2026 Mercedes-Benz E 450 4MATIC All-Terrain

I wish to respectfully report a safety concern with my new 2026 Mercedes All-Terrain Wagon. Specifically, at certain sun angles under cloudless skies, flaring occurs on the inside of my front windshield. They would appear to be linked to the Heads-Up Display Unit via reflection. The housing and dash can also reflect patterns on the windshield. Again, this occurs under certain sun angles when the sun is anywhere between 11 o'clock and 4 o’clock. Additionally, the density of a flaring pattern can be dense enough to obscure signs, objects, or other hazards. For this reason, I strongly believe this constitutes a safety hazard as well as something that plagues automobile travel: principally distractions. I do agree that flaring on a small level can occur in connection with HUD’s. Nevertheless, on this vehicle, I contend it is excessive and usually appears every day under bright sun conditions. In shade or cloudy conditions, this is not an issue. This was first noticed sometime after 500 miles in winter, under sunny conditions. I now have 10,500 miles with no resolution from Mercedes national. After documenting this case from the beginning, I was notified today, 06/25/26 by the Service Manager at Chico, California, Mercedes, that the national engineers determined this was normal. In fact, one of these engineers came to Chico to inspect my vehicle. Respectfully, I beg to differ and ask you to open a case to investigate further whether this is an anomaly that constitutes a safety concern and/or a distracting issue, which is another threat to safety. For further information, contact Mercedes Benz of Chico Service 530-345-9444. I wish to add credibility to this case, as I am a retired airline captain with 26,000 hours of flying time, including 10,500 hours on the Boeing 777. You can understand my emphasis on safety: anything that impairs visibility and distracts, in my view, is a red flag. I certainly appreciate the work all of you do, with thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIO

NHTSA ID

11746559

Incident

Feb 19, 2026

Complaint During part of the steering movement, it feels heavier or more difficult to steer in the same spot every time. OR Rattling, humming, dry sliding/gravel noise from the electric steering system when steering (see attachment). Complaint does not impact the ability to safely steer or control the vehicle. Cause Ball screw drive (KGT) of electric steering damaged by: 1. External force due to: ‑ Hitting the curb/posts with the front wheels. ‑ Driving over obstacles (e.g. pothole/ threshold/ speed bump/ gully) at an inappropriate speed. 2. Corrosion/ water ingress through a damaged boot (see attachment). ‑ Cracks (1) ‑ High pressure cleaner (2) ‑ Animal bite (3) See various examples listed in the attachments for examples of outside influence. Remedy Remove boot clamps closest to steering gear housing on both left and right (as seen in "Steering Rack Boot Clamp Location"). Pull back boot and inspect for rust, broken end stops, water, or any other anomalies. Replace electric steering. Note: Steering gears replaced due to outside influence or damage must not be claimed under warranty!

Complaint Tailgate opens unintentionally. Cause Accidental or unnoticed activation of the button to open the tailgate on the vehicle key. EXAMPLE: when stored in trouser pocket, handbag etc. Remedy As of the 6th generation, the vehicle key can be recoded so that the tailgate no longer opens as a result of a long press on the button, but by double‑clicking on the button instead. This reduces the likelihood of the button being activated accidentally or unintentionally. The recoding can be carried out as follows: 1. Add SA Code O19 into VeDoc (O for Oscar, not "zero") • an XSS ticket may be necessary to add the SA code 2. Perform SCN coding of EIS N73 control unit 3. Deactivate the vehicle key (a successful deactivation is indicated by the LED lighting up 2x briefly and then 1x for a long period). 4. Place the vehicle key in the storage compartment on the key symbol and turn on the ignition. IMPORTANT: all other vehicle keys must be outside the recognition range of the vehicle when doing this! Perform steps 3 and 4 successively for all vehicle keys. Notes: 6th, 7th and 8th generation keys can be deactivated as follows: Up to modification year 22/1 by double clicking the "Lock button" As of modification year 22/1, by press and holding the “Lock button", then double‑click the “Unlock button" at the same time. On model series 167, the storage compartment with the key symbol is located in the armrest. The SCN coding from the EZS is only transferred correctly to the vehicle key under the following conditions: Only one vehicle key is located in the vehicle, this key has been deactivated and it is positioned on the marking in the storage compartment for the data transfer. The costs for this adaptation are to be borne by the customer. For the newer BR 174, 178, 244, 248, 520, and 540, a software update must be initiated, as there is no way to perform SCN coding.

Complaint Traffic sign symbol for "Traffic Sign Assist" is blinking in instrument cluster without obvious cause usually with one of the following scenarios: • Flashing without a speed limit ("‑ ‑"). • Flashing when current vehicle speed is under speed limit. • Flashing between US speed limit symbol and European speed limit symbol. NOTE: • Verify that the concern falls under one of the attachment videos. If not, then it is outside of the scope of this LI. • This also does not cover "Traffic Sign Inoperative" messages on the instrument cluster. Cause There are two identified reasons for this concern: 1. Country code information stored incorrectly at a particular geographic latitude range. 2. Incorrect reference data when the vehicle is started and a GPS signal is not immediately available. Remedy Update head unit software to latest version and the re‑check function in the same location. If vehicle is still exhibiting one of the symptoms as described exactly as in the complaint section or as shown in the video attachments, open a TIPS case to the Body/Chassis/Entertainment inbox with the following: • Video of the concern. • Exact location (latitude and longitude is best)

Complaint The Dark Chrome finish on the retractable door handle appears discolored, stained, or faded. The discoloration is typically visible along the upper surface of the handle. Cause Insufficient surface treatment of the black chrome from the supplier Remedy 1.) Clean door handles. 2.) Inspect the handle after cleaning. • Confirm that the discoloration remains clearly visible across the upper portion of the handle. • Compare the condition to the LI reference photos 3.) If the discoloration matches the fault profile shown in the reference photos → replace the affected retractable door handle.

Complaint 1. General Diagnostic Tips 2. One or More PARK Sensor Activations 3. Red Ring Around Vehicle 4. "Active Parking and Parking Assist Inoperative" on Instrument Cluster 5. Cameras 6. Other Park Topics. Cause Various root causes Remedy See attached diagnostic guide.

Complaint Clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors. Cause Under analysis. Remedy To narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • If the noise continues to occur even with the door trim removed, then continue the diagnosis working towards the speaker and if necessary, create a TIPS case with an informative video as an attachment. Information: Please refer to this document in the warranty claim and, after completing diagnosis, select the damage code corresponding to the component part that caused the problem. • If the noise stops when the door trim is removed, please proceed in accordance with LI72.10-P-067691. Information: In this case, do not use a damage code for the speakers in the warranty claim!