Speyer – September 03, 2026 -- A Mercedes EQA electric vehicle caught fire and burned out completely while charging in a parking lot in Speyer, Germany, on August 16, 2026, according to a report by regional newspaper RHEINPFALZ and confirmed by law firm Dr. Stoll & Sauer. No injuries were reported, but firefighters had to cool the high-voltage battery for an extended period. It is the first publicly documented EQA fire in Germany, and it lands amid mounting legal and regulatory pressure on Mercedes over battery fire risks in its EQA and EQB models.
Similar charging-related fires involving Mercedes models have also reportedly occurred in Austria, though it remains unclear whether the Speyer incident is technically linked to the known recalls.
Germany's KBA escalated from a software fix to a full battery swap
Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) first flagged a possible short-circuit risk in EQA and EQB high-voltage batteries in February 2025, issuing recall code 5496507. Mercedes initially rolled out a battery management software update. By February 2026, a second recall (code 4794004) followed, this time requiring a complete battery replacement. In March 2026, Mercedes told customers the software fix had not "completely eliminated" the fire risk, and advised owners to charge only up to 80 percent and park exclusively outdoors until their battery is replaced.
Three courts have already ruled the fire risk a legal defect
Dr. Stoll & Sauer has won three first-instance rulings on the issue, though none are yet legally final. On July 30, 2026, the Stuttgart Regional Court ordered Mercedes to take back an EQA 250+ and pay €51,791.09, ruling that a concrete suspicion of elevated fire risk qualifies as a material defect. A second Stuttgart ruling the same day forced Mercedes to unwind a financed EQA purchase and release the buyer from obligations to Mercedes-Benz Bank. On August 14, 2026, the Regional Court of Frankfurt (Oder) ordered a Mercedes dealer to take back a used EQA and release the buyer from her financing, stating plainly that "the suspicion of increased fire danger must be assessed as a material defect."
The Frankfurt (Oder) court explicitly rejected Mercedes' argument that all rechargeable batteries carry a general theoretical fire risk, calling that defense "beside the point" and citing the Stuttgart ruling directly.
Owners facing charging limits or battery swaps have legal options
According to Dr. Stoll & Sauer, affected EQA and EQB owners can potentially demand repair, pursue a return of the vehicle if fixes fail or are refused, and include financed vehicles in any unwind, though buyers should never unilaterally stop loan payments. Claims apply to whoever sold the car, whether that is Mercedes directly or an authorized dealer. The firm offers a free initial case review for owners facing the 80 percent charging cap, outdoor-only parking rules, or a pending battery replacement.