Mercedes-Benz recall UK: how to check if your car is affected by 2022 safety recall - what is the concern?

Mercedes-Benz has issued an immediate recall of almost one million cars worldwide over safety concerns around their braking system.

The German car maker has asked owners of affected vehicles not to drive their cars until engineers have carried out an inspection to check the condition of components.

The recall affects three models sold between 2004 and 2015 and 993,407 cars globally are being recalled, including 70,000 in Germany. It is not known exactly how many cars in the UK are affected but all three models were sold here.

The ML and GL SUVs, along with the R-Class people carrier are all being recalled after Mercedes said the brake booster could suffer “advanced corrosion”. The fault could limit the effectiveness of the brakes and, in extreme circumstances, lead to complete failure.

In a statement announcing the immediate launch of the recall, the car maker said: "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.

"It might be possible for a particularly strong or hard braking manoeuvre to cause mechanical damage to the brake booster.

"In such a very rare case, it would not be possible to decelerate the vehicle via the service brake. Thus the risk of a crash or injury would be increased.”

The recall will involve Mercedes engineers checking any potentially affected vehicle and replacing parts free of charge where necessary.

“Until the inspection takes place, we ask our customers not to drive their vehicles,” the Stuttgart company added.

Mercedes will contact the registered keeper of all affected cars but you can also check if your car is affected by this recall or any other outstanding safety recalls by using the manufacturer’s online recall checking service.