Mercedes-Benz has announced it is immediately recalling nearly one million older vehicles worldwide due to a potential problem with the braking system. Germany's federal transport authority (KBA) said that the recall affected cars built between 2004 and 2015 of the SUV series ML and GL, and the R-Class luxury minivan. 993,407 vehicles were being recalled worldwide, including about 70,000 in Germany.

It is not known how many vehicles in the UK are affected. Mercedes-Benz confirmed the recall in a statement to the AFP news agency, stating the move was based on “analysis of isolated reports for certain vehicles”. The company said it would “start with the recall immediately” and contact the owners of the “potentially affected vehicles”.

The recall process will involve inspecting potentially affected vehicles and, depending on the results of the inspection, replacing the parts where necessary.