February 20, 2026: Mercedes-Benz is recalling selected EQB models in the US for the third time, amid warnings the vehicle’s high-voltage lithium ion battery might catch fire due to an internal short circuit.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirmed the recall relating to the electric crossover model on February 6.

The automaker is recalling 11,895 EQB EVs sold in the US, some of which have already been part of two separate recalls for the same issue, but the fixes that were applied have not eliminated the issues.

NHTSA said owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Owners are also advised to only charge their vehicles to a maximum of 80% battery capacity until the remedy has been completed.

Dealers will replace the high voltage battery free of charge. Vehicles previously repaired under an earlier recall will also need to have the new remedy completed, NHTSA said.

Mercedes-Benz told the NHTSA that it had received two reports of fire incidents in Europe involving vehicles that had received the related software update as part of a recall. Analysis concluded that, for one of those incidents, the root cause of the fire could not be determined.

The investigation into the other incident triggered an in-depth analysis regarding the effectiveness of the software update in markets outside of China.

Details are available on the NHTSA website.