day and most of the next afternoon. They discovered the problem to be Steering Unit Malfunction and they Performed reset power steering rack. When I got the car back, everything was in alignment, and I was happy to be back in my EQS (and not the CLA I'd been bumming around in for the last two weeks).

Third Round of Issues
Yesterday, the day after I got the car back, I drove about 100 miles, and everything was working well. Last night, I started the car and got a string of chimes and errors appearing on the screens:

• Ambient Lighting Warning Support Inoperative
• Active Emergency Stop Assist Currently Unavailable
• Rear Axle Steering Malfunction
• Active Brake Assist Functions Currently Limited
• Active Blind Spot Assist Inoperative
• Active Parking Assist and PARKTRONIC Inoperative
• ESP Inoperative
• Reduced Drive System Performance with the orange turtle on the dash screen

This morning, I started the car and got all of the above errors with additional ones:

• Max Power 30%
• Red suspension icon appearing on dash screen—with the Raise Level "currently unusable" in the center stack
• Warning to drive slower than 50 mph

I drove the car slowly to the dealership and checked it in for service visit #3. This afternoon, I spoke with the service manger who explained that the rear steering control seems to be the culprit and that it needs to be replaced. But I guess they are now opening a case with Mercedes to see what is recommended. I'm not sure how long this process will take.

At this point, I'm dissatisfied that Mercedes allowed a car to leave the factory with so many issues. I understand that updates are necessary to keep these rolling computers functioning their best, but this vehicle is experiencing a combination of software and hardware issues that go beyond simple updates/maintenance.

In 28 days of ownership, the vehicle has been in the shop 11 days—and counting—and hasn't gone one day without one error or another occurring. I've spoken with my sales manager, who told me to open a case with Mercedes Customer Care. I did that today, and they said they'll follow up within 3 days. Until then, I'm waiting for the service department to get their case opened with the technical team. I'm hoping for a speedy and definitive fix, but I'm also worried that this car might just be a dud.

If you took the time to read all of that, I appreciate your effort! I'd be grateful for any insights you might share, and I'm happy to talk with others about their experiences. I'll update as I learn more.

Thanks, all

BB

 

Hi BB, sorry to hear about the ongoing issues with your new EQS SUV. We are at 18 months of ownership and haven't experienced any of the issues you described. But I have been buying MB's vehicles for a number of years and our MY13 GL550 had a problem that caused the vehicle to loss power at highway driving speed and we would have to find our way to the side of the road as quickly as possible. After several shop visits and calls to MB engineering, it became clear that it was a lemon and MB finally agreed to buy it back and put us into a MY14 GLS550. Needless to say, I feel your pain but cars are made by man so they're less than perfect and MB will make a few lemons along the way. I hope they can get your EQS SUV squared away soon or offer you a buy back.

 

JoeMa,

Thank you for sharing your experience. Over the years, I've had a few Mercedes vehicles, but it's been a long time since my last one. I am working with as many people as possible to create visibility of the issues. I hope MB will do the right thing should this vehicle continue to have problems and/or linger in the dealership's garage. I see more and more EQS sedans and SUVs on the road, so I know that some of them must be functioning as intended. Hoping I'll soon get to join that club! ;-)

 

I just got my 2023 EQS580 10 days ago. Put 250 miles on it and drive like a dream so far. Knock on wood. Still trying to DC fast charge yet. I hope everythings will be worked out for you... or you have a good case for lemon. I had happened to try 3 EQSs as loaners for 3 different services before and decided to get the EQS SUV.
I am still learning how to get DC fast charge and frustrated and unsucessfully at EA and Chargepoint stations. I was told that my SUV is set up and ready, but reality NOT!!! and wasting 3-4 hours waiting and driving around to find stations getting charge. I will call MBme help line tomorrow. Good luck on your case.

 

Phillip,

Glad to hear your EQS is treating you well. It certainly is a great vehicle. I haven't tried fast charging either. I know that when I took delivery, the dealership had one of their valets help me set up the EA cards that come with the car. It just involved activating them to my vehicle, adding a payment method, etc. Perhaps you'll be able to access those stations once your cards are set up...? I haven't tried fast charging yet either. There is an EA station 1 mile from house, but the app always shows all 6 of the stations in use—no matter what time of day or night I look. I don't need them for my day-to-day charging, but I can imagine the busy stations being a problem if you were on a longer trip and needed to charge and get back on the road. Good luck getting everything set up...and enjoy your new ride!

BB

 

Update
It's been a while since I first posted, and a lot has happened. Here's the latest:

March 28: When I dropped off the vehicle for service, I ran into my sales person, Harshad, who was great to work with when I purchased the vehicle. We walked over and said hi to Jay, the New Car Sales Manager. By the way, this is at Mercedes Houston Greenway. Jay and I talked, and he told me that Frankie, the Service Manager, would be handling this round of repairs. On my way home, I called MBUSA to share my experiences to date. I was assigned a case manager who would call me back in 24–72 hours.

April 1: I received a call from my MBUSA case manager, Rajina, who spent time understanding what was going on. Funnily enough, her system showed I was having problems with my 2007 CLS 550, which I hadn't owned in about 13 years. Once we got the EQS back on the table, she said she was opening a case (not sure of the proper term). She asked if I was seeking another vehicle or if I wanted my money back. I said that I wanted another vehicle just like mine—only one that worked. She said the decision process would take up to 6 weeks and that there would be no communication about my case until a decision was made. I thanked her for her time and help. A few minutes later, I received a confirmation email that my case had been opened...for the 2007 CLS 550! Visions of my claim being dismissed (because the car in question was 14 years old) danced in my head. LOL. I emailed back clarifying that we were still talking about the EQS and left a voice mail confirming that we had the right vehicle on the claim.

Over the course of the next few days, Frankie communicated with me regarding the diagnosis of my vehicle. His team discovered that the rear-steering rack had failed. They opened a case with the Mercedes technicians in Germany to see if they concurred or suggested other troubleshooting. After a week or so, Mercedes Germany agreed that the rear-steering rack needed replacing. The parts were ordered. After a week, the steering rack was installed, but I received an update that the technicians couldn't get it to program properly. Communications with Germany resumed as they tried to get everything working. A couple days later, the steering rack was successfully programmed, but then the technicians were getting other/new errors that had to be resolved.

April 12: The MercedesME Connect app sent me an alert that my vehicle had been in a collision (front end, "slight impact"). I assumed this was a glitch related to the new errors the technicians were finding.

April 17: I met with PJ, the General Sales Manager at Mercedes Greenway. As we spoke, he said that the repairs on the rear steering had finally been completed. By this time, the vehicle had passed the 30-days-in-the-shop mark, and he understood why I wouldn't want it anymore. He said I could take the vehicle home while we waited for a decision from MBUSA—until he realized that we were still waiting on the replacement of the steering-column module and that the steering wheel rattled when turned. He said he didn't want me to drive the car like that and to just keep the loaner while Service waited on the parts for the steering module and he worked on my case with MBUSA.

April 19: MercedesMe Connect app sent me 6 messages that a charging error had occurred with the vehicle. When I opened the app, I saw a red battery with "Charging Fault" error at the top. I sent screen shots of these to the Sales Manager so he could add them to the case with MBUSA.

Later that morning, I received a call from my MBUSA case manager saying that a verdict on my vehicle had been reached. Mercedes was going to exchange the car for another one. I believe the technical term for this is Trade Assist. I asked how the process worked and what I needed to do. She said she wasn't familiar with the details and that I would handle everything directly with the dealership. I immediately got on the phone with Jay, who started trying to find me a vehicle.

By the end of the day, Jay found an identical build on a lot in North Carolina. It had a December build date (my original car was November), so I was hopeful that this month of difference would help me avoid similar defects. He put in for the trade that afternoon and said the new vehicle would be here in 5–7 days.

April 26: I contacted Jay to see if we an ETA for the vehicle.

April 27: Jay discovered that the AutoNation truck that was to retrieve the vehicle had broken down and that the new EQS was still at the dealership in North Carolina. I was disappointed to learn this news. We spoke on the phone, and he said he would arrange to hot-shot the vehicle over on the 29th.

April 28: Today is the 2-month anniversary since I purchased the EQS. It's been exactly 60 days. In that time, the EQS has been in shop for 43 days and counting. I'm not sure if the steering-column module has been replaced. The original estimate for those parts to arrive was April 29. All the while, I have been making payments on the EQS lease—another one just auto-debited from my account last night. Including the first payment at signing, I've now made 3 payments—two of which were while the car has been in continuous possession of the dealership. Jay has assured me that MBUSA will make good on the payments made while the vehicle was out of service. I spoke with MB Financial Services a couple of days ago, and they said that once the trade is complete, they will take care of the payments. I'm not sure how that will work, but no one seemed to think it was a big deal, so I'm guessing they handle this sort of thing as a matter of routine.

At this point, I'm hopeful that the new car will arrive by the end of the week and will work as designed. So far, the process has been an exercise in patience, but everyone I've dealt with has been reasonable and professional. I have no idea how the Trade Assist works, but since the build sheet and MSRP of the replacement vehicle are identical to the original, I'm assuming there won't be any issue—or additional cost—with making the swap.

If anyone has experience they can share on the Trade Assist process, I'd love to hear how it worked for you.

As soon as I know more, I'll be sure to update. Thanks to everyone here for your ideas and support!

BB

 

Wow. Thanks for detailing the experience. I bought a car from Greenway many years ago. Go to know that those guys are still nice. I went to Sewell last month for a warranty work. They were just as nice but don't really update you or give you an ETA unless you are proactive about it. I've a good leather seat warranty issue with MB, so I might try Greenway to see if MB will actual own up to their materials and craftsmanship.

 

I am so glad that MB is taking care of your situation. Hopefully, you will get your replacement soon; of course, no more drama with the new EQS SUV.
Update my EQS SUV and EA: I got EA recognized my SUV couple days after my last post here. It's very super easy to charge with EA, of course, if any station is available. So far, I've occasionally waited for about 5-15 minutes for 1 available. I've noticed that most of the EVs charging are rideshare EVs; I read somewhere that EA and rideshare companies have a discount agreement for their employees to charge at EA. Anyway, it's not that bad of a wait and DC fast charge is very fast to fill your batteries in 30 minutes of which is FREE.
Good luck and hope everything will be OK to enjoy your new EQS SUV.

 

Latest update...

April 29: I contacted MBUSA to see if I could learn more about how the Trade Assist process worked. They were unable to help and basically said I'd just have to work things out with the dealership. I said I would, but I also offered that the lack of transparency on how this process worked put the customer at the disadvantage of not knowing what to expect. I've read various accounts of people's experiences with Trade Assist, and some seem to be better than others.

While I was on the phone with MBUSA, I got a message from Mercedes Greenway saying that the replacement vehicle had arrived. Apparently, it was hot-shotted over the weekend. My sales associate said they'd call as soon as the vehicle had been prepped.

That evening, I received word from Harshad, my sales associate, that the vehicle was ready if I wanted to come get it. Ali, from Finance, also called and said that he had all of the paperwork ready and would have me out the door in 15 minutes if I stopped by. There was only an hour left before they closed, so I went over to the dealership. The new EQS was detailed and ready to go, and it looked great. Jay, the New Car Manager, and PJ, the General Sales Manager, were there and greeted me. Harshad was retrieving all of my personal belongings from the old car and getting them ready for the new one. Paperwork was signed quickly as promised, and I owed nothing for the swap. I was starting a new lease with the same terms as before, and my payments were the same. Because a payment for the old vehicle had just been debited from my account the day before, that money was applied to the first payment of the new lease, and Ali cut me a check for the previous payment that occurred while the vehicle was sitting in the shop. The whole process was easy and stress free. While there, I also ran into Chris, one of the managers, who always stops to say hi. He thanked me for my patience during the process and said he was glad we'd been able to get me into a new vehicle.

As I was driving home, Harshad called saying that I'd taken the key to the loaner car with me. I said I'd bring it by in the morning. He said while I was there, he'd get me in to have the windows and sun roof tinted (something I had done on my own for the old EQS).

April 30: The day after receiving the new EQS, I went by the dealership to turn-in the loaner key and get the windows tinted on the new vehicle. Harshad arranged to have the tint done complimentary, which I appreciated. While I was waiting, he also made sure I was able to get all the apps up and running with the new vehicle, activate the charging cards, etc.

I've only driven the new vehicle 30 miles, but so far, it seems to be great. Knock on wood! The original vehicle started giving me alarms within a few miles of driving it off the lot, and it had the noticeable rattling in the steering wheel/column. The new EQS is working well and free of the noises in the steering. I'm sending positive energy to the car gods that this EQS will be hassle-free for the duration of the lease.

I have to say that the entire team at Mercedes Greenway has been great to work with. This situation was frustrating, but I never felt abandoned by the dealership, and every promise they made to me was kept without hassle. I've bought many vehicles over the years, and I can't think of another dealership that made me feel as valued as the team at Greenway. If you're in the Houston area, I highly recommend you give them a chance. Harshad is a top-notch sales associate, and the management team are excellent as well.

If you're experiencing similar issues with your EQS or dealing with a buy-back situation, maybe my experiences will be helpful. I realize situations are unique for each of us, but the more we share info. in forums like these, the better we can each be equipped to handle unplanned events.

 

Congrad... Enjoy your EQS SUV. Just from my own experienced with AE: For the first time charging with AE, use MBUX to locate the AE location and select AE nearest you, do this even you know the way to get to AE location, look at the station available indicator to see if any available, my own experience if I see more than 3/6 available is the good chance to go there. The first time at AE, use MBUX to select the charge station # and plug it in. Enjoy your MB's privilege of 30 free minutes. Hopefully, you will enjoy and happy every second you are driving this EQS like I do so far... knock on wood.

 

Sorry, what is AE?

 

I assume he means EA (Electrify America). I used them once a year ago just to verify plug-and-charge worked but charger was "derated" so left after about five minutes. That was the closest one to my house which is a 30 minute drive away. Haven't used them since. They've built a dozen Tesla Supercharger near me since then though and GM has some 350 kW chargers coming online very soon but absolutely nothing from EA. No new chargers and the ones that were broken a year ago still don't work right. MB's free charging deal with them has been totally worthless for me.

 

I've had my EQS for a week and so far only 1 in 4 charging stations I have visited has been operational. And all the stations were brand new, installed within the past year or two.
It's totally worthless to rely on public chargers.

 

The value proposition for the 30-minute free EA charging sessions depends heavily upon the way you use your car. I am on track to burn through the 50K mile warranty at the end of 24 months which coincides with the length of the free charging program. After two 6000+ mile cross-Country trips and numerous 500 to 600 mile long weekend road trips I am estimating the savings from using EA chargers will be at least $5K over 2 years. Someone else who drives the same amount of miles commuting 100 miles per day and charging at home gets very little value from the program. Actually, I am surprised that MB does not limit the free charging to some token number of kWh like other manufacturers do.

 

Surge... congrat to your new EQS. Opps, my typos and yes I meant EA. For the 1st couple weeks, I was frustrated just like you. So far, owning an EV has been a learning curve for me too... but be patient and more patient if you want to take advantage of the 30-minute FREE DC-charge from MB. I have 3 months of using 30-minute level-3 free from Electricfy America (EA) and level-2 free at work or at the shopping Malls (limited to sharing 2 hours/charge). Closest EA is about 8 miles from my work, 6 stations, sometimes 2 stations down for maintenent reason, sometimes I had to wait 10-15 minutes for next available station, and mostly filling upto 80-85% per 30-minute charge. Yet only public charging so far for 2300 miles; I did try level-1 at home for couple times to test my patient... Not a happy camper... 10kW overnight/charge!!! Anyway, I just enjoy every minute of driving my EQS... enjoying enough to forget all those negativities from charging hiccups and range enxiety. Endure and enjoy your EQS and adapting all the EV's disturbances.

 

Thanks! I love the car. It’s considerably nicer than the EQE SUV I test drove.
In Canada, I don’t think we have free DC fast charging. I won’t need public charging anyway, I just had to use some before my home charger was installed.

 

Lazaru5, I love your road trip story. I am planning to take my EQS for a 900-mile round trip for 1 day to see if I can tolerate it. Beside testing if EQS can be road trip worthy with majority of charging at EAs, I want to learn how my well-being with an EV for that duration for the future actual 1100-1300 miles road trips. I read your post, but any tips or advices are welcome and appreciated. TIA

 

A one-day 900 mile round trip is a very ambitious undertaking, especially in an EV. My road trips almost always include hotel stays. My target mileage per day is 400 to 500 miles. I charge to 100% at home before starting the trip. I preplan the charging stops and hotel stops using the PlugShare reviews to identify stations with good reviews. I usually get by with one or two DC charging stops per day and charge to 100% with the hotel L2 charger. I try to check in by 5:00pm to maximize access to the hotel chargers. If the PlugShare app identifies some lesser known charging networks that will be likely stops I download the app for that brand beforehand. I usually set the target SoC at destination and charging stops to the minimum in order to prevent the car from choosing stops that are not in my travel plan.

Assuming an average speed of 60 mph, a 900 mile round trip would take 15 hours. Add another 4 or 5 hours for five charging stops and you have a long day with no time spent at the destination 450 miles away.

 

Thanks for your input. Like I stated this is a test run... I have been doing lots of road trips and mostly straight shot from MN to Phila, PA with my S430 and ussually taking about 18-22 hours. I know with EV it will take more time, may be hotel 1 night. That's my intention. This test run from MN to Chicago and back. Crazy but "never try, never will" attitude. I will let Mercedes ME guiding. MBUX is very good for EAs and reporting the number of stations available in real time.

 

Hi @SomethingElse dd you fixed this issue? I have the same problem with the REAR AXLE STEERING MALFUNCTION and the brake assist, with the difference (if I understood correctly) my SUV suddendly decreases the speed to the point almost stopping. It did this twice on the highway.

If you have any information you can share on what was the problem, I very much appreciate it.