2024 MERCEDES-BENZ Eqs 450+

On [XXX] at approximately [XXX] PDT, a 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV 450+ caught fire at an intersection in Irvine, California. The vehicle was being driven normally. It was NOT charging. It was NOT in a collision. It was stopped at the intersection when the fire began. There was no warning. Four occupants were inside: the driver (age [XXX] ), two minor children (ages [XXX] and [XXX] ), and one elderly passenger (age [XXX] ). All four escaped, but narrowly — the rear child safety locks barely released in time for the children to exit. The vehicle sustained catastrophic cabin burn-through and is a total loss. Smoke and flames appeared to originate from beneath the vehicle, consistent with a thermal event in the under-floor high-voltage lithium-ion battery pack, pending expert investigation. This vehicle is within the population of NHTSA Recall 24V-372 (Mercedes-Benz battery management system software defect, 14,912 2023-2025 EQE/EQS units, including 551 units of the 2024 EQS SUV 450+). Mercedes documented in its Part 573 report that it received field reports of this defect in October 2023 and waited approximately seven months before filing the recall. Mercedes acknowledged fire risk in the EQS platform in NHTSA Recall 24V-115, stating "a risk of fire cannot be ruled out." In February 2026, Recall 26V-073 ordered full battery replacement in EQB vehicles after Mercedes admitted prior software remedies were failed remedies. On [XXX], a Mercedes EQE caught fire spontaneously in a parking garage in Incheon, South Korea while parked and not charging, damaging 140 vehicles. The fire in this vehicle occurred at zero mph with two young children and an elderly grandmother trapped behind child-locked rear doors. The fire department and police responded. The vehicle is preserved pending expert inspection. I request NHTSA ODI open a formal investigation into spontaneous battery fire risk in the Mercedes EQ platform. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)