Three years ago, Datong Yang and Guifang Huo purchased a brand new Mercedes-Benz S-Class for $160,000. What the couple didn’t expect for a car of that price, or any car for that matter, was for the steering wheel to seize up on multiple occasions before the vehicle was even a year old.
As reported by the Vancouver Sun, Huo bought the S550 new in 2017, and the couple drove it for about 6,500 km (4039 miles) before the issue first occurred. It has now been sitting parked since April 2018.
The couple says that not even a year after they acquired the car, the steering wheel seized up when driving. After reporting it to their local Mercedes-Benz dealership in Richmond, they were allegedly told they couldn’t find any issues. The couple, however, claim that the dealer failed to properly repair their car.
Read: Mercedes-Benz Unveils Full Width AI-Powered MBUX Hyperscreen
Curiously, Mercedes had recalled some of their vehicles in the United States for steering problems, including S-Class models covering the couple’s car, however, there was no such recall list in Canada. The recall description, as per Cars.com, mentioned a transistor in the steering system that has a chance of overheating, resulting in a loss of power steering. The report further said that Mercedes-Benz USA was to notify owners, inspect the steering components, and “replace it as necessary, free of charge.”
Despite this flaw being acknowledged in the U.S., Yang said the Richmond dealership suggested the couple either just drive the car as is, or sell it. Yang said he didn’t want to drive it, because he feared the steering might seize again, but he also felt he couldn’t sell it in its current state, because that would just pass the same problem on to the new owners.
He then decided to reach out to Mercedes’ headquarters in Germany, who told him the vehicle should be recalled and repaired.
See Also: Mercedes’ Crossover Journey Began 25 Years Ago With The AAVision Concept
That led to the couple filing a lawsuit in early 2019 with the British Columbia Supreme Court against Mercedes-Benz Canada for various damages, one being the “loss of enjoyment of the vehicle.” The lawsuit hasn’t gone to trial yet, but Yang said it was important to him to have the issue acknowledged and resolved, for the safety of his family, as well as that of other owners.
Yang says he’s mainly doing it for a good cause, so the problem gets solved before someone gets hurt. However, he says Mercedes-Benz Canada is unfortunately trying to avoid taking responsibility for the issue, denying and/or delaying everything they can.
