Figures are not available for the number of vehicles that are being recalled globally but according to Bloomberg, the issue affects 28,500 C-Class sedans in Germany as well as more than 10,500 vehicles in the US from the 2015 model year.

In the UK, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) lists the total number of affected vehicles as 8,145, although the carmaker said the recall in fact only applies to 5,679 registered models, with the remainder either in transit or at dealers. It added that the recall is a precautionary measure in response to an issue highlighted through its own testing that could be a potential safety problem – although no incidents have been reported as a result of the possible fault.

The fix is to recall all affected vehicles to check and if required replace the steering coupling.