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Just wonder is there any 2020-2022 GLE with mild hybrid 48V system out there that don't have this issue? Whats your model?
I purchased a 2021 GLE63S back in 2021 July, by October my 48V failed (only few thousand miles). Had the car dragged out from my garage and towed to dealer. They replaced the 48V battery. This year July 29 it failed again, but error message says 12V battery issue. Had to drag it out the garage again and towed to dealer. Performed software update and torqued ground connector, said the battery had no problem, software had error codes, after update should be okay.
Today 8/10/2022, barely a week after getting the car back, the 12V error message appear again. Car is dead, tow-dragged and headed to dealer.
Anyone who had this issue actually had their car truly fixed? Anyone had talked with dealer about lemon law issue? Really miserable right now just needed some advice.
Wow, that’s a string of bad luck. Sorry to hear that.
You leaving your car unlocked?
From what I gather, these cars will never go to “sleep” unless locked. I know my BMW would completely shutdown after so many minutes even if left unlocked so as to not drain the battery, but it seems our cars will not and they will stay in an active mode with all accessories and the CPU powered on in perpetuity. I tested it myself by seeing if I can get active updates through the app and while locked it just provided last status, but unlocked, it would bounce back active status continuously, meaning it was awake, alert and sending messages. That means the CPU was running.
Just wonder is there any 2020-2022 GLE with mild hybrid 48V system out there that don't have this issue? Whats your model?
I purchased a 2021 GLE63S back in 2021 July, by October my 48V failed (only few thousand miles). Had the car dragged out from my garage and towed to dealer. They replaced the 48V battery. This year July 29 it failed again, but error message says 12V battery issue. Had to drag it out the garage again and towed to dealer. Performed software update and torqued ground connector, said the battery had no problem, software had error codes, after update should be okay.
Today 8/10/2022, barely a week after getting the car back, the 12V error message appear again. Car is dead, tow-dragged and headed to dealer.
Anyone who had this issue actually had their car truly fixed? Anyone had talked with dealer about lemon law issue? Really miserable right now just needed some advice.
Thanks in advance!
Jack
My 48 volt battery failed in May of 2021 and has been flawless since. The issue seems to be resolved for most of us…don’t recall any recent reports of failures. My battery was replaced with a new one (different part number) plus software updates performed. At this point you might question your Dealer ability/solutions if they haven’t replaced the battery again (check PN to see if new or old replacement the first time) and you keep having a failure. 4 failures isn’t acceptable for anything and this is a well known issue!
It isn’t clear from your post if it’s your 12 volt battery failing or the 48 volt. You can jump the 12 volt system and the car uses the 48 volt ISG as a starter so assume it’s your 48 volt battery that’s failing. Some thoughts:
1. There is a way to disengage parking mode so that the vehicle can be rolled out without dragging it…if your 12 volt battery is functioning. It requires that someone stay in the car because opening the door sets the lock again.
2. The 12 volt notice can refer to the 48 volt battery as I remember mine.
3. There is an informative thread from last year with more specific info…try a search for 48 volt battery failure.
4. You might report this to the NHSB as a safety issue…a failure in traffic or winter conditions could have serious consequences.
You could be at Lemon Law status in many states now so you might consider filing for a buy back or a replacement vehicle.
2020 GLE 450 with 14k miles, no issue with both the 12v and 48v battery so far. The only warning message I saw is 12v battery critical (from the app). This is during the initial lock down from COVID where I didn't drive the car for a good while. After putting a battery maintainer on, it goes back to normal, and haven't have any issue with battery since then.
Thanks for the input. Dealer called today, they are replacing the 48V battery again today. I can't really tell what the PN for newer battery is, I have uploaded my repair invoice, the bluish ones are the 1st time they replaced 48V. The black and white one is from 2 weeks ago. Is it on there?
The warning screen 2 weeks ago actually shows 12V battery wording. Yesterday it just was also "12V battery" wording. However dealer told me they were all 48V system having problem/error.
Really glad to hear that one of you have the issue fixed and some don't even have this problem at all. If this happens again I can at least try another dealer to repair. Luckily the car went bad while at home, I really can't imagine what would happen if my wife and kids were stranded somewhere... (its her car )
About the lemon law, I checked i'm in southern California, filing a buyback or replacement, do you mean hire a lawyer to do it or just straight talk to dealer about it?
Thank you all, I'll report back after I get the car back!
Based on what I’ve read with publicly available TSBs, there are distinct procedures for troubleshooting and identifying these battery issues.
However, it’s obvious that these procedures are not infallible assuming the techs followed it and/or identified the issue correctly. For them to assume it was a bad ground the second time around was probably a wrong diagnosis. However, based on what’s written in the procedures, it wasn’t necessarily a bad one considering the recent work that was already performed.
MB should just bite the bullet and repair everything (per the TSBs) for any battery issue. This includes replacing the battery, software update AND new grounds regardless of what the TSBs may point to (which is typically doing just one of these repairs). It may cost more in warranty repairs, but it would surely eliminate these repeated failures in one fell swoop. It just seems stupid they’re not doing this instead of almost guessing which problem it is, leaving the door open to additional failures, which tends to have a cumulative negative effect on the perception of their overall reliability.
Here’s what I had in my notes:Old Battery-000-982-68-14. New Battery-000-982-67-14
Your invoice shows that they replaced your battery with the new one Oct 12, 21. The lower PN for newer is lower leading us to wonder if it wasn’t the older Gen battery that was trouble free in the 2020 GLE’s. By now they might have a newer battery, it will be interesting to see the PN when your car is finished.
You can request a buyback without an Attorney. A third party handles the claim for Mercedes. If approved you get to choose a replacement or buy back. California has favorable consumer protection laws for buy backs. It takes time and if you don’t like the outcome you can then hire an Attorney.
Based on what I’ve read with publicly available TSBs, there are distinct procedures for troubleshooting and identifying these battery issues.
However, it’s obvious that these procedures are not infallible assuming the techs followed it and/or identified the issue correctly. For them to assume it was a bad ground the second time around was probably a wrong diagnosis. However, based on what’s written in the procedures, it wasn’t necessarily a bad one considering the recent work that was already performed.
MB should just bite the bullet and repair everything (per the TSBs) for any battery issue. This includes replacing the battery, software update AND new grounds regardless of what the TSBs may point to (which is typically doing just one of these repairs). It may cost more in warranty repairs, but it would surely eliminate these repeated failures in one fell swoop. It just seems stupid they’re not doing this instead of almost guessing which problem it is, leaving the door open to additional failures, which tends to have a cumulative negative effect on the perception of their overall reliability.
It’s not smart.
It wouldn't be smart, and it's not the way it happens.
Of course any Dealer would apply all available TSB's, and they do. However, they don't apply future TSB's. Each TSB is specific to one fault or set of faults, so they are issued separately, with appropriate troubleshooting steps which may reference other TSB's.
If it's a TSB and the appropriate troubleshooting is carried out, warranty covers it. (Of course there doesn't have to be a TSB for warranty coverage.)
And the Work Order will mention the TSB research they have done, which satisfies the warranty requirements for them to get reimbursed.
Mercedes' battery supplier and battery technology was bought by Tesla right at the launch of our 48v systems. Tesla fired that Company's CEO because he stood by their contract to deliver batteries to M-B, leaving M-B without a battery supplier, and Tesla now owned M-B's tech.
So, early 48v problem cars were held at Dealerships while they worked with M-B HQ to analyze early problems. Sometimes that meant keeping the car for a week, with loaner cars, while various procedures and data were transmitted back and forth between the Service Department and the German Engineers. My '20 450 was one of those.
I disagree with you simply from the fact that there are many people with repeated issues but from different 48V vectors. Had they just repaired them all from the start, those repeated issues would not have occurred.
I disagree with you. I’m not talking about future TSBs, quote unquote underline, I’m talking about existing ones that obviously miss the mark for a lot of people vis-a-vis my original post.
I disagree with you. I’m not talking about future TSBs, quote unquote underline, I’m talking about existing ones that obviously miss the mark for a lot of people vis-a-vis my original post.
So, when your post says "MB should just bite the bullet and repair everything (per the TSBs) for any battery issue,"you're saying that they don't?
Name one instance of refusal to apply a TSB.
Go talk to a Mercedes Service Manager and get educated. That would be "smart."
Hey please don’t take this personally. People disagree with me all of the time. We agree to disagree and we’ll just leave it at that. Thanks.
Not a disagreement, it's Unfounded Allegations vs. Fact.
You've fallen into the Forum Malaise that causes people to latch on bad info and spew it forward.
Example: My wife had a flat tire. She actually did.
Now's your chance to say that BMW would never allow that to happen. Which would be an Unfounded Allegation.
Hi,
Just to update the issue, they replaced the battery and control unit again. They performed the exact same repair as last year October. The fault code seems different this time, it seems like an endless nightmare. Anyone successfully made a case with manufacturer to reimburse/replace their vehicle before? I was joking with my wife that every time we hit the "Start" button, if it starts, it feels like winning the lottery............
Thank you all for the suggestions, maybe trade it in for something else is better for us now. Other than that it'll be just waiting for it to fail again. By the way, my dealer advisor was very knowledgeable and very helpful, I believe they did their best try to repair it. Just that its really disappointing to keep getting faulty battery.
Hi,
Just to update the issue, they replaced the battery and control unit again. They performed the exact same repair as last year October. The fault code seems different this time, it seems like an endless nightmare. Anyone successfully made a case with manufacturer to reimburse/replace their vehicle before? I was joking with my wife that every time we hit the "Start" button, if it starts, it feels like winning the lottery............
Thank you all for the suggestions, maybe trade it in for something else is better for us now. Other than that it'll be just waiting for it to fail again. By the way, my dealer advisor was very knowledgeable and very helpful, I believe they did their best try to repair it. Just that its really disappointing to keep getting faulty battery.
Your car will never be worth more as a trade than now…if you can find something in inventory. Ordering something for delivery has a risk because this used car inflation has to end sometime.
You will likely be declined a buy back now (going Mercedes route) since they have replaced the battery and you accepted the car back. An Attorney might be your best option. Another option would be to get with the Dealer Management and demand a replacement. Maybe you want to change brands? There is no one answer but different paths!
There are more buybacks than one might think but they aren’t well advertised for obvious reasons. I can recall 3 members of the Forum posting about a new Gen Mercedes GLE replacement, usually a better value than a cash buy back. I did one a few years ago on a GMC truck. Mercedes seems to have a less painful, faster process than GM did.
I received a Buy Offer from CarGurus for $11,000 over MSRP, with 15,000 miles a couple of months ago. I wasn't looking to sell - was just curious. That would have covered the Sales Tax and Registration lost.
The window is probably narrowing.
If you don't trust your car, you'll leave it in the garage when you could be enjoying it.
We returned our 2020 450 - a VERY nice configuration, $96k MSRP - after our shop went through a litany of TSB's etc, and I was confident. It was very early, VIN <1500, so it was everybody's learning experience.
My old mantra of "if it quits, it'll be another adventure" wasn't received well by my Wife. The Wise One.
Just here to update. After a serious discussion with my wife (its her daily vehicle with kids) we decided to give up this particular car and look for a replacement which won't give us the lottery-winning sensation every time the car can start up. I was encouraged to make a case with MBUSA which I did. The outcome came quickly after their review and preliminary result seems satisfying. Although MBUSA didn't contact me directly (was thru 3rd party on behalf) it seems they acted quickly for my case. Whether its MBUSA or the lemon law at work, we just feel thankful and relieved now. But kinda sad because we really liked the car, its a blast to drive even slowly. To be honest, I was hoping for a replacement but I guess its not happening, gotta find our own again.
Just here to update. After a serious discussion with my wife (its her daily vehicle with kids) we decided to give up this particular car and look for a replacement which won't give us the lottery-winning sensation every time the car can start up. I was encouraged to make a case with MBUSA which I did. The outcome came quickly after their review and preliminary result seems satisfying. Although MBUSA didn't contact me directly (was thru 3rd party on behalf) it seems they acted quickly for my case. Whether its MBUSA or the lemon law at work, we just feel thankful and relieved now. But kinda sad because we really liked the car, its a blast to drive even slowly. To be honest, I was hoping for a replacement but I guess its not happening, gotta find our own again.
Thanks~
Jack
My wife shares your wife’s concerns after our GLE 53 died in May 2021, she probably has more common sense the I do. It’s been solid since but there’s always that nagging thought that it could happen again. I told myself it’s the same odds as getting struck by lightning but obviously not.
You don’t list the age of you CT but there are a fair number of 2019+ Porsche Lithium batteries doing the same thing. I don’t know when they started putting Lithium in the Cayenne to save weight! P apparently replaced the AGM 12 volt with a Lithium and they are now back using an AGM on new builds. I saw a replacement cost of $2100 although they are covered under warranty. Like anything new, they are not readily available everywhere. We may be entering a new era too fast.
Did you replace the 53? My CT is a 2014 model still running great. I think Porsche is better at suspension tuning, more comfortable than the GLE63 but just as sharp at hard driving. Both are amazing, which is why I kept the CT even though its 8yrs old now.
I told her we need something reliable and large, suggested a Sienna. Can you imagine the look on her face lol. But I was serious, went thru few dealers all said its impossible to find/purchase one at least not this year. Now really don't know what to replace it with. Went to see X7 today, the dash screen is uncomfortably curved to the right, I mean the section right in front of driver is further on the left side and closer on the right side. Checked with some MB dealer see if they have GLE53/63 coming in, all said no 53 till next year, 63 I did find a few but with weird options and lack what we wanted. Right now seriously thinking about EQS SUV but today they announced that range for 580 is only 285 miles, still trying to figure out which car will make the most sense for us.
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Dealer replied today
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Each TSB is specific to one fault or set of faults, so they are issued separately, with appropriate troubleshooting steps which may reference other TSB's.
