Mercedes-Benz USA's Recall Report Says Warning Telltales on Certain 2025 G-Class Vehicles Might Not Accurately Represent the Deactivated Function

On April 25, 2025, Mercedes-Benz USA submitted Part 573 Safety Recall Report 25V-254 to NHTSA. It covers 2025 G-Class vehicles of three models, the G 550, the G 580 and the AMG G 63, produced from December 14, 2023 to January 28, 2025, and puts the number of vehicles potentially involved at 6,247. Parts of the report follow, not the whole.

A Warning That Might Name the Wrong Function

The report says that Mercedes-Benz AG (MBAG), the manufacturer, determined that on certain 2025 G-Class vehicles, "warning telltales related to the ESP control unit might not meet the current regulatory requirements." It names two standards, FMVSS 101, "Control and displays," and FMVSS 126, "Electronic stability control systems."

In the event of an independent hardware failure of the ESP system, the report says, certain functions of the system "(e.g. ESP, ABS, recuperation) would be deactivated." The driver would be made aware of the issue via warning telltales in the instrument cluster, "however, the displayed warning telltales might not accurately represent the deactivated function." In the event of a deactivated recuperation system, the respective malfunction indicator lamp "might not be activated as intended." Due to incorrect warning telltales in the instrument cluster, the report says, "an increased risk of a crash cannot be ruled out."

The telltale is the system's account of itself, and the report says that account might not match the function that has actually stopped.

A Supplier's Software, and How It Was Found

The cause, in the report's words: "Due to a deviation in a supplier's software development process, an incorrect assignment of the warning messages might have been implemented in the software of the ESP control unit."

In October 2024, a supplier "indicated a potential issue regarding the assignment of warning telltales within the ESP control unit software," and an internal analysis was started immediately. Updated software to correct the issue was developed and introduced into production as an immediate measure in December 2024. Through March 2025, further analysis was carried out with the supplier to assess potential implications on the vehicles in the field, including "a thorough testing of the specific fault cases and the corresponding warning telltales displayed." A plant campaign was started to rework all vehicles still in the manufacturer's possession. On April 11, 2025, the manufacturer determined that a potential non-conformity related to the faulty ESP control unit software "could not be ruled out" and decided to conduct a recall.

The report adds a line about the field: "MBAG can confirm there are no warranty claims, field or service reports, and other information related to this defect in the US."

The issue reached the manufacturer from its supplier, and the report finds no warranty claim or field report in the US. What signal from the road would have shown a telltale that names the wrong function?

The Remedy and Its Schedule

An authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer will update the ESP control unit software on the affected vehicles. Vehicles outside the recall population, the report says, "have software that corresponds to the correct regulatory requirements," and a change in the supplier's production procedure ensures that this "issue can no longer occur from January 29, 2025, onwards."

The report's schedule planned to notify dealers on April 25, 2025, and owners on or before June 17, 2025. Mercedes-Benz USA, the report says, "does not plan to provide notice about pre-notice reimbursement to owners," because none of the involved vehicles would have been previously subject to the condition described and all remain covered under the new vehicle warranty.