The AMG One has been nothing but a pain to develop. Although the concept debuted in September 2017, the production version didn’t arrive until June 2022. Customers had to wait even longer, as deliveries did not begin until January 2023. Making a Formula 1 engine compliant for a street-legal car was no easy task. Even Mercedes’ CEO once said the company’s higher-ups must have been “drunk” when they green-lit the project.
While most of the challenges were tied to the turbocharged 1.6-liter V-6 borrowed from Lewis Hamilton’s F1 car, the massive recall announced by Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority isn’t related to the intricate gas engine. The Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) is urging Mercedes-AMG to fix a defect that could potentially affect 219 cars.
If left unaddressed, the issue could pose a fire risk. It stems from the active rear spoiler’s hydraulic line, which may be missing a pin lock. In the worst-case scenario, this could cause hydraulic fluid to leak and ignite on nearby hot components. The recalled cars must be inspected to determine whether the split pin is present and properly installed. The KBA estimates it should take about 90 minutes to fix.
Keep in mind, production was limited to just 275 vehicles, so this recall affects nearly 80% of all units built. Most of the affected cars are in Germany, where 183 owners will need to contact Mercedes-AMG and schedule an appointment at a workshop to resolve the issue. Potentially impacted vehicles were manufactured between December 12, 2022, and May 9, 2025. For context, series production of the hand-assembled hypercar began in August 2022 at AMG’s dedicated facility in Coventry, UK, built in collaboration with Multimatic.
It’s worth noting that although two AMG Ones have caught fire, the KBA does not link those incidents to this particular defect. According to the recall document, there are no reported cases caused by missing pin locks on the rear wing’s hydraulic line. As a reminder, the first car was destroyed in a trailer fire in the UK in May 2023, while the second burned down on the side of the road just a few weeks ago in Germany.