Loose wheel bolts prompt Mercedes-Benz recall of 2025 G 580 EV

Mercedes-Benz USA has issued a safety recall covering 3,734 of its all-electric G 580 with EQ Technology SUVs after determining that incorrect wheel bolts may have been installed on affected vehicles during manufacturing. The recall, filed under NHTSA campaign number 26V198000 on March 27, 2026, covers certain 2025 model year vehicles and poses a serious safety risk: improperly fitted wheel bolts can allow a wheel to loosen or detach from the vehicle while in motion, increasing the likelihood of a crash.

For owners of the G 580 with EQ Technology — Mercedes-Benz’s all-electric interpretation of its legendary G-Class off-road SUV — the remedy is straightforward. Dealers will replace the wheel bolts at no cost to the owner. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed starting May 22, 2026.

What went wrong

According to NHTSA’s recall documentation, the defect stems from incorrect wheel bolts being installed during vehicle assembly. The precise nature of the error — whether the bolts were the wrong size, the wrong thread pitch, or otherwise incompatible with the application — is not further detailed in the recall filing, but the consequence is clear. Improperly installed wheel bolts may not maintain adequate clamping force over time, allowing a wheel to work loose during normal driving. In a worst-case scenario, a wheel could detach from the vehicle at speed, posing severe crash risk not only to the G 580’s occupants but also to other drivers sharing the road.

The affected component is listed as “wheels” in the NHTSA documentation, referring specifically to the bolts that secure the wheels to the hub. European vehicle designs — including all Mercedes-Benz models — typically use a bolt-to-hub threading pattern rather than the wheel stud-and-nut arrangement more common on domestic vehicles. The G-Class uses this design across its lineup. The recall addresses the bolts themselves, not any structural component of the wheel or hub assembly.

This category of defect — incorrect fastener installation during vehicle assembly — is not unique to electric vehicles or specific to the G 580’s design architecture. Manufacturing lines that produce multiple vehicle variants can occasionally introduce parts mix-ups when hardware specifications differ between configurations. The recall process is operating as designed: Mercedes-Benz identified the issue, reported it to NHTSA, and is providing a no-cost remedy to affected owners.

The vehicle involved

The G 580 with EQ Technology made its market debut as a 2025 model-year vehicle, marking Mercedes-Benz’s first electrification of the G-Class — a nameplate that has remained fundamentally unchanged in its core design since 1979. The electric version retains the iconic boxy silhouette and ladder-frame construction of the gas-powered models while replacing the combustion drivetrain with four electric motors, one positioned at each wheel. That per-wheel motor arrangement enables the vehicle’s “G-Turn” feature, which allows the SUV to rotate in place on its own axis by spinning opposing wheels in opposite directions simultaneously — a capability unique to the electric variant and not available on any combustion G-Class model.

The G 580 with EQ Technology starts at $162,650, including a $1,150 destination charge. Mercedes offered the 2025 model year in a single configuration at launch rather than a tiered trim structure. Despite that limited configuration, the vehicle generated significant attention at its debut — both for electrifying one of the automotive world’s most recognizable shapes and for its engineering approach, which was designed to preserve the G-Class’s off-road credentials while adding the torque delivery characteristics of an all-electric drivetrain.

The 3,734 units covered by this recall represent a meaningful share of the total 2025 G 580 EV production volume delivered to the United States. The G-Class, in all its variants, is a deliberately low-volume product. A recall touching nearly 3,800 examples of a first-generation EV launch is consequential — not because it suggests a systemic design flaw, but because it means a large proportion of the U.S. G 580 EV fleet requires dealer attention before the wheel bolt situation can be resolved.

What owners should do

Owners of 2025 Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology vehicles should not wait passively for the notification letter, which is not expected to arrive until late May 2026. Because the defect involves wheel retention hardware — not a software issue that can be addressed remotely or deferred indefinitely — owners who have any concern about the condition of their vehicle should consider scheduling dealer service sooner rather than later.

The repair itself is not expected to be time-consuming. A wheel bolt replacement, once the vehicle is on a lift, is a routine service operation, and dealers are equipped to perform it under the recall at no charge.

Owners should not attempt to self-diagnose or self-remedy the condition of the wheel bolts. Torque specifications for Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts require calibrated tools, and improperly torqued bolts — in either direction — can create or perpetuate the same risks the recall is designed to address.

Industry and consumer context

The G 580 with EQ Technology was among the more closely watched EV introductions of the recent model cycle. Unlike many luxury electric SUVs that orient their engineering around highway performance and on-road refinement, the G 580 EV was developed with an explicit mandate to preserve the off-road capability that defines the G-Class identity. The four-motor layout supports that objective by enabling precise torque distribution to individual wheels—a feature that benefits both the G-Turn demonstration feature and more substantive low-speed terrain navigation.

A wheel bolt recall of this nature is unlikely to have a lasting effect on the G 580 EV’s reputation in the market. The defect is manufacturing-origin, not design-origin, and the remedy is simple and free. What the recall does underscore is the practical importance of proactive attention to recall notifications for owners of high-value, limited-production vehicles — particularly those that may spend extended periods in a garage between uses. A wheel that loosens gradually over months of intermittent driving still represents a real hazard when the vehicle is eventually put back on the highway.

Mercedes-Benz has not reported any crashes or injuries related to this condition as of the recall filing date.