Mercedes To Replace More Than 50,000 Batteries In EQA And EQB Models After Losing Court Case

The replacement is a consequence of a German court ruling in a case against Mercedes. Although the EQA and EQB are no longer sold, one of their versions will get a new battery.

Mercedes was forced to act after losing its first court case with a customer who sued the company over a defect in the battery of its EQA model. The manufacturer was initially ordered to refund the owner more than 51,000 euros, which is what the car cost. It was possible to appeal the verdict, but Mercedes’ lawyers estimated that there was little chance of the appeal being successful.

In fact, this “initiative” by the luxury manufacturer to replace the potentially dangerous high-voltage batteries in more than 51,000 affected vehicles worldwide was not exactly a voluntary decision by the company—Mercedes was forced into it. That fact could easily have remained hidden, but it eventually came out.

A long-standing problem

If you own one of the affected Mercedes EQA or EQB models, be prepared to wait, because the battery replacement program will last until 2028, as there is a lack of spare parts, and it is not known who will manufacture the new batteries, according to a statement from the law office of Dr. Stoll & Sauer handling this case.

The recall, under the designation SR/01226/25, refers to the 250+ version, equipped with a 70.5 kWh battery, produced in the period from February 20, 2021 to January 23, 2024.

The problem is that the batteries can suffer an internal short circuit, which in the worst case can lead to a fire. Mercedes therefore initially tried to fix the problem with a software update. However, it was not successful, so the company admitted a year later that it had to replace the entire battery.

It’s not just a problem at Mercedes.

The EQA and EQB aren’t the only models with battery problems. According to the same law firm, recalls due to problems with batteries exist for a large number of models and manufacturers from practically all countries, and not only for electric cars.

However, the conclusion is quite worrying. The battery is the most expensive component of a car, and when it fails due to a safety flaw, finding a permanent solution can take months or even years.

Meanwhile, the car owner pays the price through restrictions on the use of the vehicle.

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