Mercedes Recalls Over 3,700 Electric G-Wagens Because Their Wheels May Fall Off

The Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology — or as it's more commonly known, the electric G-Wagen — is a beast of an SUV. From off-roading with the best of them to near-4-second 0-to-60-mph sprints to tank turns, and with all of the luxury features you could imagine, the G-Class EV is incredibly capable. Unfortunately, the one thing it's apparently not capable of doing is keeping its wheels on with any sort of certainty, and now Mercedes is recalling 3,734 of them in the U.S. over the issue.

Early versions of the electric G580 built between February 26, 2024, and August 19, 2025, were fitted with wheel bolts that weren't properly engineered to deal with the truck's added mass and beefy torque output. I mean, it throws down 579 horsepower and 859 pound-feet of torque through its quad-motor setup for Christ's sake. The bolts Mercedes used were instead carried over from the combustion-powered G-Wagen, and over time, that mismatch can cause the connection between the wheel and the hub to loosen — or detach — while driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. When that happens, surprise, surprise, the risk of a crash increases.

Mercedes said that the wheels will most likely face issues after "extreme driving maneuvers together with a number of repeated wheel changes over the vehicle's lifetime." Doing this can increase wear on the contact surfaces of the wheel bolts. While the recall notice doesn't explicitly state it, four hub motors and tank turns don't make life particularly easy for these bolts.

NHTSA's paperwork says Mercedes will begin notifying owners of the recall starting on May 22, and impacted drivers will be asked to visit a dealership. From there, technicians will replace the original bolts with redesigned units that are better suited to deal with the rigorous demands of the electric G's drivetrain. They use a two-piece collard lug bolt, which is intended to maintain consistent friction at the contact surface and reduce wear when it's tightened down. Luckily for some electric G-Wagen owners, trucks built after August 26, 2025 come installed with these bolts from the factory.

The German automaker says it found the issue during its ongoing durability testing, and it immediately started an internal investigation when it arose. Mercedes' analysis found that it was very unlikely that the wheels would detach in real-world driving conditions, operations and scenarios, and if they did, it would only be late in the G's lifetime. Still, it didn't want to take any chances and decided to conduct the recall. Because of that, Mercedes says there haven't been any warranty claims, service reports, crashes or deaths related to the issue, and that's always good to hear, no?

Still, I feel like if I laid out a minimum of $164,550 for a brand-new electric G-Wagen, I'd be a bit miffed that the wheels could come off if I overcooked it. At least the company was proactive.