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Learn about the Mercedes-AMG seat logo class action lawsuit alleging metallic emblems cause second-degree burns. Check eligibility, potential damages, and next steps for affected drivers.
Two California drivers have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Mercedes-Benz USA, alleging that raised metallic AMG logo badges on certain vehicle seats absorb intense solar heat and cause second-degree burns upon contact with bare skin. The lawsuit was filed in August 2026 in federal court in California.
The 23-page lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, targets performance vehicles in the Mercedes-AMG lineup equipped with raised metallic seat emblems. According to court records, the badges are embedded into the front driver and passenger seats in positions where they naturally rest against an occupant’s upper back, neck, or shoulders during normal driving.
When vehicles are left parked outdoors in direct sunlight, interior cabin temperatures quickly climb. The complaint alleges that the metallic composition of the AMG badges absorbs and concentrates heat far more rapidly than surrounding leather or fabric. As a result, when drivers or passengers get into a sun-heated vehicle while wearing tank tops, backless outfits, or sleeveless summer clothing, brief contact with the metal emblem can cause painful thermal contact injuries.
Plaintiffs Gabriel Lahijani and Karendeep “Karina” Bath allege that the German luxury automaker created a dangerous design flaw by placing a heat-conductive metal badge in an area designed to support bare skin. The lawsuit asserts that Mercedes-Benz failed to conduct adequate safety testing or include thermal warning labels on the seats or inside vehicle owner’s manuals.
The complaint details severe personal injury incidents where drivers were allegedly burned simply by sitting down in their luxury vehicles on warm days.
Plaintiff Gabriel Lahijani, a Los Angeles resident who leased a new 2026 Mercedes-AMG E-Class vehicle, reported entering his car on May 31 while wearing a tank top. When his upper back made contact with the driver’s seat badge, he experienced immediate and severe pain. A board-certified dermatologist who subsequently evaluated the injury documented first-degree and second-degree thermal burns on his back, describing the skin mark as “AMG inscribed.”
Roughly six weeks later, plaintiff Karendeep Bath of Chatsworth, California, reported a nearly identical injury after returning to her parked vehicle in Los Angeles while wearing a sleeveless top. As she sat in the driver’s seat, her bare shoulder touched the metallic emblem, causing an immediate burning sensation. Over the following days, a mark in the exact shape of the AMG logo darkened and remained visible on her skin.
The lawsuit highlights that wearing sleeveless clothing during warm weather and parking vehicles outdoors are ordinary, foreseeable actions rather than product misuse. Plaintiffs contend that luxury vehicle buyers do not expect decorative interior trim to act like a branding iron.
A primary focus of the litigation is whether Mercedes-Benz USA knew or should have known about the potential heating risks associated with metal interior badging. The complaint alleges that automotive engineers understand how metallic materials transfer thermal energy to human tissue when exposed to cabin heat.
Despite this predictable physical reaction, the lawsuit claims Mercedes-Benz placed affected vehicles into the stream of commerce without disclosing the burn hazard to buyers or dealerships. Because the defect remains hidden until a vehicle sits in direct sun and contacts bare skin, consumers had no reasonable way to discover or test for the thermal danger prior to completing their purchase or lease agreements.
Furthermore, the filing notes that Mercedes-Benz has not issued a recall, offered a free repair service, or provided replacement badges to eliminate the hazard. Plaintiffs argue that this failure has left drivers holding the physical and financial risks of an unaddressed safety flaw, decreasing the value of their high-end automobiles.
The class action brings claims under California product liability standards and consumer protection statutes, including the California Unfair Competition Law, the California Consumers Legal Remedies Act, and the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.
Under California design defect laws, a product may be considered legally defective if it fails to perform as safely as an ordinary consumer would expect when used in a intended or reasonably foreseeable manner. Courts evaluate whether the safety risks inherent in a particular product design outweigh the benefits of that design. The lawsuit contends that placing a raised metal badge on a seat back offers minimal aesthetic benefit while creating an unreasonable risk of physical injury.
Under federal and state law, automakers hold a clear legal obligation to market products that meet basic safety standards. When corporations conceal known design flaws or fail to provide adequate warnings, civil lawsuits allow everyday people to demand financial compensation for medical costs, pain and suffering, and vehicle repairs.
You may be eligible to join the lawsuit or participate in future settlement benefits if you reside in California and fit into either of the following proposed class categories:
California Vehicle Owners and Lessees: Any individual in California who purchased or leased a Mercedes-AMG vehicle featuring a raised metallic AMG logo badge on the driver or front-passenger seat within the applicable statute of limitations period.
Vehicle Owners Seeking Emblem Repairs or Removal: Current owners or lessees of affected Mercedes-AMG models whose vehicles still feature the metallic seat badge and who have not received a free repair, modification, or removal from Mercedes-Benz.
The lawsuit seeks to compel Mercedes-Benz to pay for the removal or replacement of the metallic emblems across all affected vehicles, as well as monetary damages for medical expenses, pain, suffering, and reduced vehicle value.
When you invest in a luxury automobile, you expect every component—including decorative interior trim—to undergo rigorous quality and safety testing. Unaddressed product defects can result in unexpected medical bills, physical pain, and frustration.
Class action lawsuits provide a vital pathway for everyday consumers to stand together against major corporations. Rather than fighting a global automaker on your own, joining a class action pools resources to demand accountability, force product safety recalls, and secure fair compensation for injuries.
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