Mercedes-Benz defect petition DP23003
Malfunction Indicator Light / No-Start. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this defect petition about the power train on 1 model year (2023). Opened Jul 25, 2023, closed May 20, 2024 after 10 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedIn a letter dated July 2, 2023, Aldelberto A. Cordova (the petitioner) submitted a petition requesting that NHTSA initiate an investigation of an alleged defect within the “ISG 48-volt on-board electrical system,� which resulted in warning light illumination as well as an inability to start the vehicle in a 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC300. ODI reviewed the petition, complaint data in NHTSA's databases and information gathered from an Information Request (IR) letter sent to Mercedes-Benz. Examination of this information indicates that the subject component listed in the petition is not capable of causing the a loss of motive power. The alleged defect cited in the petition was caused by a software deviation in the Central Powertrain Controller (CPC), which is a separate system and independent of the 48-volt system. After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the petitioner, information in NHTSA's possession, information submitted by Mercedes-Benz, NHTSA does not find that a formal investigation is warranted.  Accordingly, the Agency is denying the petition. As with all potential motor vehicle safety risks, NHTSA will continue to review any new information or incidents as they are submitted to the Agency. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA's reasons for denial of the petition will be published in the future. The petition and its attachments can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference ODI number 11533472.
A Defect Petition is a petition from a member of the public asking NHTSA to open a defect investigation; the agency grants or denies it and publishes the reasons. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one closed without a recall. That means NHTSA found no defect trend it chose to act on at the time, or the manufacturer addressed the condition another way (a service campaign or a bulletin, which have their own pages). A closed file can be reopened if new reports arrive.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themA vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs DP23003 a recall?
No. A defect petition is NHTSA asking questions, not a recall. A safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number and a duty to repair for free; this one closed without one. Whether one particular vehicle has an open recall is a VIN question at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Is DP23003 still open?
No. It closed on May 20, 2024 without a recall.
Which vehicles does DP23003 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 1 model year: 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.