Mercedes 'do not drive' brake recall expands to 1 million vehicles

Mercedes-Benz is now asking the owners of nearly 1 million vehicles worldwide to park their SUVs and minivans due to the potential for brake failure brought on by corrosion of brake booster components. Mercedes-Benz and NHTSA have issued “do not drive” notices for these models, instructing owners to park them until the issue can be resolved.

The manufacturer announced last month that the campaign covers nearly 300,000 examples of its popular 2006-2012 ML-Class and GL-Class SUVs, as well as the now-discontinued R-Class minivan. Worldwide, the recall population includes 993,407 individual vehicles built for the 2004-2015 model years, the Guardian reports.

According to Mercedes, these models shipped with brake boosters that can become corroded after prolonged exposure to moisture. Corrosion can cause degradation of internal components of the brake booster, forming fractures that can allow air into the baking system and reduce braking effectiveness. If enough physical stress is placed on the booster hardware, a catastrophic failure may occur, leading to a complete loss of braking power.

Mercedes says early signs of failure include a soft brake pedal or audible signs of air in the braking system (sucking, hissing or wheezing noises from the pedal are potential indicators of contaminated brake fluid). Mercedes says drivers should park these vehicles until they can be inspected by an authorized dealership. Notices were sent out to owners starting May 12.