1.3 million cars recalled: Use this site to check your VIN
The largest auto recall in history keeps getting bigger. An ongoing issue with Takata airbags las led to tens of millions of vehicles being recalled along with several deaths.
A couple of months ago, nearly 6 million more trucks and SUVs were added to the already massive list of recalled vehicles. Tap or click here to find out what you need to do if yours is on the list.
But airbags aren’t the only issue behind auto recalls these days. Over a million popular vehicles are being recalled due to software potentially failing in the event of a crash. Keep reading to find out the dangers involved and how to know if your vehicle is part of any recall.
Here’s the backstory
The U.S. unit of Mercedes-Benz is recalling nearly 1.3 million vehicles due to a software issue with their emergency calling system known as eCall. If you’re involved in a crash, the system could send the wrong location information to emergency services.
Obviously, this is a potentially life threatening error if medical professionals are sent to the wrong location and you require critical medical attention.
The company told Reuters, “A temporary collapse of the communication module’s power supply caused by a crash might lead to the vehicle’s position during a potential emergency call being incorrect. Other functions of the automatic and manual emergency call function remain fully operational.”
Is your vehicle part of a recall? Find out here
According to a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this recall covers Mercedes-Benz models ranging from 2016 to 2021. Here are some of the models being recalled:
- CLA-Class
- GLA-Class
- GLE-Class
- GLS-Class
- SLC-Class
- A-Class
- GT-Class
- C-Class
- E-Class
- S-Class
- CLS-Class
- SL-Class
- B-Class
- GLB-Class
- GLC-Class
- G-Class
To fix the problem, the company will issue a software update installed by a dealership or over-the-air. Mercedes-Benz said over the weekend that there are no known cases of personal injury related to this issue.
Still, it’s important to know if your vehicle is part of a recall and in need of repairs. That’s why the NHTSA has created a helpful tool to make it easy.
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Smart devices are convenient and make our lives easier. But because they all have computers on board, every one of them is at risk of being hacked at some point.
This is less of a big deal for more mundane smart devices like coffee makers and picture frames. But when it comes to smart cars, security flaws are a huge danger for drivers. Tap or click here to see how a security flaw in key fobs could allow hackers to carjack victims.
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