Mercedes AMG sued by drivers who claim seat logos cause burns

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Luxury car manufacturer Mercedes AMG is facing a class-action lawsuit from two drivers who allege the prominent AMG logo on their vehicle’s driver’s seat becomes so hot it causes burns and literally brands them.

Gabriel Lahijani and Karendeep “Karina” Bath are the plaintiffs in the suit, filed earlier this week in the U.S. District Court of California’s Western Division.

They claim the front seats of certain Mercedes AMG cars contain a design flaw where the raised metallic AMG logo is “reasonably expected to contact an occupant’s upper back, neck, or shoulder.”

The plaintiffs are seeking compensation from Mercedes for medical expenses, as well as for any pain, suffering, and emotional distress they can prove at trial. They also demand that Mercedes cover the cost for other owners to have the problematic logo removed from their vehicles.

The plaintiffs demand that Mercedes cover the cost for other owners to have the problematic logo removed from their vehicles. (Mercedes-AMG)

Mercedes-Benz couldn’t be reached immediately for comment.

Lahigani, a Los Angeles resident, had leased a new 2026 Mercedes-AMG E-Class vehicle from an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership in Los Angeles, according to the suit. He reported receiving second-degree burns on his back on May 31, after entering his vehicle wearing a tank top. A board-certified dermatologist subsequently documented first- and second-degree burns, describing the injury as “AMG inscribed.”

Roughly six weeks later, Bath, a Chatsworth, California resident, received similar burns allegedly from the logo design while wearing a sleeveless top. After parking her Mercedes-AMG vehicle in Los Angeles, Bath returned to the vehicle and entered the driver’s seat, the suit said. Her shoulder immediately touched the logo, causing a burning sensation. In the following days, a mark in the shape of the AMG logo “darkened and became visible on her skin, consistent with a thermal contact burn,” the lawsuit said.

In December, Mercedes-Benz USA and parent company Daimer AG agreed to pay $149.6 million to settle allegations that the automaker secretly installed devices in hundreds of thousands of vehicles to pass emission tests, according to an announcement by a coalition of attorneys general.

According to the coalition, between 2008 and 2016 the German automaker equipped more than 211,000 diesel passenger cars and vans with software devices that optimized emission controls during tests but reduced the controls during normal operations.

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