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I'm curious as well. I'm wondering if anyone else sees a pattern here or whether I'm just stretching to find answers. It seems that the 48 volt battery issues, as well as MB's attempted fixes, have been different for MY2020 and MY2021. With MY2021, it seems the issue has generally arisen in very low mileage conditions (in my case, twice at under 1,000 miles); whereas, with MY2020 the failures have occurred much later in the life of the battery. Also, it seems that MB has acted fairly quickly in authorizing replacement of the 48 volt battery in MY2021 vehicles, but not so much with MY2020 vehicles, preferring to try other workarounds first. I don't know if that pattern is real or imagined.
it does seem strange. I was convinced it was related to overnight updates that MB does from time to time. The first time they basically said we cleared the code and could not duplicate it; so they gave it back to us and told us to come back if it happens again. They also extend the warranty by one year or $3k towards a new one because our inconvenience. Makes no sense.
I had the 48v malfunction in July, towed to the the dealer and It was there for 2 weeks.
WELL, IT JUST HAPPENED AGAIN!!!
my service advisor said that MB really doesn’t have a fix yet and are shooting at straws trying to find a permanent fix.
not sure what to do. The last time MB send an engineer and his remedy was to sand down all the battery connections. Not sure what to do.
So the dealer cleared the codes and re-flashed the computer as per one of many internal bulletin recommendations regarding this issue. They drove it and could not duplicate the issue. They said if it happens again to bring it back. They also said it an extremely complicated system the is very interconnected with a lot of other systems. They said It will probably continue to happen….
Baffling that MB would take this approach regarding this wildly known problem.
So the dealer cleared the codes and re-flashed the computer as per one of many internal bulletin recommendations regarding this issue. They drove it and could not duplicate the issue. They said if it happens again to bring it back. They also said it an extremely complicated system the is very interconnected with a lot of other systems. They said It will probably continue to happen….
Baffling that MB would take this approach regarding this wildly known problem.
2020 GLS450 / 2024 Ford Bronco / (former) W212 4-matic 350 sport package
I have ours at the dealership today for an unrelated (and annoying) repair. When speaking with the tech, I asked if they've seen many come back with bad 48v batteries. They said they've seen a couple, replaced the battery but then was advised by MB to stop replacing the battery. Apparently MB found a software glitch where the system wasn't talking to something it should've been talking to and would shut down the car because of it. Said it may have even been a recall to update the software in the car. They're checking to see if ours was on that list of vin numbers or not. We've only had one minor issue with the 48v. It was a few weeks after buying it (fall 2020), drove to the grocery store, came out and when restarted the car I go the warning message. It ran fine though, and drove it home. By the time I got home, the warning was gone and all has been fine ever since. That was well over a year and 30k miles ago.
Mine is in the shop for a defective window track causing the window to bind/pop. And wouldn't you know it - now the passenger side seat (MBTex) is starting to split too. Had the driver's side replaced about 6 months ago for it splitting on the entry bolster piece, and now the front passenger seat is starting to do the same. Unfriggin' believable! I have a 2014 W212, and this was a notorious problem for those cars. Can't believe 6 years later, it's still a problem!
I have ours at the dealership today for an unrelated (and annoying) repair. When speaking with the tech, I asked if they've seen many come back with bad 48v batteries. They said they've seen a couple, replaced the battery but then was advised by MB to stop replacing the battery. Apparently MB found a software glitch where the system wasn't talking to something it should've been talking to and would shut down the car because of it. Said it may have even been a recall to update the software in the car. They're checking to see if ours was on that list of vin numbers or not. We've only had one minor issue with the 48v. It was a few weeks after buying it (fall 2020), drove to the grocery store, came out and when restarted the car I go the warning message. It ran fine though, and drove it home. By the time I got home, the warning was gone and all has been fine ever since. That was well over a year and 30k miles ago.
Mine is in the shop for a defective window track causing the window to bind/pop. And wouldn't you know it - now the passenger side seat (MBTex) is starting to split too. Had the driver's side replaced about 6 months ago for it splitting on the entry bolster piece, and now the front passenger seat is starting to do the same. Unfriggin' believable! I have a 2014 W212, and this was a notorious problem for those cars. Can't believe 6 years later, it's still a problem!
My car is back at the dealership. MBUSA sent an engineer to inspect it. We will see what they come up with.
I have ours at the dealership today for an unrelated (and annoying) repair. When speaking with the tech, I asked if they've seen many come back with bad 48v batteries. They said they've seen a couple, replaced the battery but then was advised by MB to stop replacing the battery. Apparently MB found a software glitch where the system wasn't talking to something it should've been talking to and would shut down the car because of it. Said it may have even been a recall to update the software in the car. They're checking to see if ours was on that list of vin numbers or not. We've only had one minor issue with the 48v. It was a few weeks after buying it (fall 2020), drove to the grocery store, came out and when restarted the car I go the warning message. It ran fine though, and drove it home. By the time I got home, the warning was gone and all has been fine ever since. That was well over a year and 30k miles ago.
Mine is in the shop for a defective window track causing the window to bind/pop. And wouldn't you know it - now the passenger side seat (MBTex) is starting to split too. Had the driver's side replaced about 6 months ago for it splitting on the entry bolster piece, and now the front passenger seat is starting to do the same. Unfriggin' believable! I have a 2014 W212, and this was a notorious problem for those cars. Can't believe 6 years later, it's still a problem!
Thanks for sharing what you heard about the 48 volt battery issues. This forum has been very quiet of late on that front, which I've been hoping is a good thing. Maybe MB did finally get its arms around the problem. I probably shouldn't jinx it by saying anything, but my latest (and third) 48 volt battery has now lived over 4,000 miles and I'm almost getting my confidence in it back. The first two failed at under 200 and 800 miles, respectively. Fingers crossed!
2020 GLS450 / 2024 Ford Bronco / (former) W212 4-matic 350 sport package
It's got to be something! I can't believe any manufacture would hang their hat so heavily on an engine platform such as they are with this i6 hybrid setup and not realize they turn off on their own like this by design.
It's got to be something! I can't believe any manufacture would hang their hat so heavily on an engine platform such as they are with this i6 hybrid setup and not realize they turn off on their own like this by design.
I've been following the 48 volt battery posts since Spring 2021. The original speculation was that the problems were due to a "bad batch" of batteries. Now we're seeiing more and more of the problems attributed to software glitches. Maybe it was both, I don't know, but for the longest time I think we were seeing at least one post a week about failures, and in some cases multiple failures with the same car, almost always with MY2021. But I haven't seen much at all recently, so that's an excellent sign. The crazy thing is that the turbo assisted i6 with EQ Bostt is a smooth and silky ride. You can barely notice the transition from electric to gas, it's fuel efficient, and gets me from 0-60 in under 5 seconds. However, it would have been nice at some point for MB to come out and publicly address what the problem is/was and how they were ffixing it. That would help to restore our confidence.
My 2021 GLS 450 has the same repeated problem with 48V battery malfunction. My MB was towed to dealership and still stayed there for over a week. What can we do?
My 2021 GLS 450 has the same repeated problem with 48V battery malfunction. My MB was towed to dealership and still stayed there for over a week. What should I do?
My 2021 GLS 450 has the same repeated problem with 48V battery malfunction. My MB was towed to dealership and still stayed there for over a week. What should I do? My GLS 450 towed out to dealer due to 48V battery malfunction.
My 2021 GLS 450 has the same repeated problem with 48V battery malfunction. My MB was towed to dealership and still stayed there for over a week. What should I do? My GLS 450 towed out to dealer due to 48V battery malfunction.
2021 GLS 450 battery malfunction.
Unfortunately you're not the first to have this problem with the one-sixty-lemon platform and sadly won't be the last. Are you saying this happened to you before? Either wait for them to fix it, or start researching the lemon laws in your state if you no longer have confidence in the reliability of your GLS and don't want to keep it. Many owners have reported this problem was fixed and did not return after the dealer replaced the 48v battery, if you do want to keep it.
Last edited by E55Greasemonkey; 02-11-2022 at 06:43 PM.
LipaCypress, sorry to hear. Are you say this happened to you previously or just this once? Can I ask how long you've had the car and what your mileage was when the problem occurred? Also, do you know your build date?
That's why I opted to fly across country instead of drive, which we usually do.
I happened to check my MercedesMe app today and saw that my battery status was "partially charged". I don't check the app very often, so it's possible that it could have been "partially charged" for weeks, maybe even months. As many of you on this thread might know, I'm a 2X loser when it comes to the 48 volt battery -- my first was replaced at under 200 miles and my second at under 800 miles, so I'm a little bit skittish about anything that has to do with the battery. My current (third) battery has about 4,200 miles under its belt (and the car just under 5,000 miles), so I've been starting to settle down and trust the system. This new "partially charged" battery issue feels like it could be "deja vu all over again". I know the app puts a constant strain on the car's battery and am just hoping that "partially charged" isn't necessarily a bad thing? Any thoughts out there would be appreciated.
I happened to check my MercedesMe app today and saw that my battery status was "partially charged". I don't check the app very often, so it's possible that it could have been "partially charged" for weeks, maybe even months. As many of you on this thread might know, I'm a 2X loser when it comes to the 48 volt battery -- my first was replaced at under 200 miles and my second at under 800 miles, so I'm a little bit skittish about anything that has to do with the battery. My current (third) battery has about 4,200 miles under its belt (and the car just under 5,000 miles), so I've been starting to settle down and trust the system. This new "partially charged" battery issue feels like it could be "deja vu all over again". I know the app puts a constant strain on the car's battery and am just hoping that "partially charged" isn't necessarily a bad thing? Any thoughts out there would be appreciated.
I checked my MercedesMe app and the only battery status I can find is for the 12v starter battery. Mine also shows as partially charged, but that may be more a matter of the temps in the teens that the actual battery condition. In any case, it isn't the 48V battery.
I checked my MercedesMe app and the only battery status I can find is for the 12v starter battery. Mine also shows as partially charged, but that may be more a matter of the temps in the teens that the actual battery condition. In any case, it isn't the 48V battery.
Thank you. Does your app actually refer to the 12V battery, as opposed to the starter battery? I ask because when my 48V battery died, on both occasions the message I received was that the 12V battery (not the 48V) was critical. On my car, the 48V battery is the starter battery.
Last edited by Longroof45; 02-14-2022 at 07:14 PM.
Thank you. Does your app actually refer to the 12V battery, as opposed to the starter battery? I ask because when my 48V battery died, on both occasions the message I received was that the 12V battery (not the 48V) was critical. On my car, the 48V battery is the starter battery.
Nope, the 48v is used for various systems on the engine like power steering that used to be belt-drive and is also part of the "mild hybrid" system when the battery stores energy under braking and then provides it back to the engine for acceleration.
Nope, the 48v is used for various systems on the engine like power steering that used to be belt-drive and is also part of the "mild hybrid" system when the battery stores energy under braking and then provides it back to the engine for acceleration.
01-06-2022, 11:07 AM
