The 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 exhibits a critical "Spatial Mapping Offset" defect within the MBUX 360-degree camera interface and the Active Brake Assist (ABA) logic. Specifically, the digital rendering of physical obstacles on the dashboard display is offset by approximately 0.5 feet (6 inches). This creates a "false clear" condition where the driver is visually signaled that an obstacle has been cleared while the vehicle’s chassis is still in a strike position. On September 27, 2025, this defect resulted in a collision with a stationary post. Despite the system’s Parking Control Module identifying the object (recorded as "Orange/Indented" in dealer Repair Order #731706), the system failed to escalate to a Red Triangle alert or initiate autonomous braking. Furthermore, the vehicle’s sensing suite is demonstrably unstable, exhibiting "Phantom Alerts" (detecting non-existent obstacles) and total Augmented Reality (AR) camera blackouts in direct sunlight—a failure the manufacturer’s representative attributed to solar interference. The manufacturer (MBUSA) has formally denied a defect exists, claiming the system is not designed to detect stationary objects or operate below 4 mph. However, I have documented video/photographic evidence of the vehicle successfully intervening for stationary objects at these speeds in other scenarios (e.g., concrete garage posts). This proves the system's safety protocols are intermittent and unreliable. This lack of synchronization between real-time spatial data and the driver interface makes a collision mathematically inevitable and constitutes a significant public safety hazard.
NHTSA ODI 11717545