Mercedes-Benz to recall almost a million cars globally, here’s why

German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz has begun recalling nearly a million older models of its cars all around the world due to a technical issue. The problem has to do with the brake booster and the models that are being recalled include ML, GL (BR 164) and R-Class (BR 251) series cars that were made by the company between 2004 and 2015.

“We have found that in some of those vehicles, the function of the brake booster could be affected by advanced corrosion in the joint area of the housing," Mercedes-Benz said in a statement.

The issue may result in the brake pedal force required to decelerate the car and/or potentially increase stopping distance, the company’s statement added. The recall has been started with immediate effect, Reuters reported.

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As per the federal transport authority of Germany, the massive recall by the iconic automaker would encompass a total of 993,407 vehicles all across the globe.

The problem of “corrosion on the brake booster” can lead to connection between braking system and brake pedal getting interrupted in the worst-case scenario, the German authority said.

In rare cases of “very severe corrosion”, there may be possibility of mechanical damage to break booster due to a “particularly strong or hard braking manoeuvre”. Calling it a “very rare case”, the company said that this may increase the risk of crash or injury. Mercedes-Benz has started intimating customers who own the “potentially affected vehicles”.

The automaker has also asked customers of the potentially-affected models to not drive their cars until inspected by the company.

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(With inputs from Reuters)