Ethics, Ethics, Ethics...

In a press release dated October 10, 2010, Mercedes Benz (Daimler) issues a recall on nearly 85,000 Mercedes Benz models sold in the United States.  Vehicles that are effected are the 2010 C-Class, and 2010/2011 E-Class Models.  The reason for the recall stemmed after Mercedes Benz found many vehicles lacking a tight high-pressure power steering line, which caused fluid to leak.  Daimler officials noted that in times when drivers need full steering power, such as parking into a parking spot, it might cause the driver to have improper control of the vehicle and possibly crash the vehicle.  Customers began complaining to Mercedes about the problem, but the safety agency had no reported accidents.  

This is another example of ethics in business, and something that can "hurt" Mercedes Benz in multiple ways.  This recall comes after troubling years for automakers.  Recall, Toyota's MAJOR recall when they put profits before safety, resulting in many accidents and even death.  While Mercedes-Benz is taking appropriate action by recalling possible effected vehicles, it has many positive and negative effects.  Firstly, recalls are never inexpensive for a manufacturer- rather, they can be quite costly.  The positive side to all of this, is that people will have more respect for Mercedes-Benz, and Daimler as a whole because they are taking action, because they want to ensure safety of their customers, and anyone who rides in a Mercedes.  Whereas, Toyota continued to delay the recalls, and uncovered the pure truth, that being that profits drove them to cut safety.  Mercedes-Benz's position on safety is nothing to tamper with.  When you pride yourself on something, you need to be able to stick to that, and for many automakers it is safety, however Mercedes-Benz will not go a day without compromising safety.