OWNERS of Mercedes cars and SUVs in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire are being notified this month whether their vehicles need to be recalled due to a faulty starter part which could cause fires.

The motoring giant, which has a dealership at Ashville Business Park in Gloucester, is to recall a million cars and SUVs worldwide – including up to 75,000 in the UK, Car Dealer magazine has reported.

The faulty starter part can apparently overheat which could then in turn cause fires.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue tweeted about the issue over the weekend.

The recall includes certain C-Class, E-Class and CLA cars and GLA and GLC SUVs, all from 2015 through to 2017.

According to the motoring magazine, the German carmaker reported 51 fires worldwide, with about 30 in the United States.

The company has no reports of any injuries.

Owners will be notified this month and again when replacement parts are available in July.

The repair will be done free of charge.

Mercedes began investigating the problem last June after getting field reports of ‘thermally damaged’ current limiters, said Car Dealer.

If you live in Gloucestershire or Wiltshire and will be affected by the recall, contact ryan.merrifield@newsquest.co.uk.