Mercedes-Benz USA is facing a proposed class action from two California drivers who claim raised metal AMG logos built into the front seats of certain vehicles become hot enough to cause burns after the cars are parked in the sun.
Gabriel Lahijani and Karendeep “Karina” Bath filed the lawsuit August 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. They allege the metallic badge is positioned where it can touch an occupant’s upper back, neck, or shoulder during ordinary use.
Lahijani, a Los Angeles resident, leased a new 2026 Mercedes-AMG E-Class from an authorized dealership, according to the complaint. He claims he entered the vehicle on May 31 while wearing a tank top and suffered a second-degree burn when his back touched the heated emblem. A board-certified dermatologist later documented first-degree and second-degree burns shaped like the AMG lettering and described the injury as “AMG inscribed.”
Bath, who lives in Chatsworth, alleges she suffered a similar injury about six weeks later. She had parked her Mercedes-AMG in Los Angeles and returned while wearing a sleeveless top. Her shoulder allegedly touched the badge as she entered the driver’s seat, causing an immediate burning sensation. The complaint states that a mark resembling the AMG logo later darkened and became more visible on her skin, consistent with a contact burn.
The drivers are seeking compensation for medical expenses, pain, emotional distress and other alleged losses. They also want Mercedes-Benz to pay to remove the badges from vehicles covered by the proposed class.
The lawsuit centers on an alleged design defect, which challenges the safety of a product’s intended design rather than an error in how one item was made. California product liability law may hold a manufacturer responsible when a design creates an unreasonable risk during reasonably foreseeable use. Lahijani and Bath claim the seat emblem was defective and caused their injuries.
California design defect law generally asks whether a product was less safe than an ordinary consumer would expect or whether the risks of the design outweighed its benefits. The drivers claim Mercedes used a raised metal emblem in an area likely to touch an occupant’s skin, creating an avoidable burn risk when the seat became hot.
Mercedes-Benz USA had not filed a response to the complaint as of August 9.
