I am a consumer protection attorney representing Ms. [XXX] . This vehicle was sold to my client with an open safety recall and the dealership refuses to take it back without imposing onerous terms. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On April 2, 2026, while driving at highway speed in heavy traffic, the vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of forward propulsion without warning. Engine RPMs increased with no corresponding acceleration, consistent with catastrophic transmission slipping. The vehicle could not maintain safe speed. I coasted to a stop and was able to limp at low speed to a parking area. The vehicle was towed to the selling dealer (Mercedes-Benz of Tysons Corner, Vienna, VA) by Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance. The dealer diagnosed the failure as a broken propeller shaft inside the transmission requiring replacement. No root cause explanation has been provided. The vehicle had approximately 2,455 miles and was 45 days from the lease date of February 16, 2026. This vehicle uses the Mercedes-Benz 9G-TRONIC (725.0) 9-speed automatic transmission with 48V EQ Boost mild-hybrid system — the same platform and powertrain covered by NHTSA Recall 24V-118, which addressed transmission-related loss of propulsion in over 105,000 MY2020–2023 GLE 450 and GLS 450 vehicles.

The contact leased a 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 4Matic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an unknown warning light flashing on the instrument panel. The speed limit was displayed and was flashing. The contact turned off the feature, but the light continued to flash on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on two occasions, where an unknown diagnostic result was provided. The manufacturer was working on an update for the fix. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was mailed a letter, and a subject matter expert contacted and informed the contact that there would be a fix within the first quarter of the year. The failure mileage was unknown.

I was driving in I75 highway south in Michigan and heading to Ohio. I had around 70 mil/hr ish speed and was trying to pass a commercial truck. I Just turned on rear window wiper to clean it and once it started to work, the vehicle had a very hard brake for a couple seconds which the my seat belt pushed me hard to the seat to avoid of my head to go forward to windshield. Fortunately it was very quick brake and didn’t caused any accident, but I was worried that it was repeated again and had a lot stress until I arrived at the destination. I am guessing probably either park brake was engaged without touching it(software or part issue) or the sensors for front and emergency collisions had the bad function.

While driving on a limited-access highway at 65 mph with cruise control engaged, the vehicle unexpectedly reduced speed to 50 mph without any driver input under steady traffic and road conditions. No braking was applied by the driver, and no warnings or alerts were displayed prior to or during the speed reduction. Separately, the vehicle’s displayed speed-limit information was unstable during highway driving. The display repeatedly changed between the correct posted speed limit, a blank display, and “---” under consistent conditions, without changes in roadway, signage, or map context. This behavior was observed multiple times and was captured on video recording. The unexpected reduction in speed created a safety risk due to loss of speed relative to surrounding traffic.