Speyer – September 03, 2026 -- A Mercedes-Benz EQA caught fire while charging in a parking lot in Speyer on August 16, 2026, becoming the first publicly documented blaze involving the model in Germany. Firefighters had to cool the vehicle's high-voltage battery for an extended period before the fire was fully extinguished. No injuries were reported.
The incident lands amid mounting legal and regulatory trouble for Mercedes over the EQA and EQB battery packs. Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has already ordered two separate recalls tied to a risk of short circuits and fire.
Mercedes escalated from a software fix to a full battery swap
The first recall, issued February 13, 2025 under action code 5496507, initially addressed the short-circuit risk with a software update to the battery management system, which Mercedes said could alter charging time, usable energy and range. By February 6, 2026, a second recall (code 4794004) required a complete replacement of the high-voltage battery. In March 2026, Mercedes told customers the software fix had not "fully eliminated" the fire risk, instructing owners to charge only up to 80 percent and park exclusively outdoors until their battery was swapped.
Two German courts have ruled the fire risk itself is a legal defect
Law firm Dr. Stoll & Sauer says it 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 euros (case 53 O 3/26), and separately ordered rescission of a financed EQA while releasing the buyer from obligations to Mercedes-Benz Bank (case 53 O 27/26). On August 14, 2026, the Frankfurt (Oder) Regional Court ordered a Mercedes dealer to take back a used EQA and release the buyer from her financing (case 11 O 140/25), stating that "the suspicion of increased fire risk must be assessed as a material defect."
The Frankfurt 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.
Media reports also cite fires involving Mercedes electric models charging in Austria, though it remains unclear whether the Speyer fire is technically linked to the known battery recalls.
Owners facing charging limits or a pending battery swap have legal options
Dr. Stoll & Sauer advises affected EQA and EQB owners to consider demanding repair, pursuing rescission if fixes fail, and pursuing claims against dealers or Mercedes directly -- including for financed vehicles, without unilaterally halting loan payments.