Mercedes-AMG Owners Sue Over Seat Badge Burns

Two California Mercedes-AMG owners are taking legal action against the automaker, claiming that the decorative AMG badges on their seats caused skin burns. The class-action lawsuit, filed through the Associated Press, alleges that the metal logos on the front seatbacks became hot enough to injure the drivers.

One plaintiff, Gabriel Lahijani, entered his Mercedes-AMG E-Class on a hot day in Los Angeles while wearing a tank top. A board-certified dermatologist later confirmed he suffered first- and second-degree burns from the badge. That incident happened on May 31, when the city’s high was 81 degrees.

About six weeks later, Karendeep Bath got into her AMG car in a sleeveless top and felt a burning sensation on contact with the seat logo. Over the next few days, a mark shaped like a reverse image of the AMG logo appeared on her skin. The suit doesn’t give her exact date, but LA temperatures were around 84 degrees during that period.

The lawsuit argues the badges sit in an area where exposed skin is likely to touch them. The plaintiffs are seeking compensation for medical costs, pain, suffering, and distress, and they want Mercedes to remove the badges from affected seats.

A recent Stanford study notes that car interiors can heat up by 40 degrees or more within an hour in the sun, meaning cabin temperatures could have exceeded 120 degrees in these cases. Metal transfers heat faster than other materials, so even brief contact can cause damage. Mercedes-Benz has not yet responded to a request for comment.