Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4MATIC
First fully electric Mercedes SUV on a modified GLC platform. Two asynchronous motors, 80 kWh battery. Production ended 2023; successor is the EQE SUV.
Electric Power
300 kW electric — fast and quiet. The fun is there, just different from what you're used to.
Engine Weaknesses 5
KBA recall for EQC model year 2019: HV battery housing not sufficiently sealed. Moisture can penetrate, cause corrosion, and in the worst case trigger a vehicle fire.
Symptoms: Vehicle no longer starts, high-voltage system warnings, in worst case smoke from underbody
The electric coolant pump for the battery thermal management system can develop a leak. Results in reduced charging power and a warning message.
Symptoms: Reduced charging power, coolant loss, HV battery warning message
Repeated coolant warnings despite correct level. Cause: air bubbles in the HV cooling circuit, faulty expansion tank cap.
Symptoms: Repeated coolant warnings, especially after longer drives. Hissing sound when opening the cap.
EQC owners frequently report 'add coolant' warning messages despite adequate coolant level. Cause: leak between the coolant and vacuum circuits, or a faulty seal at the gearbox.
Symptoms: 'Add coolant' warning on display, coolant level drops without visible external loss, sporadic temperature warnings
Noticeable noises from the front axle. Workshop diagnosis often identifies a faulty lip seal under the front electric motor.
Symptoms: Grinding or droning noise from the front drivetrain area at low speeds.
Vehicle Weaknesses 6
19,253 EQC vehicles recalled. Damaged wiring harness allows water ingress into the electric power steering control unit. Power steering assistance can fail spontaneously.
Coolant loss in the separate battery cooling circuit through porous hoses or leaking connections. Workshop visit required.
Occasional charging errors at AC and DC charge points. Control unit failures lead to system outages lasting hours with no useful fault message.
Charging session drops with a fault message, restarts after several attempts. Faulty driver assistance control units identified. Issues more pronounced in winter.
The MBUX infotainment spontaneously reboots while driving. Navigation destination and media are interrupted. OTA updates improve stability.
The EQC has no heat pump. Heating runs entirely at the expense of the HV battery. In winter consumption rises to 28–32 kWh/100 km.