2023 EQS – Dealer blaming “impact damage” for coolant pump failure… but no-start was 12V battery? Need advice
Hey everyone, looking for some advice here because this feels like a gray area and I’m not sure if I’m being handled fairly.
I have a 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS with ~43k miles. I’m located in Dallas, TX (bought the car from California, no lemon law claim or anything like that).
Recently, the car had a no-start condition, so I had it towed to the dealership.
What the technician found:
They said the 12V battery was the cause of the no-start
During inspection, they also found:
High-voltage coolant pump fault codes
The pump bracket is bent
Some damage to the pump and hose
They’re calling it “external impact damage”
Now the dealership is:
Refusing warranty coverage on the pump repair (~$1,800)
Saying it’s due to impact
And telling me they need to fix the pump before they can continue diagnosis / get the car fully operational
Where I’m confused:
If the 12V battery caused the no-start, then how is the pump being treated as the root issue?
I reviewed the photos, and there are some minor scuffs underneath, but nothing that looks like a major hit
The advisor said the pump “could have been damaged for a while,” which doesn’t make sense to me because:
I never got any warnings before this
It failed all at once
My questions:
Does a high-voltage coolant pump failure normally prevent the EQS from powering on entirely, or just restrict driving?
Would you expect gradual warnings if the pump was damaged, or can it just suddenly fail like this?
Has anyone seen pump/bracket damage like this from minor road contact?
Is this something Mercedes typically denies outright, or is goodwill coverage common in situations like this?
My concern:
Even if there was minor contact underneath, it feels like a critical component on a 2023 vehicle shouldn’t fail from that level of exposure. This doesn’t feel like a major impact situation.
What I’m trying to decide:
Do I push harder for goodwill coverage
Get a second opinion
Or just pay and move on
Would really appreciate any insight, especially from techs or anyone who’s dealt with EQS / EV cooling system issues.
Thanks in advance 🙏