CANTON, MA (WCVB/CNN) – While driving her Mercedes-Benz sedan, a woman used her heated seat, which she says burned a hole through her coat and left a charred hole in the seat leather.
Like so many others, 86-year-old Gloria Strandskov clicks on her heated seat when it’s cold outside, but last week, things got a little too hot.
“It felt just like a match had been lit on my fanny,” Strandskov said.
The woman says she was driving her 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-class sedan when a wire inside her seat apparently burned through her coat and left a charred hole in the seat leather.
“I tell you, talk about a hot seat,” she said.
Strandskov can now joke about what happened, but as she was driving, she was terrified.
“What if that had happened on the highway, where you can’t pull over? That’s what’s so scary,” Strandskov said.
But more than anything, the 86-year-old hopes other C-class owners aren’t put in danger.
Mercedes-Benz is aware of the problem in some of its other cars. In September, a judge granted approval of a preliminary $80 million settlement, but it doesn’t cover Strandskov’s C-class.
“Something’s wrong with the wiring in that seat,” Strandskov said.
Other C-class owners have posted photos of burns in their car seats online and filed complaints with federal regulators.
Mercedes-Benz says it is unable to comment on pending or active litigation.
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