One owner says he got second-degree burns wearing a tank top. Another owner says the badge burned her after sitting in the sun. The suit wants Mercedes to fund removal of the seat badges. Plenty of buyers like a cabin with real metal accents, since the material lends a car a touch of luxury that plastic never quite manages. For two Mercedes-AMG owners in the United States, though, the metal ‘AMG’ logos set into their seats pose a hazard, and both are now suing the German automaker over it. The class action, which lands somewhere near a heated seat lawsuit on the scale of strange cases we’ve come across, was filed in California last week by the two owners, reports the AP. The first, Gabriel Lahigani, leased a 2026 Mercedes-AMG E-Class from a Los Angeles dealer and says he received second-degree burns on May 31, when he leaned back against the AMG badge on the seat center while wearing a tank top. A board-certified dermatologist later documented first- and second-degree burns, per the lawsuit, describing the injury as “AMG inscribed.” Read: Mercedes Dealer Said Extended Test Drive, The Judge Said That’ll Be $20,270 About six weeks later, in July, Karendeep “Karina” Bath of Chatsworth, California, says she was burned much the same way after climbing back into her Mercedes-AMG parked in Los Angeles, again in a sleeveless top. Her shoulder made immediate contact with the logo and set off a burning sensation, the lawsuit states. Over the next few days, a mark shaped like the AMG logo “darkened and became visible on her skin, consistent with a thermal contact burn.” What The Plaintiffs Want The two plaintiffs are seeking compensation for medical expenses from Mercedes and also want to be compensated for pain, suffering, and any emotional distress they’ve experienced. On top of that, they want Mercedes to foot the bill for owners of these badged models to have the logos removed. The suit alleges that the raised metal emblem sits exactly where it can be expected to touch an occupant’s upper back, neck, or shoulder, which is the crux of the whole argument. As tends to happen with lawsuits like these, the carmaker takes the blame, and you have to wonder how much responsibility sits with the people touching hot metal. It’s a bit like suing an oven manufacturer because you grabbed a hot tray after roasting a turkey and burned yourself. Exposed metal in a cabin gets hot in the sun, and steering clear of it is probably a wise idea. Then again, a scorching emblem bolted to your seat is harder to avoid, so this lawsuit might actually have some legs. Photos Mercedes-AMG
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