Mercedes-Benz EQC Owners Rally After Recall Reveals "Battery Gating," Slashing Range by 80–100 km

Recently, some Mercedes-Benz EQC owners have reported that after their vehicles underwent a recall and software upgrade due to battery thermal runaway risks, they experienced "battery capacity restriction," resulting in reduced usable battery capacity and a driving range decrease of 80 to 100 kilometers. Several owners stated they were not informed of this impact prior to the upgrade and accused Mercedes-Benz of masking product defects by artificially limiting battery performance. One owner of a 2021 EQC 350 4MATIC model said his vehicle’s fully charged range dropped to just 270 kilometers—far below the official rated range of 415 kilometers. Multiple owners have filed collective complaints on platforms such as Chezhizhijia (Auto Quality Network) and Chesutong (Auto Complaints Channel). However, Mercedes-Benz customer service responded that no relevant records were found and advised owners to contact authorized dealers for diagnostics. Many owners expressed dissatisfaction with this response and are calling on the brand to provide a clear explanation.